As generally agreed and as extensively discussed in this question, "an" should be used in place of the more common "a" where the following word begins with a vowel sound. I have just encountered for the first time an instance of the phrasing an mule in the book Why Chemical Reactions Happen (James Keeler and … Read more
Question is pretty self-explanatory. Either way, a date on a calendar is a date. When it becomes unexpected, it sounds right to me to say an unexpected date instead of a unexpected date. Same for when using expected. Which one is it? Answer “a” is used when the next word begins with a consonant sound … Read more
I’m currently learning about consonant to vowel linking, and I’m wondering if it’s safe to assume that most words (if not all?) that start with a vowel letter (a, e, i, o, u) will also start with a vowel sound. Knowing this information will help me quickly identify whether a word starts with a vowel … Read more
I have read that the the modern ‘an’ derives from the Old English ‘ān’, which is also the source of ‘one’. So I guess I can see how “one hour; one apple” could work, but that doesn’t explain ‘why’. What is the function of having one indefinite article for words starting with consonant sounds, and … Read more
The sentence in question: Every list item that is marked with an * is optional. The word “asterisks” isn’t spelled out, so I’m not sure if “an” or “a” is the correct word to put before it. Answer The usage should depend on how the symbol would be spelled out. For example * is an … Read more
All my life I have been hearing and pronouncing /ði/(unstressed) in “the US”, “the UK” and “the UN”, but I’m not sure that was correct. How do you pronounce “the” before a long u sound? I searched questions and answers in this forum and over the Internet, but could not find any rules. Answer For … Read more
Possible Duplicate: When should I use “a” vs “an”? I have recently seen this image: Should “a” have been used instead of “an” in the “…an $100,000 apartment” part? Answer The /ə ~ ən/ rule, like the /ðə ~ ði/ rule, depends completely on the individual sound that follows. What word starts with this sound, … Read more
Possible Duplicates: Is pronouncing “The” as in “Thee” still correct in titles? What is the pronunciation of “the?” What would be the correct way to pronounce “the”? According to my Swedish-English dictionary at home, it follows the same rule as for the articles “a” and “an”. Is this really true in every situation? I’ve noticed … Read more
When saying the title of JRR Tolkien’s masterpiece, which is the correct pronunciation (Yes, I know that they’re spelled wrong, but I’m trying to emphasize the pronunciation): Thuh Lord of thuh Rings Thee Lord of thee Rings Thuh Lord of thee Rings Thee Lord of thuh Rings I’m partial to the first pronunciation, but another … Read more
When a/an precedes a parenthetical aside (sometimes seen in informal/conversational writing), should the vowel rule depend on the first word in parentheses, or the next word in the “regular” flow of the sentence? I need a (memorable) idiom (preceding an m word; use a) or I need an (memorable) idiom (preceding an i word; use … Read more
