sˌʌm mətˈɪɹiəlz mˈeɪ biː kwˈaɪt ɹᵻsˈɪstənt tə tˈɛɹɪŋ wɛn ðeɪ ɑːɹ ɪn ðɛɹ fˈʊl fˈɔːɹm, bˌʌt wɛn ɐ smˈɔːl kˈʌt ɔːɹ tˈɪɹ ɪz mˈeɪd, ðə mətˈɪɹiəl bɪkˌʌmz kˈɑːmpɹəmˌaɪzd, ænd ðɪ ˈɛfɚt nˈiːdᵻd tə kəntˈɪnjuː tˈɛɹɪŋ ɐlˈɔŋ ðæt lˈaɪn bɪkˌʌmz lˈɛs.
Some materials may be quite resistant to tearing when they are in their full form, but when a small cut or tear is made, the material becomes compromised, and the effort needed to continue tearing along that line becomes less.