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"a" or "an"

  • digitalMedia
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Post January 11th, 2010, 10:18 am

Try saying "A hour". As in, "I'm getting off work in A HOUR." Now that's just plain unatural. :)
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Post January 11th, 2010, 10:18 am

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Post January 11th, 2010, 11:34 am

So we're saying it's good and proper to swap grammar rules depending on pronunciation? eek. Something tells me that if I so choose to mispronounce a word back in my school days and then swapped around grammar to suit, it wouldn't fly with any of the professors.
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Post January 11th, 2010, 11:40 am

How do you pronounce "hamburger" there? Is it typically a or an?
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Post January 11th, 2010, 1:59 pm

UPSGuy wrote:
So we're saying it's good and proper to swap grammar rules depending on pronunciation? eek. Something tells me that if I so choose to mispronounce a word back in my school days and then swapped around grammar to suit, it wouldn't fly with any of the professors.


But, isn't it proper grammar to use "an" before a soft "h" and "a" before a hard "h". And, don't pronounciations vary with dialects/accents?

I mean which English speaking culture doesn't have it's own unique way of murdering the language. :lol:
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Post January 11th, 2010, 2:40 pm

up here with yankee accent its Hawaii not Awaii.

We also say Roof not Rooooof though.
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Post January 11th, 2010, 2:44 pm

Quote:
We also say Roof not Rooooof though.


Here, it's 'Ruf' as in Rufus. Winders (the things you see through in your walls), Pillers(the things you rest your head on while you sleep), and short-legged britches (shorts) are a few deep-South pronunciations I could do without, though.
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Post January 11th, 2010, 3:11 pm

UPSGuy wrote:
...deep-South pronunciations I could do without, though.


Ha! You mean like people who say "God" with three syllables?
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Post January 11th, 2010, 3:24 pm

I'd like to hear god with three syllables.

Its interesting dM, in your post above you said a hard "h" with an "a" and not an "an" for the hard "h".
Like Mr Spork, I also write about my interest in alcoholic beverages.
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Post January 11th, 2010, 3:28 pm

Quote:
Ha! You mean like people who say "God" with three syllables?


Indeed.
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Post January 11th, 2010, 4:17 pm

kc0tma wrote:
I'd like to hear god with three syllables.

Its interesting dM, in your post above you said a hard "h" with an "a" and not an "an" for the hard "h".


Gaw-uh-duh! :)

I'm not sure what you meant in the second part.
A Hamburger. An Hour.
?
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Post January 11th, 2010, 4:35 pm

Meant that for r_t, sorry. Should have quoted.
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Post January 12th, 2010, 8:52 am

digitalMedia wrote:
I'm not sure what you meant in the second part.
A Hamburger. An Hour.
?


You you typed the words "a hard H" you used "a", so if someone reads your post out loud they say "a hard" rather than "an hard".
Like Mr Spork, I also write about my interest in alcoholic beverages.
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Post January 12th, 2010, 2:01 pm

Enunciation and Pronunciation are not the same beast. Pronunciation does affect this grammar rule since its based on a word's phonetic "first" letter. The general rule is that any word starting with a consonant should be preceded with the "a" while words beginning with a vowel should be preceded by "an".

The two examples would be: A Hawaiian (huh-wahy-uhn) vs. An honorable (on-er-uh-buhl) person...

From the Purdue Style Guide
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Post January 12th, 2010, 5:03 pm

graphixboy wrote:
Enunciation and Pronunciation are not the same beast. Pronunciation does affect this grammar rule since its based on a word's phonetic "first" letter. The general rule is that any word starting with a consonant should be preceded with the "a" while words beginning with a vowel should be preceded by "an".

The two examples would be: A Hawaiian (huh-wahy-uhn) vs. An honorable (on-er-uh-buhl) person...

From the Purdue Style Guide


Yep, I agree here, but what r_t is stating is that in South Africa, it's commonly pronounced as a silent H. Didn't accept that that's the native pronunciation, either. So, I think the issue lies more in the adaptation than anything.
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Post January 13th, 2010, 8:07 am

How about instead of a or an Hawaiian party, he could just call it THE Hawaiian party. Of the century. Be there, or be square.
Like Mr Spork, I also write about my interest in alcoholic beverages.
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Post January 13th, 2010, 8:07 am

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