Search results for 'tag:Vowels tag:Determiners' matching tags 'Vowels' and 'Determiners'

Re: a/an and the.

GL2 — Wed, 15 Aug 2007 17:14:24 GMT

The rule with a and an is that you use a when the word that follows it starts with a consonant sound, and you use an when the word that follows it starts with a vowel sound. You probably knew that given you used an correctly in your sentence, but I thought I'd mention that for others who may read this.

A, an and the are all articles. They're also called limiting adjectives, noun markers or noun determiners. A and an limit a noun less than the does:

"A plan."

"The plan."

In your sample sentence, you could use either a/an or the in all of the blanks, and the sentence would still be correct.

"We live in an old house near a train station. It is two miles from a city center."

"We live in the old house near the train station. It is two miles from the city center."

Both sentences are grammatically correct. The sentence that uses the is more specific about which old house, train station and city center the speaker/writer is referring to. If you were talking to someone from your city who was familiar with the area and had seen your house before (but didn't know you lived there) and had seen the train station before and knew where the city center was located, you could use the. If you were talking to someone who was completely unfamiliar with your city and the buildings in it, you would use a/an. The makes reference to specific items, and its use assumes the listener/reader has familiarity with those items.

Not to complicate matters, but you could get away with using the with city center even if the listener/reader was unfamiliar with your city. With the, you're refering to not just any city center but the specific city center corresponding to the area where the house and station are located. If that's too confusing, then ignore this last paragraph and just follow the rules outlined above.

Re: Limiting "the"

Alienvoord — Wed, 20 Sep 2006 14:36:03 GMT

Jargonaut wrote:
Remember that while we call words like "the" and "an" (or "a" in this case as the "n" is dropped when before a vowel sound) articles, they are limiting adjectives. "The" is a contracted form of the demonstrative "that", and "an", or "a", is a contracted form of "one" (from the Anglo-Saxon "ane" or "an").

You might be right in your etymology of "the" and "a", but etymologies are not definitions.

Saying that "the" is a contraction of "that" and "a" is a contraction of "one" doesn't make sense in terms of grammar.

"the" and "a" are determiners.

Re: Why is it?

Believer — Tue, 16 May 2006 13:26:33 GMT

Thank you.

Let me ask you one direct question that could help to settle my confusion. This might be a "Yes or No" question but you are welcome to expand your explanation.

Does a native speaker have an option that can be exercised freely on the aspect of whether or not to display those chracteristics of the physics of vocalization as he/she seemed fit regardless which sound, a vowel or a consonant, the words he/she has produce initially?

In other words, eventhough it will be hard to swallow this, it really doesn't matter whether to pronounce with a hard "e" or a schewa when one is pronouncing the determiner "the" in front of the word with an initial vowel sound because it will be up to him at the moment of his speaking to decide when and how he will make the sound of the determiner "the."

Why is it?

Believer — Sun, 14 May 2006 05:46:58 GMT

I was listening to an audio file in the Internet and have noticed that eventhough the standard rule is that the article "the" is pronounced like "Di" and not "thu" of "thus" when it is in front of a vowel-sounding word, I am pretty sure that I heard the speaker of that file making the "Di" sound when the determiners are in front of vowel-sounding words. Why is that?

Help.

The sentences I heard the speaker making the "Di" sound.

The older will serve the younger.

... and the one who trusts in him will never be put to shame.

Another or an another

Rotter — Thu, 23 Mar 2006 20:54:24 GMT

1. He eats an apple.

2. He eats another apple.

3. He eats an another apple.

I know the third sentence is flawed. However, the words starts with a vowel needs the determiner 'an'.

To say ' He eats a apple' is incorrect.

The word 'apple' is already defined by the determiner 'another'. Therefore, you don't need an extra determiner. I don't think the word 'another' is a noun. This is my understanding.

I maybe wrong. I appreciate your comments on this.

Re: An versus a

wumanfu — Thu, 09 Oct 2003 17:16:26 GMT

Hi, you asked
Which is the correct usage please:
" I have ordered a / an MRI (magnetic resonance scan) and will review the patient following this."

Rule: With single letters and groups of letters that are pronounced as individual letters, be guided by the pronunciation: a B road, a TUC leader; but an A road, an FA Cup match, an SAS unit (assuming the abbreviations are not mentally expanded to their full forms, which would alter the "

Answer
I have ordered an MRIâ¦

Reference
"a" Pocket Fowler's Modern English Usage

a, an, called the indefinite article (or, by some grammarians, determiner). In origin, a and its by-form an are versions of the Old English an meaning
âoneâ. (1) Before all normal words or diphthongs an is required (an actor, an eagle, an illness, an Old Master, an uncle). Before a syllable beginning
in its written form with a vowel but pronounced with a consonantal sound, a is used (a eulogy, a unit, a use; a one, a once-only). Before all consonants
except silent h, a is usual: a book, a history, a home, a household name, a memorial service, a puddle, a young man; but, with silent h, an hour, an honour.
â¦
With single letters and groups of letters that are pronounced as individual letters, be guided by the pronunciation: a B
road, a TUC leader; but an A road, an FA Cup match, an SAS unit (assuming the abbreviations are not mentally expanded to their full forms, which would
alter the