I was taught to only use "an" when the next word began with a vowel. Am I crazy? And has it always been this way and I'm just now noticing or what?
200271
In the case of "historic" it is not necessary, but it's not improper either.  There are good historical and phonological reasons for it.\n\nBASIC explanation why "an" may appear before a word beginning with /h/:\n\n1) the initial /h/ IS not pronounced\n*generally in "hours" hono(u)r"\n*American English - "herb"\n*some dialects "humble", "hotel"\n\n2) history - that is, the /h/ USED to be silent:\nthere are a number of words whose initial /h/ was originally not pronounced, esp. those derived from (Old) French, which did not pronounce it (sometimes did not even spell it)\nSome of these (examples listed in #1) STILL do not pronounce the /h/ in many or all English dialects. Others that have added a pronounced /h/ may still be treated as if they did not have it -- 'historic(al)' is perhaps the best example of this\n\nBUT this is not enough -- those who say "an historic(al) event" (pronouncing the /h/) ALSO usually say "a history"!\nSo, there's one other very important factor, which is:\n\n3) The syllable starting with /h/ LACKS an ACCENT\n--Specifically, if the SECOND syllable is accented, the initial /h/ is WEAKER, perhaps only very slightly pronounced (It seems especially weak if the following vowel is formed in the front of the mouth -- a, i, e (as opposed to vowels made further back -- o, u)\n\nSo, if the first syllable HAS an accent (especially the MAIN accent of the word) it is preceded by "a" --thus we say "A HISTORY" (unless, of course, you're Cockney)\n\nTo get the sense of how this works, just try saying the word "historic" all by itself. You may notice that you scarcely pronounce the /h/. Even if you do, it may feel like it takes extra energy do so (whereas when you say "history" the 'energy' is already supplied by accenting the syllable)\n\n[Some have said 'accented' or 'unaccented', but this is not quite correct. When the SECOND syllable is accented, the first syllable has the LEAST accent; if a LATER syllable has the primary accent the first syllable may still have a SECONDARY accent, and the 'fule' just described does not apply. Examples: 'hospitality' 'hippopotamus']\n\nIn fact, in expressions like "an historic..." many find that the inclusion of the /n/ can actually make the words easier to pronounce (though in that case the /h/ is usually only VERY slightly pronounced).\n\nOther examples where "an" may be found (all of which have an accent on the second syllable): "an hereditary title" [vs. "a HERitage], "an habitual liar" [vs. "a HA-bit"], cf. "an hysterical child"\n\nNow if you were to try some of these expressions in a search engine you would likely find that "an historic" and "an historical" are much more commong (in proportion to "a historic" "a historical") than these other examples. That leads to the FINAL(?) factor that affects pronunciation.\n\n4) HABIT! That is, we're USED to hearing it that way, and so it just seems right, even if it does not follow the "rules" we may generally us for such cases.\n\nThus, the reason 'historic' and 'historical' are far more likely to be preceded by "an" than other words that might "qualify" is that they are more COMMON words or expressions. People are used to hearing them this way. This is hardly unusual. In any language the LESS common a word is in everyday speech the MORE likely it is speakers apply the "general rules" to that word. Thus, irregular verbs in a language [forms of to be, come, go, sit, etc.] are COMMON words.
451033
Wow I havent really heard people say a jean or a pant. But if that's true, wow i would go nuts! It just doesnt sound right. Why do people insist on speaking incorrectly? Slang is okay but still, to change the rules of language are just messed up. I'd correct them if i heard them saying that.
103131
the five vowels -aeiou??
371349
The answer:  more often than not, it IS a vowel!\n\nIt's the fact, that it is not ALWAYS a vowel that has confused people.\n\nActually, the reason many folks SAY that only a, e, i, o and u are vowels and the rest are consonants is probably mainly because they are repeating some rule-of-thumb they learned in grade school but never really understood.     (Those whose rule added "and sometimes y" or even "and sometimes y and w" are rather better off, though they still may not know when or why that "sometimes" happens.)  \n\nPart of the problem is that people do not understand what "consonant" and "vowel" MEAN, esp. that they are FIRST-of-all descriptions of types of SOUNDS, and only secondarily of which LETTERS we use to indicate those sounds.\n\nSo, looking at the sounds first:\n\n1) "CONSONANTS" are sounds made by severly restricting or stopping the flow of air.   Note that is not JUST those that stop the flow -- these sounds (like b,p, t,d, k,g), fittingly called "STOPS" [another useful term] are only ONE type of consonant.    A great many consonants do not stop the flow, but they DO restrict it.  \n\nA way to remember this  'CONSonants CONStrict the air flow'.\nhttp://www.thefreedictionary.com/consonant\nhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Consonant\n\n2)  "VOWELS" on the other hand, are characterized by how they SHAPE the sound --esp by positioning of the tongue and shape of the mouth--  without severly constricting the air flow.     This is why they are so important to carrying speech and enabling us to open up our mouths and sing.    Note that vowels almost always are "voiced" (sounded with the vocal chords);  in many (most?) languages (English included) ALL vowels are voiced.    A great many consonants --including those that don't stop the air flow-- are not voiced.     This characteristic use of the voice (compare "vocal") is the origin of the term "vowel" itself.\nhttp://www.webster.com/dictionary/vowel\nhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vowel\n\n--------------------------------\n\nSo much for vowel and consonant SOUNDS.   The other source of confusion has to do with LETTERS.\n\nNotice that the letters are one step removed from speech.    For the most part our "consonant"-letters match up with consonant-SOUNDS and "vowel"-letters with vowel-sounds.     What causes confusion is:\n\n1) Spoken language and written language don't always change together... so that a letter may be written that no longer matches the sound made.  For example, silent letters (mostly consonants) --  lamb, knight, soften.   \n  \nMost people understand this, so the real issue is. . . \n2) There is a set of sounds called "semi-vowels" on the "borderline" between consonants and vowels.  Based on how they combine with surrounding sounds they may become one or the other.     This accounts for the letter "y" being for a consonant-sound in "yell" but for a vowel-sound in "shy" --and actually, the "y" originally marked a VOWEL sound, and still is used in English for vowel sounds much MORE often than for consonants.     Similar is the letter "w" which at the beginning of a syllable marks a consonant-sound ("well"), but latter in a syllable marks a vowel.  (In modern English this only happens in the vowel-combinations ['dipthongs']  "aw", "ew", "ow", though in words from Welsh it can stand alone [like cwm, pronounced "coom"])\n\nSUMMARY:\nA more complete, if less catchy, statement of the rule would be something like this -- \n"In English, except when a letter is silent:  \na) a, e, i, o and u are used as vowels [that is, to indicate vowel sounds]; \nb) y and w are consonants [=indicate consonant sounds] when they are used at the BEGINNING of a word or syllable,  elsewhere they are vowels [=
26915
I believe it is grammar, but close enough buddy. I know that the a-key is close to the e-key. I make that mistake to!\n\nMy wife never farts either. Not even when she eats beans. My sister-n-law however passes gas like a maniac. Louder bombs than mine, funny ? bro.
377708
It's many years since I did maths but shouldn't there be an = somewhere? And isn't there normally "y" too? I thought it would be fun to stretch my brain for a change but...Am I being obtuse?
434978
I'll try to answer, Latin is one language and Spanish is another, however 'a' in latin is the first letter of the alphabet and means the beginning. Now in Spanish 'a' is a vocal and it's also a preposition in other words it connects words as we do in English, like I am going to eat, in Spanish would be voy a comer, in this case the to in English is replaced by the 'a' in Spanish, I hope this be of help to your project..☺
299695
Yes, people in the UK use 'ain't'!!\n\nBut I think you'll have trouble proving that it's an American expression - cockney kids have been saying it for centuries!!
313800
In the case of "historic(al)", the French origin of the word is NOT enough to explain modern pronounciation.  It does NOT quite account for the fact that many who DO pronounce the "h" in 'historic' say "AN historic", and at the same time say "A history", or for the fact that the in SOME words where the once-silent h is now pronounced people do NOT say "an". \n\nThe key difference between "an historic" and "a history" is where the ACCENT falls -- and this must be part of any explanation.  In sum, people say "an h--" when the "h" is STILL silent, OR (at least sometimes) in where the "h--" syllable does NOT have the accent, more specifically where the word's SECOND syllable is accented.  That's because, in such words the "h" is very weak and is just barely pronounced.\n\n---------------------\n\nWhy the French origins don't exaplain it all --\n\nNote that for many of the "h" words before which "an" is used the French original did not pronounce the h.   That's fine for words in which we STILL do not pronounce the h (e.g., "honor"), but doesn't quite do for words in which people DO pronounce the h, yet say "an".  Especially, since the same people who say "an historic" (pronouncing the h), use simply "a" before OTHER French borrowings which did not pronounce the h, but now do (e.g., "a hotel" [not including those who omit the h sound and say "an otel"].\n\n------------------\n\nSo, here's a shot at the history and pronunciation that takes account of this and related cases of "a" vs. "an" before on h-word:\n\nBASIC explanation why "an" may appear before a word beginning with /h/:\n\n1) the initial /h/ IS not pronounced\n*generally in "hours" hono(u)r"\n*American English - "herb"\n*some dialects "humble", "hotel"\n\n2) history - that is, the /h/ USED to be silent:\nthere are a number of words whose initial /h/ was originally not pronounced, esp. those derived from (Old) French, which did not pronounce it (sometimes did not even spell it)\nSome of these (examples listed in #1) STILL do not pronounce the /h/ in many or all English dialects. Others that have added a pronounced /h/ may still be treated as if they did not have it -- 'historic(al)' is perhaps the best example of this\n\nBUT this is not enough -- as noted above, those who say "an historic(al) event" (pronouncing the /h/) ALSO usually say "a history"!\n\nSo, there's one other very important factor, which is:\n\n3) The syllable starting with /h/ LACKS an ACCENT\n--Specifically, if the SECOND syllable is accented, the initial /h/ is WEAKER, perhaps only very slightly pronounced (It seems especially weak if the following vowel is formed in the front of the mouth -- a, i, e (as opposed to vowels made further back -- o, u)\n\nSo, if the first syllable HAS an accent (especially the MAIN accent of the word) it is preceded by "a" --thus we say "A HISTORY" (unless, of course, you're Cockney)\n\nTo get the sense of how this works, just try saying the word "historic" all by itself. You may notice that you scarcely pronounce the /h/. Even if you do, it may feel like it takes extra energy do so (whereas when you say "history" the 'energy' is already supplied by accenting the syllable)\n\n[Some have said 'accented' or 'unaccented', but this is not quite correct. When the SECOND syllable is accented, the first syllable has the LEAST accent; if a LATER syllable has the primary accent the first syllable may still have a SECONDARY accent, and the 'rule' just described does not apply. Examples: 'hospitality' 'hippopotamus']\n\nIn fact, in expressions like "an historic..."
464798
The most common vowel sound in English is the vowel known as schwa.  It is written with an upside down e in phonetic transcription.  It is the vowel of "but" and "cut" and "putt" in stressed position, but it is the sound that nearly every other vowel assumes in unstressed position.  It is the vowel of the first and third syllables of "democracy" when pronounced normally.  It is the vowel of the second and fourth syllables of "antiquated" when pronounced normally.  Of course, people will disagree because they will pronounce these words slowly to themselves and hear different vowels in those positions, but slow pronunciation is not normal.  Normal pronunciation is how you pronounce things when you aren't thinking about them during extended speech.\n\nAnd no, the other Germanic languages do not have the unstressed vowel reduction process of English.  The English process began during Middle English times about 900 years ago, 500 years after English began to diverge from the other Germanic languages.  I don't know what the most common vowel sound is in those languages, but the frequencies of the different vowel sounds is more evenly distributed among them.  The frequency of the schwa sound in spoken English is very noticeable in counts of sounds.
119945
WEll, I'm an EFL teacher and somet time ago my pupils asked the same question. I found this information:\n\nSpelling didn't become stable until after the time of Shakespeare. And in an etymological dictionary I found that forty and four both come from OLD English. So the spelling with U must have been the same before that.\n\nOf course it was easier to change spellings before there were dictionaries and teachers paying attention to your spelling ; ) Not really an answer, but that's the best I found so far.\n\nI hope this helps.
480214
I HATE it when they omit the comma.  It makes me confused.  I start to wonder if the last two items are more closely related than the other items.  But every time I try to argue about this to somebody, they tell me to stop being so stuck up about grammar when my own isn't so good.  So I just keep quiet and ignore it.
672537
N and Ñ are two entirely different letters, with entirely different sounds. N sounds as in English, but Ñ sounds like NY in canyon, or NI in onion. Also, "new" (British pron.) sounds like "ñu" to us, Spanish speakers. It's like N and Y spoken together. So it would depend on what you want to say.\n\nADDED LATER:\n\nI'm afraid there is no such rule as the one you're asking for. Of course if you know how to pronounce the word, you'll know which letter to use, and reversely, if you know how to spell it, you'll know how to read it. But if you don't have a clue, and you want to predict from the original English word, which one you will have to use, I'm afraid there is nothing you can do to know which letter is required in each specific case. You know for us, N and Ñ are not just as A and Á (i.e.: a letter with or without accent). We take N and Ñ to be two independent letters, just as M and R, to say any example. So, knowing which one to use of these two has never been an issue. They are two different letters, and each has a place. And you don't wonder, in English, why is it that "month" is spelt with an M rather than with an R. They are two independent letters.
317069
My vote:  TSKTSKS\n\nEXPLANATION\n\nFIRST, what IS a vowel?\n\nbostonianinmo is correct - in words like "sky" the "y" IS a vowel.  The very fact that "bi-" and "by" rhyme, or that you sometimes find "rimed" instead of "rhymed" is evidence of this.\n\nThe idea that ONLY a,e,i,o and u (or even "sometimes y") are vowels in based on oversimplified definition they gave us in grade school.  In fact, a vowel is, before all else, a type of SOUND rather than a type of LETTER.  We call specific letters "vowels" because these letters are the ones TYPICALLY used to indicate the vowel sounds.\n(compare http://alt-usage-english.org/excerpts/fxword00.html)\n\nRemember that SPEECH has the primacy and that a word is, first of all a SPOKEN thing.  Writing systems were created as a means to make a record of speech.\n\nNote that the three sounds indicated by the letters "h" "w" and "y" are all weak "semi-vowels" which can easily become vowels or even disappear (as "h" at the end of a syllable).  The basic rule is that, whenever "y" or "w" BEGIN a syllable they mark consonants; at the middle of end of a syllable they mark VOWELS.  (In the case of "w", except for words from the Welsh, like "cwm" [pronounced "coom"!] w is only used for vowels in diphthongs, e.g., "How now brown cow?"     It's even easier to see that they are functioning vowels if you note that final "oy" is pronounced exactly like the "oi" in the middle of a word, and "ow" is pronounced like "ou".)\n\n(Of course, one of my favorite words in all this is "why", made up ONLY of semi-vowels.)\n\n------------------------\n\nThere ARE words without vowel SOUNDS (and in which none of the letters indicates a vowel).   They are various "interjections", such as the following:\n\nbrr(r)\ngrr(r)\ntsk\nshh(h) \npsst\nhmm\nmm-hmm\n\nThis last one might be the longest all by itself.  (It is true we might add extra letters to many such words, e.g., h's to "shh" or r's to "brr".  But that would be cheating. And where would you stop?!)\n\nI think the longest bona fide word of this sort is "tsktsks" used as a verb, the equivalent of "utters a tsktsk" or "expresses disapproval", e.g., "he tsktsks her suggestions".
649178
One is, as I am sure you know, the contraction for you are while the other shows possesive case. There, I wrote that for all the yahooites who might read this and do not have a clue about proper English. While I am not perfect myself, some of the spellings are simply too strange at times so it is little wonder that some are confused by the two words. It is a sad sign of the times I am afraid.
546680
I do but in Spanish you add an F after a vowel and repeat the vowel like this Carlos is Cafarlofos maybe it is the same rule in English?
237838
When "the" is in front of a vowel letter you have to pronounce it as "thee". Otherwise it's just "the".\neg:\n\nthe car\nthe (pronounced as thee) apple