'a' & 'an'
'a' & 'an'
(OP)
I was always taught that 'a' usually preceded a word beginning with a consonant and 'an' one beginning with a vowel.
I often here phrases such as; "An horiffic... " instead of "A horrific... " uttered by news presenters.
What say you... ?
I often here phrases such as; "An horiffic... " instead of "A horrific... " uttered by news presenters.
What say you... ?





RE: 'a' & 'an'
There are other problems. A Light Emitting Diode is abbreviated "LED", but is it "a LED" or "an LED" and - even more problematic - do you say "an UN spokesman" or "a UN spokesman"?
RE: 'a' & 'an'
corus
RE: 'a' & 'an'
From another source quoting the Old Testament: "...children are an heritage of the Lord". This happens before a stressed syllable.
RE: 'a' & 'an'
RE: 'a' & 'an'
JMW
www.viscoanalyser.com
RE: 'a' & 'an'
-----------------------------------
Start each new day with a smile.
Get it over with.
RE: 'a' & 'an'
Jesus is THE life,
Leonard
RE: 'a' & 'an'
http://www.capitalcentury.com/1992.html
However, since Americans gave potatoes to the world, I think they should be allowed to have some say in the spelling. (The plural does have a "e" by the way).
RE: 'a' & 'an'
"Mars is essentially in the same orbit... Mars is somewhat the same distance from the Sun, which is very important. We have seen pictures where there are canals, we believe, and water. If there is water, that means there is oxygen. If there is oxygen, that means we can breathe." Vice President Dan Quayle, 8/11/89
Whether or not I am kidding, I leave for others to judge.
RE: 'a' & 'an'
http://www.xmission.com/~mwalker/DQ/
Dan Quayle on Science and Technology
Those same asteroids which promise material riches can be a threat as well.
-- Vice President Dan Quayle, 5/1/90 (reported in Esquire, 8/92)
[Americans will soon observe the 20th anniversary of] Neil Armstrong and Buzz Lukens' walk on the moon.
-- Vice President Dan Quayle confusing the sexual assaulter/Congressman with Astronaut Buzz Aldrin, 7/15/89 Los Angeles Times (7/16/89)
...Buzz Lukens took that fateful step...
-- Vice President Dan Quayle continuing to confuse the sexual assaulter/Congressman with Astronaut Buzz Aldrin, 7/15/89 (reported in Esquire, 8/92)
We are leaders of the world of the space program. We have been the leaders of the world of our... of the space program and we're not going to continue where we're going to go, not withstanding the Soviet Union's demise and collapse -- the former Soviet Union -- we now have independent republics which used to be called the Soviet Union. Space is the next frontier to be explored. And we're going to explore. Think of all the things we rely upon in space today: communications from... Japan, detection of potential ballistic missile attacks. Ballistic missiles are still here. Other nations do have ballistic missiles. How do you think we were able to detect some of the Scud missiles and things like that? Space, reconnaissance, weather, communications -- you name it. We use space a lot today.
-- Vice President Dan Quayle (from `What a Waste it Is to Lose One's Mind' -- the Unauthorized Autobiography)
For NASA, space is still a high priority.
-- Vice President Dan Quayle, talking to NASA employees, 9/5/90 (reported in Esquire, 8/92)
[It's] time for the human race to enter the solar system.
-- Vice President Dan Quayle on the concept of a manned mission to Mars.