a or an before hotel

A few words, such as historic and (especially in England) hotel, are in transition, and may be found with either a or an. (e.g. with your site I can solve my problem in writing, warmregards thanks. For example, "an hour" or "an honest man. Similarly you should say “a union” even if union begins with a “u.” That is because the pronunciation begins with “yu”, which is a consonant sound. Although this is grammatically correct, many people writers continue to use "a historical event. I think it is most natural to use what the sound the reader is probably imagining in their mind. It all comes down to pronunciation. I was never aware of this, awesome work man!! If you said hotel by itself and didn’t pronounce the H, it would sound like “otell”. First of all you need to understand if the abbreviation is pronounced as a single word or letter by letter. Daniel, what do you think about an E-Mail? Teachers in particular should just give the URL out to their students, thereby avoiding some long explanations in class. You noticed that the examples of ‘hour’ and ‘history’ require one to recall that when spoken, the leading ‘H’ of hour is silent, ‘hour’ is pronounced the same as ‘our’. For example, the word "an" normally precedes any words that begin with a vowel (a, e, i, o, u) such as "an orange," "an umbrella" or "an apple. Well, to make matters more confusing, there is another exception to the above exception. You choose the article that best suits your own pronunciation. Hero does not begin with a vowel sound; it begins with the consonant sound for H. The same should apply for hotel too. In fact this is the first post answering “readers’ questions.” If you have any feel free to ask us! If you don't pronounce the letter h such as in the words "hour" or "honest", you would use the word "an". Become a hero. Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! While we say “a light-water reactor,” the abbreviation is “an LWR.”. Or is that wrong? Great tips I didnt know that it depends on the pronunciation. a) 'AN' before 'h' words where the 'h' is not sounded, b) 'A' before 'h' words where 'h' IS sounded, c) 'A' before 'u' words where the 'u' sounds like 'You', (If you're a human, don't change the following field), 20 Day English - Day 20: Passive sentences grammar quiz, 20 Day English - Day 19: Third Conditional English grammar quiz, 20 Day English - Day 18: More English slang quiz, 20 Day English - Day 17: British Slang Quiz. I want to improve my english language.I thin that may english is not well. All Right Reserved, 50 Rhetorical Devices for Rational Writing. The leading L is a consonant, true, but when you pronounce ‘Ell’ you have a vowel sound. Thanks Rohit. IRAN – TEHRAN, Hi thanks – I thought maybe the rule had changed since I was in school because I see the opposite usage of a and an so many times in newspapers – did newspaper style change or do they just get it wrong very often? Is it because it’s difficult to pronounce a apple than an apple? shaheen. I can solve my problem in writing with your site, i am not good in writting english. Subscribers get access to our archives with 800+ interactive exercises! I think you are right to say we use “an” depends on the sound. For example, "a hair" or "a happy girl.". Leah, I am not an expert with the phonetic alphabet, but it looks like “union” begins with a “yu” sound, and not a “u” one. The rule states that “a” should be used before words that begin with consonants (e.g., b, c,d) while “an” should be used before words that begin with vowels (e.g., a,e,i). I just to know how you get started. Hence an may be seen in such phrases as “an historic”, “an heroic”, and “an hôtel of excellence” was the by-line in an advertisement in a New York City newspaper”. Contact Us Where are you from? Pronouncing it as a “long a” does not do this, but as the pronunciation cannot be prescribed, the word is spelled the same for either. EnglishClub: Learn English: Pronunciation: a/an When to Say a or an. After reading this, you probably think you have mastered the use of "a" or "an" with words beginning with h. For example, you can now write the words "a hospital" or "an heir" with confidence. Ell-double-You-Are. But, a friend was saying it like the word “mat” and thought it was “a MAT.” To get the right answer, you need to know if people say each individual letter, or do people sound it out and say “mat.” Is anyone familiar with MAT and how you say it? I think it can help me a bit more. I think it should be “a hotel” as in “a hoe tell everybody”! My grandfather, Arthur Kennedy, was head of the English Department at Stanford University for many years. If the accent of a word that begins with h falls on the second syllable, you would use the word "a" instead of "an." all time i thinm that i am not writting in correct form. - It is definitely "A HOTEL". . It makes all the difference. It is very clear explaination. . b, c, d, f, g, h etc), - 'an' before words that spell beginning with vowels (e.g. And would like to hear you more about “a” and “the” I want to know about the examples,those are sentences those are starting with a with vowel. a beautiful gown ,an elephant, i have come here to learn not to get confuge by their comments. Another confusing term, like NATO, is ‘herb’, as in an herb garden, or garden herbs. I say it is “an MAT” because I am assuming that when you say the title you say each individual letter (M-A-T), like you would with MBA. Similarly, you should use “an NBC reporter” (because “NBC” is pronounced “enbisi”) and “a NATO authority” (because “NATO” begins with a “ne” sound). Students often ask, "Is it a or an before h words?" The rule goes by the sound of the word, not the strict classification of the first letter, whether that first letter is a vowel or a consonant. You'll also get three bonus ebooks completely free. The rule states that “a” should be used before words that begin with consonants (e.g., b, c ,d) while “an” should be used before words that begin with vowels (e.g., a,e,i). Lucky me, because i find this explaination. But most people say hotel with a sounded h and should write a hotel. Similarly, you should use “an NBC reporter” (because “NBC” is pronounced “enbisi”) and “a NATO authority” (because “NATO” begins with a “ne” sound). hiiiiiiiiiiiiiii I WOULD LIKE IMPROVE MY ENGLISH LANGUAGE WHAT IDO ? It depends on the SOUND at the start of the following word. Thus, ‘An before a vowel sound’. This is most likely because there are almost as many exceptions as there are grammar rules. I tried to research a bit, but indeed “yu” is closer to what I was trying to express :). the vowels are: a,e,i,o,u and sometimes y. and for people older than 40 sometimes “w” ! So the ‘A before consonant’ rule applies. Just when you manage to learn one rule, you find that the rule "doesn't always apply." Thanks! I do understand about using an with the vowel sounds. Articles usage is something I’ve mastered , I was confused earlier about what article to use before Abbreviations, now it’s all clear, thanks to our teachers , a and an I never knew that the usage of ‘a’ and ‘an’ depends on pronunciation. Where does the word ‘hotel’ fit in though. This rule is fairly straightforward and easy to remember until you come to words beginning with the letter h. What word should you use if you want to write a … so i don’t know why. Back then all I know was “a union” and “an hour” which used the exception of using “a” and “an” before words. Using a capital U to represent the long sound of “u,” maybe Here is a good one: “Cindy has a MAT in Elementary Education” or “Cindy has an MAT in Elementary Education.”. Terms of Use | What gets confusing is the large number of people that mispronounce the word, making it sound like ‘Herb’ as in a short form of the name Herbert. I have strong determination for to do well. A question. INEED ANSWER FOR THIS QUATION. ", This rule is fairly straightforward and easy to remember until you come to words beginning with the letter h. What word should you use if you want to write a word such as "hotel? He was known as one of the top two or three philologists in the world at his death. ", Given the above rules and exceptions, the answer to our initial question is that you should use the term "a hotel. My question is why the apple we use an apple not a apple? your blog gives lotz of basic knowledge which most people doesn’t know. @Wyatt, LWR starts with an “l”. Thanks. If you say an otel when speaking (which is now often regarded as distinctly old-fashioned), then it may be appropriate for you to write an hotel. Our Blog | I am not good at the phonetics alphabet, but that sound is similar to “ehl.” Do you see why it is a vowel sound? Maeve, thanks for taking the lead regarding the phonetic alphabet. All students of English should know this site’s URL and refer to it when in doubt. The words and phrases are deeply related to pa... You can learn all the grammar tenses, thousands of words and phrases including phrasal verbs and idioms, but to be an advanced English speaker, you... To prevent automated spam submissions leave this field empty. If it is helped i will be thanking to him. Both ‘hour’ and ‘our’ expect an ‘An’ before it, since the rule applies to the spoken sound, in common usage. Sitemap | The rule is really very simple. Notice, however, that the usage is determined by the pronunciation and not by the spelling, as many people wrongly assume. Correct usage is to leave the ‘H’ silent, making it ‘an herb salad’. Please explain this one, because the LWR doesn’t sound like a vowel to me. this is a contradiction to what you’re stating. Pronouncing a as a schwa can diminish the sound of the schwa and melt into the vowel. ‘Nay-toe’. ", Our Proofreading & Editing Services | There are some h-words no one would ever dream of putting an before, like horrible, happy, hospital or home.But while you might use an before historical, you wouldn’t before history. I will be pleased if you can answer me. The English language is said to be one of the most difficult ones worldwide to learn. I do understand the rule of using a and an (with vowel sounds for the first letter of the word). You may wonder why people find this particular rule so difficult. Raphael asks: When should I use “a” and when should I use “an” before the different words? Third conditionals (sometimes called Type 3 conditionals) are sentences where the speaker is thinking about the past and how it could have been dif... Slang is the informal language that native speakers use when speaking in an informal setting. i really appreciate your efforts. And now I know that “an NBC” and “an LWR” are also using the same exception. “u” can make three sounds as in up, unit, put, which are short vowel, long vowel, and the third sound respectively. a university, a used car, a united front, a union official)   So, to answer the question "a / an hotel"??? I will research a bit and post what I find here. but i’m under 40! - It is definitely "A HOTEL" Glad I found this blog (through Yaro). Similarly, you may before habitual but would never before habit. So far i went wrong when taught student in elementary school. /yUn-yun/! You should say, therefore, “an hour” (because hour begins with a vowel sound) and “a history” (because history begins with a consonant sound). use ex. © 2005-2020   Supaproofread. a hotel, a healthy baby, a history documentary, a happy ending, a historical event, a horrific accident, a handbag, a horse) c) 'A' before 'u' words where the 'u' sounds like 'You' (e.g. I’m glad you thought of me when you wrote it. Question: did you mean to write “yo” to represent the “y” sound in “union”? Hi. Notice, however, that the usage is determined by the pronunciation and not by the spelling, as many people wrongly assume.

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