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Subject:a vs. an From:Kelly Parr <KParr -at- c-bridge -dot- com> To:"TECHWR-L (E-mail)" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com> Date:Wed, 8 Mar 2000 10:00:05 -0500
Can anyone tell me the grammatical rule for using:
"an historical moment."
I hear this a lot on public radio, etc., and I'm pretty sure it's wrong, but
I'm having a debate with a colleague.
The typical rule is to use "a" before words beginning with a consonant or
consonant sound (including "y" and "w" words) and "an" before words
beginning with a vowel or vowel sound. So why "an historical moment"? I'm
assuming it's pronounced "an 'istorical..." Is this a British convention
that we've taken into American usage?
TIA
Kelly
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Kelly Parr
Technical Writer
617-528-1744
kparr -at- c-bridge -dot- com
