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Title: English Lesson 16: Correct Use of A and An
Source:
Karlonia.com
URL Source: http://www.karlonia.com/2008/07/05/english-grammar-lesson-a-an/
Published: Jul 5, 2008
Author: Karlonia
Post Date: 2010-09-16 19:23:48 by James Deffenbach
Keywords: None
Views: 185
Comments: 16
Trying to figure out whether to use the indefinite article a or an before a noun can be tricky for inexperienced English users. Many people seem to think that you should use a before a consonant and an before a vowel, but it is not quite that simple. The actual rule is that a is used before a consonant sound and an before a vowel sound — these do not always match up with the letter itself! For example, one of the most common mistakes I have been seeing recently is the use of “a hour” instead of “an hour”. The latter is correct because the word hour actually begins with an o (vowel) sound; the h is silent. Conversely, we would say “a Ouija board” instead of “an Ouija board” because Ouija is pronounced with a w (consonant) sound. This rule also extends to acronyms. For example, I have lost count of the number of times that I have cringed whenever I see someone write “a HYIP” on a forum or blog. This should be written “an HYIP” because the letter H is pronounced with an a (vowel) sound. However, if we were to write the acronym out we would write “a High Yield Investment Program” because the consonant h sound is now being pronounced as part of the word high. Acronyms: A vs. An Usage Before A Given Letter Because this rule can be tricky, especially for people who are hearing impaired and therefore may be unaccustomed to hearing what the letters sound like, I have attempted to clarify things below by first listing all of the letters that are initially spoken with a vowel sound and therefore require an before them if the letter is used in an acronym. All other letters are initially spoken with a consonant sound and will require a; these are listed in the second line below: If the acronym begins with these letters, use an: A, E, F, H, I, L, M, N, O, R, S, X If the acronym begins with these letters, use a: B, C, D, G, J, K, P, Q, T, U, V, W, Y, Z For example, we would write an FBI agent, an SEO, and an LP member, but we would write a YMCA member, a QC inspector, and a USB port. Now we can look at some examples from the Internet where a and an have been used incorrectly: Incorrect: New teeth in a hour is worth smiling about — headline of an online newspaper article at living.scotsman.com Correct: New teeth in an hour is worth smiling about Incorrect: I’m a idiot for buying this book! — reviewer “Kimberly” at search.barnesandnoble.com Correct: I’m an idiot for buying this book! Incorrect: Our Engineering and Technical division is currently working with a leading producer of steel related products in Plymouth, MN which has an immediate need for an Quality Technician. — job posting at aol.careerbuilder.com Correct: Our Engineering and Technical division is currently working with a leading producer of steel related products in Plymouth, MN which has an immediate need for a Quality Technician. Incorrect: I certify that I am an United States resident licensed to practice law in Wisconsin, and that all of the information I have provided is true. — Notary Public application for Wisconsin attorneys Correct: I certify that I am a United States resident licensed to practice law in Wisconsin, and that all of the information I have provided is true. Quick Summary: If in doubt about whether to use a or an, simply pronounce the word that is to appear after the article. If the first sound pronounced is a vowel, use an; otherwise, use a.
Poster Comment: This is something I have been noticing for some time. Many otherwise intelligent--some of them probably genius level intelligent--continually get this wrong and it is not complicated. At least I don't think it is. Anyway, just posting it as a "public service." >(;^{]
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#1. To: James Deffenbach (#0)
Thank you for posting. I have always muddled through grammer, I'm a physics guy, you do the english. Perhaps, it was my way of rebeling from my authoritarian mother, who was an english teacher. I do plan to muddle through the lessons, for those interested, Lesson#1 begins here: www.karlonia.com/category/english-usage/page/3/
i notice the most commonly misused is its and it's. so many writers use the contraction of it is (it's) for the possessive its. another thing i've been noticing lately is how often people add an apostrophe for a word that is plural and not possessive.
Yeah, I've seen a number of coffee shops that sell "Donut's." From what I've seen online, it's the possessive adjectives that are more commonly misused. "A" and "an" are almost never misused by native speakers, or should I say native writers. It's "your car" but "You're welcome." and "its (the dog's) collar" but "It's hot." and "their house" but "They're leaving." The other most common mis-usage that I see on forums and such is "then" for "than" in comparative clauses and phrases: "It's hotter than I thought it would be." or "It's cooler than yesterday."
I would like to direct this to the distinguished members of the panel: You lousy cork-soakers. You have violated my farging rights. Dis somanumbatching country was founded so that the liberties of common patriotic citizens like me could not be taken away by a bunch of fargin iceholes... like yourselves. - Roman Moroni
yes, i see those too.
I was actually making that error myself and got corrected a couple of years ago. You can find the rule for it in "Elements of Style" by Strunk & White. I think it is a common confusion. "A" and "an" have never given me much trouble - I had that hammered into me in 2nd or 3rd grade by an old "School Marm".
"One of the least understood strategies of the world revolution now moving rapidly toward its goal is the use of mind control as a major means of obtaining the consent of the people who will be subjects of the New World Order." K.M. Heaton, The National Educator
People with high literacy skills internalize these rules and use them without thinking. Others, perhaps as intelligent or more so but not in the area of high language skills, have to study or memorize rules or rely on their computer. Far more annoying than this stuff is the awful abuse of homonyms. It seems like 75% of the time, 'effect' and 'affect' are used exactly in reverse by non-professional writers. That's just a good example, there are tons more. And with homonyms, they pass spellcheck as legal words but the writer ends up looking like a boob and never knows it. For instance: "I want to effect change in the public schools to affect student skills with homonyms positively with the net effect of improving language skills." 'affect' is always a verb (unless rarely used as a noun in the sense of psychology), 'effect' is always a noun unless it is used, somewhat archaicly, as a verb to mean 'cause'. It is relatively simple but these words are used so commonly you see it all the time. The internet is chock full of it. I can't even estimate the number of web pages I've read that actually had good content and a few incorrect homonyms entirely ruined it for me. It's like reading something you admire and then finding a misspelled word in it. Kind of mars it. Then I realize how much work these people sometimes have gone to just to present their content, only to have it marred by something so minor. But it is as flaw as visible as a misspelling. It's just that spellcheck doesn't catch it. We have good spellcheck. We need homonym-check. Or spend a lot more time drilling kids in these common idiomatic usages. Not to be a curmudgeon but when I was a kid, our teachers drilled us on this stuff. But then, maybe the time is better spent on more important skills than grammatical minutiae and we should just develop software to help people get the job done and concentrate on core skills to bring up math scores. Not everyone needs to be a professional writer; they just need something workable.
More homonym madness with possessives and contractions. LOL. I bet English teachers get really depressed when they browse around the interweb. They must feel like total failures.
So: It's his. Should be : Its his? Its really funny: It's really funny?
"Satan / Cheney in "08" smarty pant's ;)
That's better than no pants.
I have always muddled through grammer, I'm a physics guy, you do the english. Thank you. I will be happy to leave the physics to you.
Liberty is not a means to a higher political end. It is itself the highest political end. He (Gordon Duff) also implies that forcibly removing Obama, a Constitution-hating, on-the-down-low, crackhead Communist, is an attack on America, Mom, and apple pie. I swear these military people are worse than useless. Just look around at the condition of the country and tell me if they have fulfilled their oaths to protect the nation from all enemies foreign and domestic. I think one of the most common mistakes I have seen--and I know you have too because we called it to the attention of "the perps" any number of times--is the misuse of your and you're. Two guys in particular who would be pushing up daisies by now if willful ignorance on those two words was punishable by death. I think you know who I mean (and no, it isn't anyone who posts on this board).
Liberty is not a means to a higher political end. It is itself the highest political end. He (Gordon Duff) also implies that forcibly removing Obama, a Constitution-hating, on-the-down-low, crackhead Communist, is an attack on America, Mom, and apple pie. I swear these military people are worse than useless. Just look around at the condition of the country and tell me if they have fulfilled their oaths to protect the nation from all enemies foreign and domestic. Speaking of pants, is it my pants' pocket or my pants pocket? Technically, the pocket belongs to the pants...
#2. To: James Deffenbach (#0)
#3. To: christine (#2)
how often people add an apostrophe for a word that is plural and not possessive.
#4. To: randge (#3)
#5. To: christine (#2)
(Edited)
i notice the most commonly misused is its and it's. so many writers use the contraction of it is (it's) for the possessive its. another thing i've been noticing lately is how often people add an apostrophe for a word that is plural and not possessive.
#6. To: James Deffenbach (#0)
#7. To: randge (#3)
It's "your car" but "You're welcome." and "its (the dog's) collar" but "It's hot." and "their house" but "They're leaving."
#8. To: christine (#2)
many writers use the contraction of it is (it's) for the possessive its. another thing i've been noticing lately is how often people add an apostrophe for a word that is plural and not possessive.
#9. To: tom007 (#8)
#10. To: christine (#9)
smarty pant's ;)
#11. To: Lysander_Spooner (#1)
Thank you for posting.
Lord Acton
OsamaBinGoldstein posted on 2010-05-25 9:39:59 ET (2 images) Reply Trace
#12. To: christine (#2)
i notice the most commonly misused is its and it's. so many writers use the contraction of it is (it's) for the possessive its. another thing i've been noticing lately is how often people add an apostrophe for a word that is plural and not possessive.
Lord Acton
OsamaBinGoldstein posted on 2010-05-25 9:39:59 ET (2 images) Reply Trace
#13. To: christine (#9)
smarty pant's
Waiting too late to oppose tyranny has always led to bloodshed.
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#14. To: TooConservative (#6)
Thank you for the post. I know affect and effect confuse a lot of people.
Liberty is not a means to a higher political end. It is itself the highest political end.
Lord Acton
He (Gordon Duff) also implies that forcibly removing Obama, a Constitution-hating, on-the-down-low, crackhead Communist, is an attack on America, Mom, and apple pie. I swear these military people are worse than useless. Just look around at the condition of the country and tell me if they have fulfilled their oaths to protect the nation from all enemies foreign and domestic.
OsamaBinGoldstein posted on 2010-05-25 9:39:59 ET (2 images) Reply Trace
#15. To: Critter (#13) (Edited)
You could look at that like a possessive noun to noun relationship like: a horse's ass But here's a thing that comes in pairs, because pants evolved from stocking and remains a plural like scissors. Technically, yeah, you would put the stupid apostrophe after the "s". And if the scissors had to be put back in the same darned place (as my wife insists), it goes into the scissors' drawer But I think that looks redundant somehow. Just gilding the lily, ain't it?? You can leave the apostrophe on "pants pocket" on the theory that it's a compound noun like cop car. So, if I have to my wife a note regarding these items, I'd probably write: "Hey Hon - When you go to the dry cleaner, ask that horse's ass if he fixed my pants pockets. The receipt is in the scissors drawer. There's a cop car outside, I may not be home for a while. - Luv r."
Speaking of pants, is it my pants' pocket or my pants pocket? Technically, the pocket belongs to the pants...
I would like to direct this to the distinguished members of the panel: You lousy cork-soakers. You have violated my farging rights. Dis somanumbatching country was founded so that the liberties of common patriotic citizens like me could not be taken away by a bunch of fargin iceholes... like yourselves. - Roman Moroni
#16. To: randge (#15)
Heh-heh.
"Hey Hon - When you go to the dry cleaner, ask that horse's ass if he fixed my pants pockets. The receipt is in the scissors drawer. There's a cop car outside, I may not be home for a while. - Luv r."
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