Collins COBUILD Advanced Learner’s Dictionary

They can take primary or secondary stress in a way that is not shared by the other syllables.

Whether they are stressed or not, the vowel must be pronounced distinctly; it cannot be weakened to /ə/, / I / or /ʊ/.

These features are shared by most of the one-syllable words in English, which are therefore transcribed in this dictionary as stressed syllables:

two /tuː /

inn / I n/

tree /triː /

Unstressed syllables

It is an important characteristic of English that vowels in unstressed syllables tend not to be pronounced clearly. Many unstressed syllables contain the vowel /ə/, a neutral vowel which is not found in stressed syllables. The vowels / I / and /ʊ/, which are relatively neutral in quality, are also common in unstressed syllables.

Single-syllable grammatical words such as ‘shall’ and ‘at’ are often pronounced with a weak vowel such as /ə/. However, some of them are pronounced with a more distinct vowel under certain circumstances, for example when they occur at the end of a sentence. This distinct pronunciation is generally referred to as the strong form, and is given in this dictionary after the word STRONG .

shall /ʃəl, STRONG ʃæl/

at /ət, STRONG æt/

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Aa

A , a /e I / (A's, a's )

1 N‑VAR A is the first letter of the English alphabet.

2 N‑VAR In music, A is the sixth note in the scale of C major.

3 N‑VAR If you get an A as a mark for a piece of work or in an exam, your work is extremely good.

4A or a is used as an abbreviation for words beginning with a, such as 'acceleration', 'ampère', or 'answer'.

5 PHRASE People talk about getting from A to B when they are referring generally to journeys they need to make, without saying where the journeys will take them. □  Cars are for getting people from A to B in maximum safety.

a ◆◆◆ /ə, STRONG e I / or an /ən, STRONG æn/ A or an is the indefinite article. It is used at the beginning of noun groups which refer to only one person or thing. The form an is used in front of words that begin with vowel sounds. 1 DET You use a or an when you are referring to someone or something for the first time or when people may not know which particular person or thing you are talking about. □  A waiter entered with a tray. □  He started eating an apple. □  Today you've got a new teacher taking you. □  I manage a hotel.

2 DET You use a or an when you are referring to any person or thing of a particular type and do not want to be specific. □  I suggest you leave it to an expert. □  Bring a sleeping bag. □  I was waiting for a bus.

3 DET You use a or an in front of an uncount noun when that noun follows an adjective, or when the noun is followed by words that describe it more fully. □  There was a terrible sadness in her eyes.

4 DET You use a or an in front of a mass noun when you want to refer to a single type or make of something. □  Bollinger 'RD' is a rare, highly prized wine.

5 DET You use a in quantifiers such as a lot , a little , and a bit . □  I spend a lot on expensive jewelry and clothing. □  I've come looking for a bit of advice.

6 DET You use a or an to refer to someone or something as a typical member of a group, class, or type. □  Some parents believe a boy must learn to stand up and fight like a man.

7 DET You use a or an in front of the names of days, months, or festivals when you are referring to one particular instance of that day, month, or festival. □  The interview took place on a Friday afternoon.

8 DET You use a or an when you are saying what someone is or what job they have. □  I explained that I was an artist. □  He was now a teacher and a respectable member of the community.

9 DET You use a or an in front of the names of artists to refer to one individual painting or sculpture created by them. □  Most people have very little difficulty in seeing why a Van Gogh is a work of genius.

10 DET You use a or an instead of the number 'one', especially with words of measurement such as 'hundred', 'hour', and 'metre', and with fractions such as 'half', 'quarter', and 'third'. □  …more than a thousand acres of land. □  …a quarter of an hour.