Quote:
Originally Posted by fast4522
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A Historic Topic - A vs. An
Writers sometimes confuse the use of the articles a and an. We were all taught that a precedes a word starting with a consonant and that an precedes a word starting with a vowel (a, e, i, o, u, and sometimes y).
Here’s the secret to making the rule work: The rule applies to the sound of the letter beginning the word, not just the letter itself. The way we say the word will determine whether or not we use a or an. If the word begins with a vowel sound, you must use an. If it begins with a consonant sound, you must use a.
For example, the word hour begins with the consonant h. But the h is silent, so the word has a vowel sound. Hence:
an hour
The rule works the other way as well. Take the word university. It begins with the vowel u. But the u is pronounced as if it begins with the consonant y. Hence:
a university
But consider the word umbrella, also starting with u. It starts with the vowel sound uh. Hence:
an umbrella
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