7.9 Miscellaneous gradation words
The second column gives the SF, the third the WF, and the fourth column gives an illustration of the use of the WF.
The following gradation words have not been discussed so far:
| SF | WF | Example | |
| as | æz | əz | as white as snow |
| than | ðæn | ðən | better than ever |
| and | ænd | ən | black and blue |
| but | bʌt | bət | poor but happy |
| or | ɔr | ər | three or four |
| because | bɪkɑːz | bɪkəz | not because I like it |
The SFs occur when the words are stressed. The SF of than will not normally occur. As, on the other hand, frequently has its SF at the beginning of a clause. It is always /æz/ when it is equivalent to Dutch naarmate: As /æz/ the gale increased in force, more and more reports of uprooted trees and blown-off rooftops were coming in.
