A vs An
Today's topic is a versus an.
A lot of people learned the rule that you put a before words that start with consonants and an
before words that start with vowels, but it's actually a bit more
complicated than that. For example, here's Matthew with a question:
I've been wondering if it is actually a hour or an hour. An hour sounds more correct, but a hour reads more correct. I'm just curious on what it should be.
The rule is that you use a before words that start with a consonant sound and an before words that start with a vowel sound (1).
Should You Use a or an?
So to answer Matt's question,
an hour is correct, because
hour starts with a vowel sound. People seem to ask most often about words that start with the letters
h and
u because sometimes these words start with
vowel sounds and sometimes they start with consonant sounds. For example, it is
a historic monument because
historic starts with an
h sound, but it is
an honorable fellow because
honorable starts with an
o sound. Similarly, it is
a Utopian idea, but
an unfair world.
The letters
o and
m can be tricky too. Usually you put
an before words that start with
o, but sometimes you use
a. For example, you would use
a if you were to say, “She has a one-track mind,” because
one-track starts with a
w sound. Similarly, “She has an MBA, but chooses to work as a missionary.”
The rule is that you use a before words that start with a consonant sound and an before words that start with a vowel sound.
Other letters can also be pronounced either way. Just remember it is the sound that governs whether you use a or an, not the actual first letter of the word.
One complication is when words are pronounced differently in British
and American English. For example, the word for a certain kind of plant
is pronounced “erb” in American English and “herb” in British English.
So the proper form in America is an erb, and the proper form in Britain is a herb.
In the rare cases where this is a problem, use the form that will be
expected in your country or by the majority of your readers.
A Historic or an Historic
While we’re talking about different pronunciations, let’s talk about a historic. Some Americans argue that it should be an historic, but I come down firmly on the side that says it should be a historic event. One of the most contentious interactions I had at a book signing was over this point.
Here’s my reasoning: If you have an odd accent for an American and pronounce historic as “istoric,” you can make an argument for writing an historic, but it’s a stretch since the standard American pronunciation of historic is with the h-sound: “historic.” So even if you pronounce it “istoric,” most of your readers won’t.
If you’re feeling argumentative about this point, I’ll direct you to Bill Walsh’s website,
The Slot,
which has an exhaustive review of how different style guides deal with
historic. But you should know that after reviewing many style guides, he
also stands behind
a historic being the correct choice.
Definite and Indefinite Articles
A and
an are called indefinite
articles.
The is called a definite
article. The difference is that
a and
an don't say anything special about the words that follow. For example, think about the sentence, “I need
a horse.” You'll take any horse—just a horse will do. But if you say, “I need
the horse,” then you want a specific horse. That's why
the is called a definite article—you want something definite. At least that's how I remember the names.
Ref : Faigley, L.
The Little Penguin Handbook. New York: Pearson Education. 2007, p. 255
http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com/a-versus-an.aspx
How do you know when to use the indefinite articles?
The choice of article is actually based upon the phonetic (sound)
quality of the first letter in a word, not on the orthographic (written)
representation of the letter. If the first letter makes a vowel-type
sound, you use "an"; if the first letter would make a consonant-type
sound, you use "a." However, you may follow these basic rules when
deciding to use "a" or "an," remembering that there are some exceptions
to the rules.
"A" goes before words that begin with consonants.
- a cat
- a dog
- a purple onion
- a buffalo
- a big apple
"An" goes before words that begin with vowels:
- an apricot
- an egg
- an Indian
- an orbit
- an uprising
Exceptions
Use "an" before unsounded "h." Because the
"h" hasn't any phonetic representation and has no audible sound, the
sound that follows the article is a vowel; consequently, "an" is used.
- an honorable peace
- an honest error
When "u" makes the same sound as the "y" in "you," or "o" makes the same sound as "w" in "won," then a
is used. The word-initial "y" sound ("unicorn") is actually a glide [j]
phonetically, which has consonantal properties; consequently, it is
treated as a consonant, requiring "a."
- a union
- a united front
- a unicorn
- a used napkin
- a U.S. ship
- a one-legged man
ref : http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/591/01/
Using Articles
What is an article? Basically, an article is an adjective. Like adjectives, articles modify nouns.
English has two articles: the and a/an. The is used to refer to specific or particular nouns; a/an is used to modify non-specific or non-particular nouns. We call the the definite article and a/an the indefinite article.
the = definite article
a/an = indefinite article
For example, if I say, "Let's read the book," I mean a specific book. If I say, "Let's read a book," I mean any book rather than a specific book.
Here's another way to explain it: The is used to refer to a specific or particular member of a group. For example, "I just saw the most popular movie of the year." There are many movies, but only one particular movie is the most popular. Therefore, we use the.
"A/an" is used to refer to a non-specific or non-particular member of the group. For example, "I would like to go see a movie." Here, we're not talking about a specific movie. We're talking about any movie. There are many movies, and I want to see any movie. I don't have a specific one in mind.
Let's look at each kind of article a little more closely.
Indefinite Articles: a and an
"A" and "an" signal that the noun modified is indefinite, referring to any member of a group. For example:
- "My daughter really wants a dog for Christmas." This refers to any dog. We don't know which dog because we haven't found the dog yet.
- "Somebody call a policeman!" This refers to any policeman. We don't need a specific policeman; we need any policeman who is available.
- "When I was at the zoo, I saw an
elephant!" Here, we're talking about a single, non-specific thing, in
this case an elephant. There are probably several elephants at the zoo,
but there's only one we're talking about here.
Remember, using a or an depends on the sound that begins the next word. So...
- a + singular noun beginning with a consonant: a boy; a car; a bike; a zoo; a dog
- an + singular noun beginning with a vowel: an elephant; an egg; an apple; an idiot; an orphan
- a + singular noun beginning with a consonant sound: a user (sounds like 'yoo-zer,' i.e. begins with a consonant 'y' sound, so 'a' is used); a university; a unicycle
- an + nouns starting with silent "h": an hour
- a + nouns starting with a pronounced "h": a horse
-
In some cases where "h" is pronounced, such as "historical," you can use an. However, a is more commonly used and preferred.
A historical event is worth recording.
Remember that these rules also apply when you use acronyms:
Introductory Composition at Purdue (ICaP) handles
first-year writing at the University. Therefore, an ICaP memo generally
discusses issues concerning English 106 instructors.
Another case where this rule applies is when acronyms start with consonant letters but have vowel sounds:
An MSDS (material safety data sheet) was used to
record the data. An SPCC plan (Spill Prevention Control and
Countermeasures plan) will help us prepare for the worst.
If the noun is modified by an adjective, the choice between a and an depends on the initial sound of the adjective that immediately follows the article:
- a broken egg
- an unusual problem
- a European country (sounds like 'yer-o-pi-an,' i.e. begins with consonant 'y' sound)
Remember, too, that in English, the indefinite articles are used to indicate membership in a group:
- I am a teacher. (I am a member of a large group known as teachers.)
- Brian is an Irishman. (Brian is a member of the people known as Irish.)
- Seiko is a practicing Buddhist. (Seiko is a member of the group of people known as Buddhists.)
Definite Article: the
The definite article is used before singular and plural nouns when the noun is specific or particular. The signals that the noun is definite, that it refers to a particular member of a group. For example:
"The dog that bit me ran away." Here, we're talking about a specific dog, the dog that bit me.
"I was happy to see the policeman who saved my cat!" Here, we're talking about a particular
policeman. Even if we don't know the policeman's name, it's still a
particular policeman because it is the one who saved the cat.
"I saw the elephant at the zoo." Here, we're talking about a specific noun. Probably there is only one elephant at the zoo.
Count and Noncount Nouns
The can be used with noncount nouns, or the article can be omitted entirely.
- "I love to sail over the water" (some specific body of water) or "I love to sail over water" (any water).
- "He spilled the milk all over the floor"
(some specific milk, perhaps the milk you bought earlier that day) or
"He spilled milk all over the floor" (any milk).
"A/an" can be used only with count nouns.
- "I need a bottle of water."
- "I need a new glass of milk."
Most of the time, you can't say, "She wants a water," unless you're implying, say, a bottle of water.
Geographical use of the
There are some specific rules for using the with geographical nouns.
Do not use the before:
- names of most countries/territories: Italy, Mexico, Bolivia; however, the Netherlands, the Dominican Republic, the Philippines, the United States
- names of cities, towns, or states: Seoul, Manitoba, Miami
- names of streets: Washington Blvd., Main St.
- names of lakes and bays: Lake Titicaca, Lake Erie except with a group of lakes like the Great Lakes
- names of mountains: Mount Everest, Mount Fuji except with ranges of mountains like the Andes or the Rockies or unusual names like the Matterhorn
- names of continents (Asia, Europe)
- names of islands (Easter Island, Maui, Key West) except with island chains like the Aleutians, the Hebrides, or the Canary Islands
Do use the before:
- names of rivers, oceans and seas: the Nile, the Pacific
- points on the globe: the Equator, the North Pole
- geographical areas: the Middle East, the West
- deserts, forests, gulfs, and peninsulas: the Sahara, the Persian Gulf, the Black Forest, the Iberian Peninsula
Omission of Articles
Some common types of nouns that don't take an article are:
- Names of languages and nationalities: Chinese, English, Spanish, Russian (unless you are referring to the population of the nation: "The Spanish are known for their warm hospitality.")
- Names of sports: volleyball, hockey, baseball
- Names of academic subjects: mathematics, biology, history, computer science
Ref : http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/540/01/
