The
indefinite articles a and
an serve a similar function, but many students wonder: when should you use
a and when should you use
an?
One common error I see in SAT essays is the consistent use of
a before a word that begins with consonant and
an before a word that begins with a vowel.
This simple notion will get you into a lot of trouble.
Instead, the rule is:
Use a before a consonant sound and an before a vowel sound.
It is the sound that dictates the use of
a or
an, not the spelling.
For example, the word
hour is spelled with an initial consonant,
h. But the
h is silent. We don't hear the consonant.
Therefore, we write:
an hour
On the other hand, the word
hand is pronounced with an audible
h sound.
Therefore, we write:
a hand
More examples:
a nanny
an NBA team
a six-pack
an SAT test
a history teacher
an honor student
a marshmallow
an M&M
If you find these examples confusing, read them aloud and pay close attention to how the words sound.
The
m in
marshmallow sounds like "MMM."
But the
m in
M&M sounds like "EM."
As
indefinite articles, both
a and
an serve the same grammatical function, but
an has an additional job to do.
What could that be?
The letter
n in the word
an is there to
separate two vowel sounds so that they don't run together. It keeps two words distinct in the mind of the listener — like the space between words on a written page.
But why do we need to insert the consonant sound,
n, for written words, when we can clearly see the space between them? Why not simply write
a hour,
a apple,
a extra letter we don't need?Because we do need that extra letter.
When we read, we almost always
subvocalize. We hear the words in our heads as if they were spoken aloud.
And the phrase
a opening doesn't sound any better in our minds than it does in our mouths.
Okay, that's enough for now. Thank you for letting me clear that up.
It's been
an honor and
a privilege.
