Usage of "a" and "an"

[Giugiaro]

Not sure if I made this question before, but since this still bugs me I'd like to ask again how to use the articles "a" and "an" on the English language.

I always took the idea that:
"a" precedes a consonant, as in "It's a chocolate bar"
"an" precedes a vowel, as in "It's an apple"

It rolls right off the tongue, so it must be right, but I've seen Grammarly and Word being very picky of which I use in certain situations. I have more trouble when the words starts with "h", mostly because I'm used to a mute "h" instead of the aspirated one from English and Japanese.

 

[yorkie]

I believe this to be correct:

https://writingexplained.org/a-vs-an-difference

The rule only becomes tricky when you have a vowel with a consonant sound or a consonant with a vowel sound like in our above examples,

• A university (yoo-ne-ver-se-tee).
• A utopia (yoo-toe-pe-a).
• An honor (ah-ner).

When you come across these, ignore what the first letter is and just listen to the sound that it makes. Say the word out loud. If it sounds as if it is beginning with a consonant sound, use a. If it sounds as if it is beginning with a vowel sound, use an.

Hope this helps

(And don't forget to let us know when you're next in the UK!)

 

[Bertie the bus]

I wouldn't worry about it too much. Most natives don't. It isn't unknown, for example, for people to refer to a horse as an 'orse.

 

[mmh]

Not sure if I made this question before, but since this still bugs me I'd like to ask again how to use the articles "a" and "an" on the English language.

I always took the idea that:
"a" precedes a consonant, as in "It's a chocolate bar"
"an" precedes a vowel, as in "It's an apple"

It rolls right off the tongue, so it must be right, but I've seen Grammarly and Word being very picky of which I use in certain situations. I have more trouble when the words starts with "h", mostly because I'm used to a mute "h" instead of the aspirated one from English and Japanese.

That's exactly what causes the different behaviour with H in English - whether it's pronounced or not.

e.g.

A horse
An honour
A heritage railway
A hat

Some archaic guides will say "an hotel" is correct, in modern usage it's an anachronism.

 

[Giugiaro]

Interesting. So the "a" and "an" can help with how words started by "h" are pronounced. Thus the confusion I had.
Thank you. If anything weird shows up, I'll be back to this thread.

It's a bit off-topic but I also was shocked by this recently.
What's with the pronunciation of "Edinburgh" and "Worcester"!? They're pronounced "Edinbrah" and "Worster", and not "Edin-burg" and "Wor-chess-ter"!!!

 

[mmh]

I wouldn't worry about it too much. Most natives don't. It isn't unknown, for example, for people to refer to a horse as an 'orse.

That's a perfect example of natives using the rule, and explains it better than an academic rule.

It's just down to whether the following word starts with a vowel sound or not.

 

[Mag_seven]

They're pronounced "Edinbrah"

I pronounce ""Edinburgh", "Edinburah" (note the "u" between the "b" and the "r")

 

[AM9]

A strange one is: a hotel, where the 'H' is vocalised yet it is still common to hear an hotel (pronounced as 'anotell') This is because the word is imported from french where the leading 'H' is silent.

 

[Bovverboy]

Things can be equally tricky when you're using the definite article, though the problem is purely with pronunciation, and not spelling. Before a consonant (or a vowel sounding like a consonant, see above) 'the' is pronounced as though it's spelt 'thuh'. Before a vowel (or silent consonant) it's pronounced as though it were spelt 'thi'. That is, unless you're from the north-east of England, when 'the' is always pronounced 'thuh!'

 

[muddythefish]

What's with the pronunciation of "Edinburgh" and "Worcester"!? They're pronounced "Edinbrah" and "Worster", and not "Edin-burg" and "Wor-chess-ter"!!!

I'd say Edinbruh and Wuster.

Locally, we have Oundle pronounced Owwndul, Cogenhoe pronounced Cook know, Kettering as Kettrin, Rothwell as Rowell and Market Harborough is known as just Arrrrrbruh.

 

[GusB]

Interesting. So the "a" and "an" can help with how words started by "h" are pronounced. Thus the confusion I had.
Thank you. If anything weird shows up, I'll be back to this thread.

It's a bit off-topic but I also was shocked by this recently.
What's with the pronunciation of "Edinburgh" and "Worcester"!? They're pronounced "Edinbrah" and "Worster", and not "Edin-burg" and "Wor-chess-ter"!!!

"Edin-burg" does my head in, but I've usually heard it from Americans who are used to dealing with the likes of "Pittsburgh". (I'd be inclined to say Pitts-burra if I didn't know any better!)

Worcester is "Wooster" to me. Leicester is "Lester".

Back on topic, I hear more people referring to "a hotel" than "an hotel", or "a historic event" rather than "an historic event".

I'm not an expert on many languages, but I'm sure each one has its foibles. Modern English perhaps has more foibles than others simply because it is such a hybrid language, having been influenced by many other cultures over many centuries. It has that certain je ne sais quoi about it.

 

[AlterEgo]

Interesting. So the "a" and "an" can help with how words started by "h" are pronounced. Thus the confusion I had.

It's the reverse actually - the way you pronounce a word beginning with "h" helps decide whether you use "a" or "an". We don't like to have two vowel sounds adjoining.

Aspirated h as in hospital = a
Silent h as in honour = an

It was an honour to serve alongside him.
Let's get you to a hospital.

 

[krus_aragon]

Trivia time: The snake known as an adder used to be known as a nadre, until someone wrote it with the space in the wrong place.

 

[Typhoon]

It's the reverse actually - the way you pronounce a word beginning with "h" helps decide whether you use "a" or "an". We don't like to have two vowel sounds adjoining.

Aspirated h as in hospital = a
Silent h as in honour = an

It was an honour to serve alongside him.
Let's get you to a hospital.

*****

It's a bit off-topic but I also was shocked by this recently.
What's with the pronunciation of "Edinburgh" and "Worcester"!? They're pronounced "Edinbrah" and "Worster", and not "Edin-burg" and "Wor-chess-ter"!!!

Are you sure you want to enter this minefield?
(can't be "Wor-chess-ter" by the way - no 'h')

"Worcester is "Wooster" to me.

This is why pronunciation is such a minefield as we have a long 'oo' as in school and a short 'oo' as in book. Of the two, I would have said it was the short 'oo'. All I can offer as qualification for this claim is that I worked in Worcester for a time and no one corrected me.

I've heard the name 'Wooster' pronounced in both ways and I haven't got a clue which is right. The fictional character is posh so probably a long 'oo'.

 

[telstarbox]

You may also enjoy:

Slough
Borough Green & Wrotham
Westhoughton
Woolwich Arsenal

 

[Cowley]

Trivia time: The snake known as an adder used to be known as a nadre, until someone wrote it with the space in the wrong place.

I have a friend who lives at Nadderwater near Exeter which has kept a version of the original name.

 

[edwin_m]

Trivia time: The snake known as an adder used to be known as a nadre, until someone wrote it with the space in the wrong place.

Similarly I believe "an orange" used to be "a norange", from "naranja" in Spanish.

 

[hexagon789]

What's with the pronunciation of "Edinburgh" and "Worcester"!? They're pronounced "Edinbrah" and "Worster", and not "Edin-burg" and "Wor-chess-ter"!!!

Edinburgh is correctly pronounced as Edin-buh-ruh.

If you think Worcester is bad Cirencester (now generally said as Siren-sesster) was traditionally pronounced as Sissiter or even Sis'ter!

 

[Calthrop]

You may also enjoy:

Slough
Borough Green & Wrotham
Westhoughton

The letter-group "ough" is a notorious horror for people learning English. It is pronounced -- variously, according to the word concerned -- in, I believe, ten different ways (two of those, admittedly rarely met with; and one quite common, but unique -- "hiccough", pronounced "hiccup").

 

[Giugiaro]

Westhoughton

I have no bloody idea how to say that!

Let me guess... West Hought On? Wes Thon?

 

[SteveP29]

Cirencester (now generally said as Siren-sesster) was traditionally pronounced as Sissiter or even Sis'ter!

I cringe every time I hear Fiona Bruce on BBC News say Glossersher (Gloucestershire)

For my own entry, my home town is Chester le Street (the le pronounced as per the French word for the), so many people (including so many from the North East of England) pronounce it Chester lee Street (oh and Houghton Lee Spring for Houghton le Spring too)

 

[SteveP29]

I have no bloody idea how to say that!

Let me guess... West Hought On? Wes Thon?

Best not to try Strathaven then

 

[hexagon789]

I cringe every time I hear Fiona Bruce on BBC News say Glossersher (Gloucestershire)

She misses out the 't'?

For my own entry, my home town is Chester le Street (the le pronounced as per the French word for the), so many people (including so many from the North East of England) pronounce it Chester lee Street (oh and Houghton Lee Spring for Houghton le Spring too)

Definitely le Street for me. Lee would be somewhere spelled with 'lea' as part of the word.

 

[hexagon789]

Best not to try Strathaven then

 

[Howardh]

Westhoughton.
West hoff ton, West haww ton, West aww ton (dropping the h) or West hag-ue ton?
Or none of the above?!!

 

[jmh59]

'Our' is often confusing because at primary school we were taught (by nuns!) to pronounce it as arrr, whereas everyone else seems to use ower

I failed to convince the wife that worcestershire sauce is pronounced wor-ces-ter-shu-shire... she still has no idea how one manages wooster from the spelling.

 

[Calthrop]

'Our' is often confusing because at primary school we were taught (by nuns!) to pronounce it as arrr, whereas everyone else seems to use ower

Nuns from a West-Country piratical background ?

 

[jmh59]

Nuns from a West-Country piratical background ?

Hehe. No, West Yorks but one was Irish, and about 140 years old.

 

[hexagon789]

Westhoughton.
West hoff ton, West haww ton, West aww ton (dropping the h) or West hag-ue ton?
Or none of the above?!!

West-haw-tun I believe.

 

[scotrail158713]

Best not to try Strathaven then

Or Milngavie