A or An? 1

[Golom]

I know that the rule is "A" before a consonant sound and "An" before a vowel ... so why does

An UNION query

just sound wrong?

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- Neils Bohr[/small]

 

[sleipnir214]

As I understand it, the rule is closer to: Use "a" before a consonant sound and "an" before a vowel sound.

"union" is pronounced "yoon-yun" (or thereabouts). Since it sounds like it begins with the consonant "y", use "an".




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[TheRambler]

Here you will find a quiz about indefinite articles, good luck!

 

[strongm]

100%

 

[SantaMufasa]

A honor"...certainly not...
"An honor"...just fine.

Again, sound is the determining factor.

Mufasa
(aka Dave of Sandy, Utah, USA)
[I can provide you with low-cost, remote Database Administration services: see our website and contact me via www.dasages.com]

 

[KenCunningham]

An Hotel? Always gets me!

 

[CorBlimeyLimey]

That depends if you pronounce the H or not. The "h" in honour is silent, so "an" is correct.

An 'otel.
A Hotel.

[Cheers]

 

[grande]

100%.

-------------------------
Just call me Captain Awesome.

 

[SilentAiche]

SilentAiche delves not into this one...

[SMILIES!!!!!]

Tim

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I love logging onto Tek-Tips. It's always so exciting to see what the hell I
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[strongm]

>"A honor"...certainly not...
>"An honor"...just fine.


I don't think either of those are right. "An honour" on the other hand ... ;-)

 

[GwydionM]

Honour and honour, colour and color, UK and US variants. The early British dictionary-makers made an uneasy compromise between sound, origin and habit. Sound cannot be predicted from spelling (rough dough-faced ploughmen wandering through Slough; Gloucester and Manchester etc.

The US dictionary makers failed to straigten it out but did introduce some irritating changes to a few common words.

------------------------------
An old man who lives in the UK

 

[strongm]

I guess I might as well missed off the smiley for all the good it did.

 

[rosieb]

Herb is a good one, in the UK it's a herb, in the US it's an 'erb.

Rosie
"Don't try to improve one thing by 100%, try to improve 100 things by 1%

 

[RCorrigan]

100 % too.

strogm

<Do I need A Signature or will an X do?>

 

[CRilliterate]

So there NO rules???

________________________________________
I am using Windows XP, Crystal Reports 9.0 with SQL Server

 

[CajunCenturion]

==> So there NO rules???

The rule was presented by sleipnir214 above. Use 'a' before consonant sounds and 'an' before vowell sounds.

Whether or not a leading 'h' is pronounced or silent is really a separte separate issue, but it does impact this thread. In those cases where the 'h' is pronounced, how strong is the 'h'? The stronger the 'h' pronunciation, the stronger the consonant sound, increasing the likelihood of using 'a'. Conversely, the weaker the 'h', the stronger the vowell sound becomes, therefore increasing the likelihood of using 'an'.

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[columb]

For me the dividing line is hotel. I am perfectly happy with either 'an hotel' or 'a hotel' and the pronunciation depends on context. However, this probably says more about my UK Thames Valley commuter belt accent rather than any linguistic rules. I'm with sleipnir214 on this one. It's how you say it that counts. c.f. Rosie's transatlantic herb.

Ceci n'est pas un signature
Columb Healy

 

[CRilliterate]

What I meant is there is no way to determine how will particular person say it so there is 'a' or 'an' depends on vocal output?

________________________________________
I am using Windows XP, Crystal Reports 9.0 with SQL Server

 

[sleipnir214]

When in doubt, write it as you would prounounce it.

I, having learned English on the western shore of the Atlantic, would write "an herb", because it is the inexplicable custom here that the "h" be silent in the pronunciation of that particular word. I imagine on the easter shore of the Atlantic (or at least on a certain archipelago near the easter shore), it is written as "a herb", because it is the peculiar idiom there that this beginning "h" be not silent in this word.



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[gbaughma]

I've always said "An herb", because I don't pronounce the H. Unless it's short for Herbert... "There goes a Herb"... <chuckle>

I've never heard "An Hotel"...



Just my 2¢

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