Lu Yao: Excuse me, Miss Conner. I’m having a problem with this English listening task. Some words are pronounced really fast and sound different. Miss Conner: Oh, let me listen ... Yes, that’s probably because the words are not being stressed. You see, English is a stress-based language. Lu Yao: So does this mean I need to know which words are stressed and which are not? Miss Conner: Yes, I’m afraid so. English words have a strong form and a weak form. Words like pronouns, articles, prepositions, and so on are often not stressed. So we usually use the weak form for them when we speak. Lu Yao: Oh no. When I speak, I worry people won’t understand me, so I always try to pronounce all my words really clearly. No wonder my classmates say I sound like a robot! Miss Conner: Oh dear! Well, I suggest you pay more attention to the weak forms. For example, in the sentence “Are you studying hard?”, the words “are” and “you” are pronounced as /ə/ and /jə/. Lu Yao: Oh, I get it. Thanks, Miss Conner. Miss Conner: You’re welcome. I also suggest you watch some movies and study how the weak forms are used. Lu Yao: That’s great advice, Miss Conner! I’m going to watch a movie right now. Thanks again! Bye!