Job Discussion Forums

ContemporaryDog · Joined: 21 May 2003 Posts: 1477 Location: Wuhan, China

I was just marking some homework, and a student wrote "I'll buy a MP3". I corrected the a and changed it to an, and then rubbed out the correction because I realised that the 'a MP3' is actually gramatically correct, as 'a' always precedes any noun which doesn't begin with a vowel.

However, when speaking I would tend to say 'an MP3' because the 'M' has a sort of invisible E sound that makes it far easier to say an than a.

Which is right?

dyak · Joined: 25 Jun 2003 Posts: 630

Hmm, i always thought it was the vowel sound that implied 'an' regardless of the letter. This came up a while ago, i wish i could remember the example.

saloc · Joined: 04 Jul 2003 Posts: 102

I think it is the vowel sound.

An hour

A university

dmb · Joined: 12 Feb 2003 Posts: 8397

Definitely 'an' because of the vowel sound.
An mp3. send me A pm

zaneth · Posted: Wed Mar 02, 2005 12:54 pm Post subject:

Yep, it's the sound, not the letter. I don't remember where but I've seen this written in some "official" source, even.

china_sk8er · Joined: 30 Oct 2004 Posts: 166 Location: Harbin

If you say it as the acronym then it is: an mp3.
But stating it as the full term then it is: a moving picture experts group layer-3 audio.

But who says it like that.

It is an mp3.

Cheers

ls650 · Joined: 10 May 2003 Posts: 3484 Location: British Columbia

Vowel sound:
- an honour
- a university
- an MP3

Stephen Jones · Joined: 21 Feb 2003 Posts: 4124

It's the sound.
an 'M'
a 'U'