英语里最常见的音：schwa /ə/

The sound /ə/ is the most common sound in the whole English language. It's so common that it even has its own name, schwa. It can be difficult to hear because it's never stressed. However, it's a vowel sound that's used in many grammar words, like articles and prepositions.

嘴巴、舌头都放松，不圆唇也不咧嘴，轻轻「呃」一声，就是 /ə/。前面几课讲的弱读，and 的 /ən/、can 的 /kən/、from 的 /frəm/、was 的 /wəz/，元音全是它。

冠词（a、an、the）、介词（of、to、for、at）、连词（and、but）这些语法词，在句子里几乎都读 schwa。of 后面接辅音时连 v 都常常省掉，只剩一个 /ə/：a cup of tea 读成 a cup-uh tea。