I was taught when I was little that if you can hear the 'H' in a word you don't use 'an' but if you can't you do.
Examples: We have an hour to kill. He's a history buff.
Sooo... is this correct? Bare in mind I learned this in Florida.
I ask because of this sentence from Karl Rove's Wall Street Journal Editorial: Mr. Obama is an inspiring figure playing a historical role, but that's not enough to push aside the former First Lady and senator from New York. She's an historic figure, too.
1 comment:
I do!
It usually has to do with silent Hs: you use 'an' with words that begin with an unpronounced H, like "hour" in the example you gave; and an 'a' when you make the H sound ("a history"). I think most people go with the everyday-poetic-license excuse nowadays though (like your teacher), so much that it's in Webster as a rule, "you choose the article that suits your own pronunciation."
H is a voiceless glottal fricative (a non-vibrating sound made by blowing air through the vocal chords - all the way back), which also means that it can act like a vowel as well as a consonant. Nobody really wants to learn when it is acting like one or the other so it just gets mashed up. FYI, a vowel means that there is no air build up in the vocal chord. It's an open sound, consonants close the vocal tract. That's why vowels are necessary for speech (but not so in writing).
I personally am fascinated by voiced and unvoiced "th" sounds (when you make the "th" sound vibrate and when you don't). Anyway, that quote you gave in just plain inconsistent. PS I read an email that Obama basically works for Al-Qaeda. Terrorist.
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