Wednesday, September 06, 2006
"A" or "An" It's Your Call
So I was just im-ing a message to someone and realized something weird I've never noticed before. To explain I'll need you to think way back when you were in school probably elementary school...are you there yet? Okay it was Mrs. Heslop that drilled the rules of english into your head over and over again. Do you remember the rule about "A" versus "An"? You use "An" when the noun succeeding it starts with a vowel (notice "vowel" does not start with a vowel) otherwise you us "A". It's pretty simple, probably one of the easiest rules in english.
Okay so pop-quiz time. I'll list some nouns you say which article is the proper one to precede it.
Interesting...maybe I'm slow...or maybe Mrs. Heslop didn't teach me the second part of the rule!
So I was just im-ing a message to someone and realized something weird I've never noticed before. To explain I'll need you to think way back when you were in school probably elementary school...are you there yet? Okay it was Mrs. Heslop that drilled the rules of english into your head over and over again. Do you remember the rule about "A" versus "An"? You use "An" when the noun succeeding it starts with a vowel (notice "vowel" does not start with a vowel) otherwise you us "A". It's pretty simple, probably one of the easiest rules in english.
Okay so pop-quiz time. I'll list some nouns you say which article is the proper one to precede it.
- dog
- canadian
- person
- optomitrist
- pineapple
- evangelist
- wagon
- californian
- oregonian
- new yorker
- utahn
- phone
- umbrella
- user
Interesting...maybe I'm slow...or maybe Mrs. Heslop didn't teach me the second part of the rule!
# posted by Ryan : 11:11 AM
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When the word starts with a hard 'u' sound (i.e unicycle, unicorn, unilateral), it's 'a' not 'an'. I don't know why I know that, but that's the way it is.
Here's another one for you, what if the word starts with an 'h' or a 'wh" as in whole?
Yup, that's right, it's "an whole other issue..." not "a whole nother issue" like most people say.
Here's another one for you, what if the word starts with an 'h' or a 'wh" as in whole?
Yup, that's right, it's "an whole other issue..." not "a whole nother issue" like most people say.
I agree with the hard "u" sound. But it's because a hard "u" is pronounced as a "y". As in You. Yutahn.
That's my two cents.
That's my two cents.
# posted by 
: 10:15 AM
: 10:15 AM
My English teacher in high school hated English. He spoke German and thought it was the shiznit. French on the other hand was pure evil.
I tested out of all English classes in college despite failing it twice in high school. BAH with the rules of English! In what other country are you required to study your native language for 12 years?
I tested out of all English classes in college despite failing it twice in high school. BAH with the rules of English! In what other country are you required to study your native language for 12 years?
Amen to Stu's comment! Wait... my native language would be considered Spanish. So for me, studying English for 12 years would simply be called, learning another language. Man! I wish I had Stu's excuse. I still hated English and the 2 years I tried to "learn" Spanish. I hate all the rules. I just do what sounds right or sounds funny. And sometimes I don't know the difference. Oh and as for punctuation, I hate those too. Unless they're smilies ;)
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# posted by : 6:33 PM
: 6:33 PM<< Home
