08/02/2013 · Using an and a does not depend on the spelling of the word it comes before, it depends on the pronunciation of the word. In most cases though, an is used before words that begin with vowels (a, e, i, o u.): an apple an elephant an igloo an oven an umbrella. If a word starts with a consonant sound, use a. a ball a car a doll. Vowel Sounds

01/07/2021 · There are some situations where, before a vowel, you will use 'a' instead of an. This is because you have to listen to what the vowel sounds like. If the sound the vowel makes is a consonant sound, then you use 'a' instead., For example, before words that start with 'un' e.g. unique, you would use a 'a' because the word sounds like it starts with a consonant.

If the word begins with a vowel sound, use an, such as in "an honorable man," and with spoken acronyms like "an FBI agent." Words like historic , with a pronounced "H," can use either a or an . In the eternal, and generally fruitless, quest to find some way to make English make sense, many people look for simple rules to apply to our language.

The way we say the word will determine whether or not we use a or an. If the word begins with a vowel sound, you must use an. If it begins with a consonant sound, you must use a. For example, the word hour begins with the consonant h. But the h is silent, so the word has a vowel sound. Hence: an hour. The rule works the other way as well. Take the word university.

26/09/2018 · Do you know when to use a vs. when you should use an? Let’s break this one down! A vs. an. The rule is: Use an before a word beginning with a vowel sound (not letter). It doesn’t matter how the word is spelled. It just matters how it is pronounced. Use a before a word with a consonant sound as well as y and w sounds.

11/06/2012 · 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). Notice, however, that the usage is determined by the pronunciation and not by the spelling, as many people wrongly assume.

When the next word begins with a consonant sound, you use a. You can tell when to use an instead of a if the next sound is a vowel sound. A misunderstanding of the rule is that you need to pay attention to the actual letter of the next word. In reality, it’s the sound of the word that you should follow when deciding to use a or an.

An and a are easy to mix up. Use 'an' when the next word starts with a vowel sound. Use 'a' when it starts with a consonant sound. The word sound is important. Some abbreviations that start with consonants start with vowel sounds (e.g., RTA, NTU) and vice versa.