An EU issue or a EU issue?
Moderator: Official Reviewer Representatives
- Dennis Hodges
- Posts: 1
- Joined: 19 Feb 2018, 11:57
- Bookshelf Size: 0
Re: An EU issue or a EU issue?
- ma_mon28
- Posts: 175
- Joined: 09 Jan 2019, 23:46
- Currently Reading:
- Bookshelf Size: 9
- Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-ma-mon28.html
- Latest Review: Happy Healing by Dominique Bourlet
Thank you for this explanation. I'm really struggling on this issue like "an ewe" or "a ewe." Now I know that it depends on our dialect.Helen_Combe wrote: ↑19 Feb 2018, 05:59 It’s all about the how it sounds when spoken.
The ‘a’ / ‘an’ usage is there to stop two hard vowel sounds clashing together. For example, ‘a ant’ grates, but ‘an ant’ flows.
However, there are exceptions Although ‘universe’ starts with a ‘u’, it sounds like it starts with a ‘y’ so does not need ‘an’ to make it flow as it’s not a vowel sound, phonetically it is ‘a yuniverse’
Similarly for words the begin with ‘h’ where the ‘h’ is not pronounced.
‘Herb is pronounced ‘urb’ In the ‘US’ and ‘herb’ in the UK.
So the US pronunciation needs ‘an’ to stop ‘a’ and ‘u’ grating, but the UK pronunciation does not need the ‘an’ as the ‘a’ and ‘h’ sounds flow together.
Hope that makes sense.
-
- Posts: 50
- Joined: 08 Feb 2019, 05:43
- Currently Reading: Toward Happier Choices
- Bookshelf Size: 51
- Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-clancy8.html
- Latest Review: A Loaf Of Bread by Rana Bitar
- Zora C Penter
- Posts: 263
- Joined: 10 Dec 2018, 16:19
- Currently Reading: Every Ghost Has Its Story
- Bookshelf Size: 16
- Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-zora-c-penter.html
- Latest Review: The Reel Sisters by Michelle Cummings
For EU, I would use "an" because the first sound after would be a long "e."
For European Union, I would use "a" because the first sound would actually be more like a "y."
- Paulo34
- Posts: 4
- Joined: 27 Feb 2019, 06:12
- Bookshelf Size: 0
- Renu G
- Posts: 753
- Joined: 06 Mar 2019, 01:32
- Currently Reading: Masters and Bastards
- Bookshelf Size: 144
- Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-renu-g.html
- Latest Review: The Roving Mind: A Modern Approach to Cognitive Enhancement by Anthony Simola
I agree with this view.
- Fazzier
- Posts: 783
- Joined: 16 Jan 2019, 14:07
- Currently Reading: Secondary Break
- Bookshelf Size: 547
- Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-fazzier.html
- Latest Review: Planning for a Better, Greener Future by Peter Nelson
- Kayla_W0230
- Posts: 1
- Joined: 29 Apr 2019, 18:01
- Bookshelf Size: 0
It also depends on what the word sounds like. You have an hour because hour starts with an “O” sound. Likewise, you would say a unicorn because it starts with a “Y” sound.
-
- Posts: 389
- Joined: 26 Apr 2019, 02:18
- Currently Reading:
- Bookshelf Size: 118
- Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-aditi-sapate.html
- Latest Review: Miracles Love a Believer by Stacy Manning Casaluci
Article use can be daunting especially because it's never properly explained in textbooks. We're lucky if we have a good teacher.
'An' comes before a vowel sound and 'a' comes before a consonant sound.
Hope this helps
-
- Posts: 63
- Joined: 28 Jul 2019, 16:32
- Currently Reading:
- Bookshelf Size: 15
- Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-nathan-berner.html
- Latest Review: Debt Cleanse by Jorge P. Newbery
-
- Posts: 786
- Joined: 29 Sep 2019, 04:18
- Currently Reading:
- Bookshelf Size: 285
- Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-nickolas-farmakis.html
- Latest Review: Cynthia and Dan by Dorothy May Mercer
- books_andpoetri
- Posts: 430
- Joined: 15 Oct 2019, 02:41
- Currently Reading: The Most Fun We Ever Had
- Bookshelf Size: 23
- Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-books-andpoetri.html
- Latest Review: Jurisdiction Denied by Jack Gold and Marc Debbaudt
An is used before words whose first syllables have vowel sounds.
It's all about phonetics. If it sounds like a vowel/consonant even when the first letter is not a vowel/consonant then the sound (pronunciation) should govern.
- Leen282
- Posts: 1135
- Joined: 28 Mar 2020, 00:53
- Currently Reading: Live Your Life of Abundance
- Bookshelf Size: 134
- Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-leen282.html
- Latest Review: Beautifully Scarred by Cewanda Todd
- Ivona R
- Posts: 172
- Joined: 04 Apr 2020, 18:41
- Currently Reading: Clean Water for Developing Countries
- Bookshelf Size: 18
- Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-ivona-r.html
- Latest Review: Restore Trust by Werner NEFF
-
- Posts: 128
- Joined: 24 May 2020, 07:19
- Currently Reading:
- Bookshelf Size: 28
- Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-imstaci-1.html
- Latest Review: How To Be Successful by M. Curtis McCoy
Very clear explanation.Helen_Combe wrote: ↑19 Feb 2018, 05:59 It’s all about the how it sounds when spoken.
The ‘a’ / ‘an’ usage is there to stop two hard vowel sounds clashing together. For example, ‘a ant’ grates, but ‘an ant’ flows.
However, there are exceptions Although ‘universe’ starts with a ‘u’, it sounds like it starts with a ‘y’ so does not need ‘an’ to make it flow as it’s not a vowel sound, phonetically it is ‘a yuniverse’
Similarly for words the begin with ‘h’ where the ‘h’ is not pronounced.
‘Herb is pronounced ‘urb’ In the ‘US’ and ‘herb’ in the UK.
So the US pronunciation needs ‘an’ to stop ‘a’ and ‘u’ grating, but the UK pronunciation does not need the ‘an’ as the ‘a’ and ‘h’ sounds flow together.
Hope that makes sense.