TechWhirl (TECHWR-L) is a resource for technical writing and technical communications professionals of all experience levels and in all industries to share their experiences and acquire information.
For two decades, technical communicators have turned to TechWhirl to ask and answer questions about the always-changing world of technical communications, such as tools, skills, career paths, methodologies, and emerging industries. The TechWhirl Archives and magazine, created for, by and about technical writers, offer a wealth of knowledge to everyone with an interest in any aspect of technical communications.
Subject:"a" versus "an" with an acronym From:Mike Ingram <MIngram -at- SCIENTECH -dot- COM> Date:Tue, 18 Nov 1997 14:40:36 -0700
Here's another slant to this. What do you _read_ when you read the acronym?
For instance, if you see "A N.Y. Yankee won the batting title this year."
Do you read N.Y. or New York? I think most everyone would read New York,
thus an "a" would be used. And in an example used earlier, would people
read "MSDS" (thus an "an") or automatically read "Material Safety Data
Sheet" (thus an "a"). Maybe the latter decision depends on the audience?
Any other slants out there?
Mike Ingram, Senior Writer/Editor SCIENTECH, Inc.
mingram -at- if -dot- scientech -dot- com 1585 N. Skyline Drive
(208) 528-3739 (voice) Idaho Falls, ID 83402
(208) 523-9380 (fax) http://www.scientech.com