Using a and an Before Words

Using a and an Before Words Using a and an Before Words Using a and an Before Words By Daniel Scocco Raphael asks: When should I use â€Å"a† and when should I use â€Å"an† before the different words? For example, should I say â€Å"a hour† or â€Å"an hour?† I stumble over this everytime and dontt know if Im getting it right, as Im not speaking and writing English natively. The Rule The rule states that â€Å"a† should be used before words that begin with consonants (e.g., b, c ,d) while â€Å"an† should be used before words that begin with vowels (e.g., a,e,i). Notice, however, that the usage is determined by the pronunciation and not by the spelling, as many people wrongly assume. You should say, therefore, â€Å"an hour† (because hour begins with a vowel sound) and â€Å"a history† (because history begins with a consonant sound). Similarly you should say â€Å"a union† even if union begins with a â€Å"u.† That is because the pronunciation begins with â€Å"yu†, which is a consonant sound. Abbreviations Deciding which version you should use with abbreviations is the tricky part. First of all you need to understand if the abbreviation is pronounced as a single word or letter by letter. While we say â€Å"a light-water reactor,† the abbreviation is â€Å"an LWR.† Similarly, you should use â€Å"an NBC reporter† (because â€Å"NBC† is pronounced â€Å"enbisi†) and â€Å"a NATO authority† (because â€Å"NATO† begins with a â€Å"ne† sound). Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Grammar category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:50 Rhetorical Devices for Rational WritingStory Writing 101The Two Sounds of G