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The definite article "the"
In spoken language, people pronounce the definite article "the" in two different ways:
| stressed: /ði/ |
| unstressed: /ðə/ |
Listen to the text and click on the nouns that require the article "the" pronounced as /ði/.
Once more, look at the words that require the article "the" pronounced as /ði/. What could possibly be the rule?
You pronounce the article "the" as /ði/ in front of words that start with a vowel-sound: the apple, the evening, the eye, the example, the oak, the ears, the arm, the idea, the egg.
You pronounce the article "the" as /ðə/ in front of words that start with a consonant-sound: the car, the cat, the sword, the man, the girl, the table, the kitchen, the book, the door.
Note: the indefinite articles "a" or "an" follow the same rules.
Source: http://www.learning-english-online.net/areas/pronunciation/the-definite-article-the/
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