Pronunciation rule for 'the'

by Naushad khan
(India)

Are there any rules for pronouncing the article 'the' when used before words like "united, union, used, useful" starting with sound /j/?

Thanks for your question Naushad. Charles will answer your question shortly. Have a great day! - Diana

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Nov 06, 2010

Pronunciation rule for 'the'
by: Anonymous

In this case you should pronounce "the" with the schwa sound- /ə/, because the sound immediately after it is /j/ which is a consonant. So even though the letter is a vowel, the actual sound is a consonant and we use /ə/ before consonant sounds. Use /i/ when 'the comes before a vowel.

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