In Definite articles^x, Vowels^x, Consonants^x

Hi Mathew,Yes, as Mister Micawber says, native English-speakers instinctively know which pronunciation of 'the' to use before a noun (or an adjective + noun), but I can see that it may be a problem for some people learning the language.As you have yourself noted, we generally use the...

General Canadian English is extremely similar to General American English. However, there are a number of differences between the two dialects. Firstly, GCE (General Canadian English) exhibits a linguistic phenomenon called Canadian Raising. Basically, the diphthong “ai”--as in "by" or "lie"--is...

A and an signal that the noun modified is indefinite, referring to any member of a group. These indefinite articles are used with singular nouns when the noun is general; the corresponding indefinite quantity word some is used for plural general nouns. The rule is: a + singular noun...

Just passing by, pardon me for sticking my nose in, but... We say 'a history' but 'an historical'. Some people do. I'm not sure when it became trendy but I wish people would cut it out. I find it painful to hear. "An historical whatever" or "an hallucination" is only correct if...

Hi, I am having a debate with co-workers regarding which indefinite article to use preceding Hispanic. We agree the article a precedes words beginning with a consonant, the article an precedes words beginning with vowels. We also know an precedes words beginning with a silent h, and words with...

I am having a debate with co-workers regarding which indefinite article to use preceding Hispanic. We agree the article a precedes words beginning with a consonant, the article an precedes words beginning with vowels. We also know an precedes words beginning with a silent h, and words with a...

Guest wrote:Use "a" if the next word begins with a consonant, and "an" if the next word begins with a vowel. A tiger, an angel, a book, etc. A historical character. This is not completely correct. The indefinite article a is used when the following word starts with a consonant sound The...

Hi Lyn, Here is one of my posts from a previous thread on the topic of articles. It might help. Posted: 03-30-2005 12:26 PM The correct use of articles is acknowledged to be one of the most difficult points of English grammar, so don't be despondant Ali; mistakes don't usually matter too...

An excellent reply, Jazz. I hope you won't mind if I expand on it a little. The correct use of articles is acknowledged to be one of the most difficult points of English grammar, so don't be despondant Ali; mistakes don't usually matter too much, as you will still be understood. First, we don't...

Hi FishWish The grammar rule for indefinite articles usage is: We use A before a consonant-sound. We use AN before a vowel-sound. The difference depends on the sound of the vowels and consonants, not the spelling! honest begins with an H, but it is not said, so "I am an honest man" is the...