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Editorial
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Title: The Proper Use of A and An
Source: [None]
URL Source: [None]
Published: Nov 17, 2012
Author: me
Post Date: 2012-11-17 22:45:20 by James Deffenbach
Keywords: None
Views: 755
Comments: 30

It just drives me crazy to see otherwise intelligent people use the word "a" where they should use an and some people ALWAYS use "a" and never use an. But that is not correct.

Use 'an' if the next word starts with a vowel sound. If it does not, then use 'a'.

Examples:

Buy a house in an hour. (Although 'house' and 'hour' start with the same three letters (hou), one attracts 'a' and the other 'an'.)

An unknown goblin killed a unicorn.

An LRS... (LRS - Linear Recursive Sequence)

A TT race... (TT - Tourist Trophy)

It would be a honour.--this is incorrect ('honour' - starts with an o sound)

Send an US ambassador. incorrect ('US' - starts with a y sound)

She was involved in a RTA. incorrect ('RTA' - Road Traffic Accident)

Source: Grammar-Monster.com

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Begin Trace Mode for Comment # 23.

#14. To: James Deffenbach (#0)

Good points on the usages of A and An. I would suggest a handy tool on such things like this. It is a reference book entitled A Writer's Reference by Diana Hacker.

purplerose  posted on  2012-11-18   0:51:02 ET  Reply   Untrace   Trace   Private Reply  

The site I linked to, Grammar-Monster, seems pretty thorough. Has stuff in it about the difference between your and you're (something a certain poster on LP never could understand no matter how many people tried to explain the difference to him). I think it also has the difference between to and too which is something else a lot of people get confused with.

www.grammar-monster.com/easily_confused_words.htm

James Deffenbach  posted on  2012-11-18   2:20:58 ET  Reply   Untrace   Trace   Private Reply  

"....the difference between your and you're (something a certain poster on LP never could understand no matter how many people tried to explain the difference to him)."

But he made up for it by becoming an expert on world affairs.

Big Meanie  posted on  2012-11-18   12:17:14 ET  Reply   Untrace   Trace   Private Reply  

#25. To: Big Meanie (#23)

LOL! He always tickled me when someone was giving him a good ass kicking and he would tell them, "we're done." And one of his best lines when talking to his intellectual superiors, and lo, they were legion, was "Your (sic) not well read." BWAHAHAHAHA. And the thing that about tickled me to death was his post about how he saw a guy get sucked into the engine of a PROP plane, one they don't even use aboard any ship. And another time I remember he got all upset and started rambling and said something about his business "ownershi entails." Thought I would fall out of my chair!

James Deffenbach  posted on  2012-11-18 12:46:32 ET  Reply   Untrace   Trace   Private Reply  

Do you remember the EPIC beatdown Starwind put on that blowhard over on LP? It was awesome. Neil kicked his butt good too.

Economy Grows at Slower Pace Than Expected

If anyone wants to check and doesn't want to start from the top and read all of it just go to post 34.

James Deffenbach  posted on  2012-11-18 13:24:26 ET  Reply   Untrace   Trace   Private Reply  

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