Dear Tamara,
But, more and more, the "rule" seems to be fraying at the edges, till I'm
worried - more than usual - about opening my mouth in "real life" rather
than in writing...
Take "history"; it's almost always preceded by "an" when written. Should
I, then, say "an istorical fact"? Same for "hotel". I know the "h" is
silent *in French*, but, should I say "an otel reservation" in English?
And, yesterday - in an otherwise great book - I got another one: "an
Hispanic maid". Have I been adding, for all those years an H where it ad
no place, like a mad Cockney who drops and insterts is aitches
indiscriminately? I ave been saying "hispanic" but obviously, I should
have been saying "ispanic"...
I know we discussed the use of "an" before vocalized aitches before, and
seem to recall that there is no actual "rule" as to which words beginning
with aitch take the indefinite article - just a tradition. However, for
those that do, such as Hispanic, hospital, and historical (but NOT
history), the aitch is ALWAYS pronounced! So never fear my dear, you have
been correct all this time.
The general rule for "an" and "a" is definitely based on phonics though:
"an" before a vowel SOUND and "a" before a consonant SOUND. Apart from
words beginning with silent aitches, there are other exceptional examples,
such as "a utility", "a Euro" because these words begin with a "Y" sound.
David in Ballarat
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