Korean Job Discussion Forums

Toby · Joined: 15 Jan 2003 Location: Wedded Bliss

Question.

Why is it - I want to go to a university in England

but not - I want to go to an university in England?

Surely, because university begins with a vowel, it should be 'an', but it isn't. Why not?

kprrok · Joined: 06 Apr 2004 Location: KC

because the "u" in university is pronounced "yoo". If it were pronounced "uh", you would be correct in saying "an uhniversity".

Just like hour. It starts with a consenant, but the sound the h makes is a vowel sound, so you use "an".

It doesn't matter what letter a word starts with, it's the sound the letter makes.

KPRROK

tommynomad · Joined: 24 Jul 2004 Location: on the move

Except for "hotel," which takes either "a" or "an."

My students are stupefied by English's rule exceptions.

mishlert · Joined: 13 Mar 2003 Location: On the 3rd rock from the sun

My creative writing teacher in college told us that the rules for the English language are very specific but not set in stone.

fidel · Joined: 07 Feb 2003 Location: North Shore NZ

Ilsanman · Joined: 15 Aug 2003 Location: Bucheon, Korea

It's simple. It's not 1st letter of the word. It's 1st sound.

manlyboy · Posted: Tue Oct 12, 2004 8:13 pm Post subject:

Demophobe · Joined: 17 May 2004

tommynomad · Joined: 24 Jul 2004 Location: on the move

matthewwoodford · Joined: 01 Oct 2003 Location: Location, location, location.

It's an historic occasion -- Sounds a bit better with 'an' than 'a' to me

They stayed in an hotel -- What an horrible expression, sounds pretentious

Ilsanman · Joined: 15 Aug 2003 Location: Bucheon, Korea

Koreans are bad for purposely writing/typing incorrectly, and I have picked up the habits.

Thye substitute the vowel �� for �� a lot, and contract a lot of words. That's just for starters.

JaphieR · Joined: 17 Apr 2004 Location: Bundang

my students would get a severe beating with the ��ʸ� if they ever put an before hotel. Just kidding. Only my canadian coworker uses the one of those (I got it for her as a joke but she actually uses it now). I just send them out to the head teacher where they get hit over the head with a work book.

But really, I've never heard of "an hotel." where are you from?

Wangja · Joined: 17 May 2004 Location: Seoul, Yongsan

"An hotel" is invariably used by the upper middle-classes usually from the south of England.

To me, even as one taught to speak that way, it has always sounded awkward and even contrived as if it were used by the speaker to impress the listener with his superior speech. I prefer the basic rule: an before a vowel - the first sound rule as somebody has said.

I almost blush when I am in the circles that expect me to use it .....