KZN ex-security guard to receive third degree

[DA-LION-619]

Is it an a or an? (To all the English boffins)

I went with the safest option

 

[porchrat]

Is it an a or an? (To all the English boffins)

In English the usage of a vs. an has to do with the sound of a word, not whether or not it starts with a vowel. If a word sounds like it starts with a consonant we use "a", if it sounds like it starts with a vowel we use "an".

University, even though it starts with a U, sounds like it starts with a Y. So we use "a".

Another example is the word "hour". Even though it starts with a consonant (H), we say "an hour" because it sounds like it starts with an O.

Hope that helps.



EDIT: oh also this story was a great read. A lovely bit of inspiring positivity in what is an otherwise negative news world at the moment. Good for you Ntombi!

 

[Ninja'd]

In English the usage of a vs. an has to do with the sound of a word, not whether or not it starts with a vowel. If a words sounds like it starts with a consonant we use "a", if it sounds like it starts with a vowel we use "an".

University, even though it starts with a U, sounds like it starts with a Y. So we use "a".

Another example is the word "hour". Even though it starts with a consonant (H), we say "an hour" because it sounds like it starts with an O.

Hope that helps.



EDIT: oh also this story was a great read. A lovely bit of inspiring positivity in an otherwise negative news world at the moment. Good for you Ntombi!

F**king English, man.

 

[BigEars]

South Africa needs more motivated people like her.

 

[porchrat]

F**king English, man.

English is my mother tongue and as a native English speaker even I can see how absolutely screwy it is. I know just enough Afrikaans that if someone heard me speak it they'd wager I rode the short bus to school but Afrikaans is worlds more logical and consistent, and hence IMO easier to pick up, than English. I pity anybody having to learn this ludicrous language as a second or third language.

Actually now that I think about it in school we're all taught the wildly inaccurate concept of using "an" whenever a word starts with a vowel and it confuses a lot of people later in life. Imagine how difficult it must be for deaf people to have to learn all these exceptions in order to write correct English. They aren't readily familiar with how words sound so they don't have pronunciation to go on when deciding which to use on the fly like we do (look at how even though LION wasn't sure which to use he almost instinctively went with "a" because of the way the sentence sounded wrong). Deaf folks must just have to learn the exceptions by heart. Rough.

 

[Ninja'd]

I pity anybody having to learn this ludicrous language as a second or third language.

Well it's a bit better than French with all its damn silent letters. You know how many times I messed up hors d'oeuvres?

I even to go check now how to spell it.

 

[porchrat]

Well it's a bit better than French with all its damn silent letters. You know how many times I messed up hors d'oeuvres?

I even to go check now how to spell it.

Actually that is a good point. Also how nouns have grammatical genders in french. In English we do it for ships and such but in a very limited fashion. The French just go kookoo with it.

Anyway sorry folks didn't mean to turn this into a discussion of grammar. Back to praising this remarkable woman.

 

[Stokstert]

Congratulations, good news of the day.