Also note that the 'h' in 'herb' is only silent in the US and Canada. ; For example, A dog. It can be tough to figure it out if you don't know the basic rules. "A" or "An" with abbreviations? It depends. - Shearson ... A utopia. "A" Versus "An": A Guide to Indefinite Articles | Grammar Girl The Importance of SOUND. "A" vs. "An": When to Use Indefinite Articles | Merriam ... AIDS is an acronym; HIV is an abbreviation. 'A' Or 'An' Before A Consonant Acronym? A before a vowel and an before a consonant: Yes, it is possible The choice of a or an before an acronym is determined by the way the acronym sounds, and not by its first letter. It is important to remember H is a vowel-sounding word because it is pronounced "aitch" and . A worm. a Eu ropean country. You were also told to put "an" in front of a noun beginning with a vowel and "a" in front of a noun starting with a consonant: a meeting, an emergency. Here are some more examples of acronyms that might trip you up, depending on whether they are pronounced as words or as a series of letters. Use "A" or "An" before Abbreviations starting with ... A university. It can be tough to figure it out if you don't know the basic rules. A utopia. Learn what these are and how to always use them right! Answer (1 of 3): The rule is to use "a" before a consonant sound, and "an" before a vowel sound. The leading L is a consonant, true, but when you pronounce 'Ell' you have a vowel sound. Pronunciation of the following sound is the only thing that dictates the use of a vs. an: vowel sounds get "an," consonants get "a." In particular, in the case of initialisms, what matters is how the letter is pronounced, not whether the letter represents a vowel or consonant sound. In school, you learned to put a definite article, "the," or an indefinite article, "a" or "an" before a noun. Because the "h" does not have any phonetic representation or audible sound, the sound that follows the article is a vowel; consequently, "an" is used. For example, He has a unique point of view on the subject and talked about it for an hour. A horse. Thus, the answer is "If the word following the indefinite article begins with a vowel sound, use an; if it begins with a consonant sound, use a.". Acronyms are rarely preceded by a or an, except when used adjectivally, says the Chicago Manual of Style. So, you can find the indefinite article a before acronyms that begin with a vowel (for example, a UN delegation). The Key Point Use "an" before a word or an abbreviation that starts with a vowel sound.If it does not start with a vowel sound, use "a." The key word here is sound.It is not a question of whether the word or abbreviation starts with a vowel.It is a question of whether it starts with a vowel sound.Look at these examples with abbreviations: It doesn't matter how the word is spelled. † Or he or she speaks a language (e.g., German or French) in which the letter "u" is pronounced starting with a vowel sound. *Acronyms are abbreviations that are pronounced as words (e.g., ANOVA, SNARE, GABA), and initialisms are abbreviations that are pronounced letter-by-letter (e.g., DNA, UTR, EDTA). In other words, HIV is pronounced as starting with a long "a," which is a vowel; therefore, it should be proceeded by "an.". Answer (1 of 3): The rule is to use "a" before a consonant sound, and "an" before a vowel sound. He attended an FDA hearing. So if you spell out that SAP acronym, you say "ess, ay, pea." You start with a vowel sound, so it's "an s-a-p." But if you pronounce SAP like a word, sap like tree blood, then it's "a sap." It happens. For example, HIV begins with a consonant but is pronounced ─üch-╦î─½-╦êv─ô. The letters of the English alphabet whose names begin with a consonant SOUND are B, C, D. Choosing between the indefinite articles a and an is determined by the sound of the following word. So in UK/NZ/Aus it is 'a herb'. The important part is the sound of the word that follows, not necessarily the letter with which it starts.The above examples have words that begin with vowels and consonants, but we use a for all of them because they begin . If the acronym starts with the sound of a vowel, you will use An before the acronym. You may have learned that using "a" or "an" depends on the first letter of the next word, but is that correct? An* herb. It just matters how it is pronounced. Use a before words, abbreviations, acronyms, or letters that begin with a consonant sound, regardless of their spelling. You just need to think about the SOUND, not the WRITING. R&D project - Research and Development project; . A fish. The jury is still out. Additionally, even when we do try to pronounce words like 'a animal' we add a glottal stop (which is a consonant) between the determiner and the following word. The rule is: Use an before a word beginning with a vowel sound (not letter). The "u" in "unique" makes the "Y" sound—a consonant sound—therefore you use "a" as your article, while . a NICU nurse; an NPO order. *Notice that despite h being a consonant, it is silent and therefore "an" is used. H is only one of a handful of consonants in English whose names start with vowel sounds. The accepted rule is to use the choice that matches how the abbreviation is pronounced rather than how it is spelled. BizWritingTip reader: "I would like to know whether to use 'a' or 'an' before an acronym. Other letters can also be pronounced either way. Because the pronunciation starts with a vowel sound (ell), you use "an" instead of "a." Abbreviations will use "an" if they start with F, H, L, M, N, R, S, or X, as well as with the vowels. But remember the exceptions I often talk about with regard to the English language. But there are some exceptions. A fish. URL is an abbreviation for Uniform Resource Locator (World Wide Web address), but many people pronounce it as "Earl," making it a true acronym, and others insist on pronouncing it as three separate letters, "U * R * L," thus making it an abbreviation. He flew in an SST. URL is an abbreviation for Uniform Resource Locator (World Wide Web address), but many people pronounce it as "Earl," making it a true acronym, and others insist on pronouncing it as three separate letters, "U * R * L," thus making it an abbreviation. It's important to note that not all nouns that begin with a consonant begin with the consonant sound . Examples: a historic occasion — an X-Files episode. A before W words always. In the case of initialisms and acronymns, use the exact rule above. What is the right way to use a vs. an? 'Nay-toe'. 2 Use an when the indefinite article comes before a word beginning with a vowel sound: an operation an idea an apple. You'll need an X-ray. The rule is that "a" comes before all consonant sounds and "an" for vowel sounds. Exceptions. So the 'A before consonant' rule applies. The Key Point Use "an" before a word or an abbreviation that starts with a vowel sound.If it does not start with a vowel sound, use "a." The key word here is sound.It is not a question of whether the word or abbreviation starts with a vowel.It is a question of whether it starts with a vowel sound.Look at these examples with abbreviations: Use "a" before words that start with a consonant sound and "an" before words that start with a vowel sound. BarbaraPA +0 an LED kit Ell-double-You-Are. 1 Use a when the indefinite article comes before a word beginning with a consonant sound: a toy a book a house. This can be tricky because words that start with consonants can use An. How to correctly use indefinite article in front of short forms beginning with co. Thus, 'An before a vowel sound'. Letters that are vowel-sounding and need An include X, S, R, O, N, M, L, I, H, F, E, and A. AIDS is an acronym; HIV is an abbreviation. Learn why this is not always the case. The jury is still out. Answer (1 of 16): As has been noted excruciatingly often on Quora, "a" is used before a word beginning with a consonant SOUND, and the liaisonized form "an" is used before a word beginning with a vowel SOUND. a MOMA exhibit; an MRI test. ; For example, A dog. Writers sometimes confuse the use of the articles a and an. a FASB rule; an FOB airfield. If you pronounce a letter as a letter and it begins with a vowel sound, you should precede it with 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 ). The important point to remember is the following: Written language is a representation of the spoken word. a LAN schematic; an LAPD memo. The important point to remember is the following: Written language is a representation of the spoken word. An olive. Choosing between the indefinite articles a and an is determined by the sound of the following word. What to Know. Which means it is not unusual to find a before a word starting with a vowel or an before a word starting with a consonant. If you have to use an acronym with an indefinite article, the way an acronym is read aloud determines which indefinite article precedes it. A little doubt often creeps in when using an indefinite article (a/an) before an acronym or an initialism. Learn what these are and how to always use them right! For example, I have seen both 'a Law Society of Upper Canada form' and 'an LSUC form.' Are they both written correctly?" BizWritingTip response: Before I begin to deal with this issue, let's discuss acronyms versus initialisms. Do you use "a" or "an" before acronyms / initialisms? a FASB rule; an FOB airfield. We have an MOU with the purchasers. Should you use an "a" or an "an" before abbreviations? What is the right way to use a vs. an? An acronym is an abbreviation you can pronounce as an . 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 consonants with vowel sounds include f, h, l, m, n, r, s, and x. If the acronym starts with the sound of a vowel, you will use An before the acronym. Use a before words, abbreviations, acronyms, or letters that begin with a consonant sound, regardless of their spelling. How to correctly use indefinite article in front of short forms beginning with co. Just remember it is the sound that governs whether you use "a" or "an," not the actual first letter of the word. 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