Korean Job Discussion Forums

poet13 · Posted: Tue Jul 25, 2006 4:57 pm Post subject: Rules for articles...

Hello gentlepeople. Can someone sort me out?

"An" is used before words that start with a vowel.
"An" is used before the word "hour"...is it because the "h" is silent?
If so, then why, "An historic event"? is it because "historic" is an adjective?
If so, then why, "an orange", but, "a red orange"?

From there I get lost... I looked online, but I couldn't find anything that dealt specifically with this. Crying or Very sad

Why do we say, "an hour", and why do we say, "an historic event"?

Does anybody know the rule for this?

Thanks in advance.

philthy · Joined: 02 Sep 2005 Location: Incheon

An article is like an adjective.

"An" is used before any word that begins with a vowel sound not necessarily a vowel.

Hence an hour, as we pronounce "hour" as "our" which begins with a vowel sound (o).

Also "University" is pronounced "you-niversity" and as such starts with a consonant sound (y) and is therefore aUniversity, even though it starts with a vowel.

As for historian, I believe both are correct. It has a consonant beginning sound so it should be "a historian", but many people say "an historian."

jacl · Joined: 31 Oct 2005

http://www.cbc.ca/news/indepth/words/ananda.html

Has to do with aspiration. Non-aspirated h's take "an" and aspirated h's take "a".

"historical": first syllable is unstressed which would explain using "an". There are arguments that it should always be "a" (before aspirated h's).

"a red orange"? Isn't it obvious? "a" before "r". "an" before "o".

philthy · Joined: 02 Sep 2005 Location: Incheon

Sorry, as for "an orange" vs "a red orange":

If the noun is modified by an adjective (red), the choice between a and an depends on the initial sound of the adjective (red) that immedietely follows the article.

Therefore "a red orange" because "red" has an initial consonant sound.

poet13 · Posted: Tue Jul 25, 2006 5:50 pm Post subject:

Thank you,

I do know know when the use "a" and "an", and even why...in most cases.

""a red orange"? Isn't it obvious? "a" before "r". "an" before "o"."
Yes, jacl, it is obvious, but it was the logic path I was asking about.
>> "is it because "historic" is an adjective?
If so, then why, "an orange", but, "a red orange"?".<<

Thank you everyone.

Ya-ta Boy · Joined: 16 Jan 2003 Location: Established in 1994