O/T Using "an" or "a"

[Rekd™]

You use "an" in front of a word that starts with a vowel, you use "a" in front of a word that starts with a consonant.

 

What if you're abbriviating "For Your Information" as "FYI".

 

Now suppose you refer to "FYI" as an object; would you use "Just a 'FYI'" or "Just an 'FYI'"

 

And, (I know you're not supposed to start a sentance with "And") what if you use the phrase "A historic event". Would it be proper english to use "An historic event"??

 

'Rekd teh "No. Really. I'm not bored"

[McRae]

Point Taken,

 

From this point forward I want to be known as

 

Adrew

 

(D is a Consonant and so I want to be correct.)

[Bullines]

I think it also depends on whether or not the consonant's pronunciation sounds like a vowel or not. In your FYI example, I would think "an" would make sense because the F in FYI is pronounced "eff". Hey, I was no English major, so who knows?

[CAM-mando]

Did sombody slip acid in my coffe or are they talking grammer on eMC.com ????

 

Home of teh proudly mispeld wurdz.

 

I agree with the Bullines as far as the rule being applied to the phonetic of the first letter in the abreviation. No basis for that opinion however .

 

I do recall being told that "An" is used to preceed "H" as in "An Historic event" I believe something about AN Hard "H" as opposed to AN soft "H". I think I have A English book and An History book at home. So when I get home I'll check.

 

Ohh A FYI ... An House is Not An Home ya know.

 

I use the "stupid" rule ... I say the phrase to myself, then If I say "that sounds stupid" I change it. If it still sounds stupid I paraphrase it. Of course I apply the stupid rule to the form only not to the content less I might never speak nor post.

 

[ 05-07-2003, 04:55 PM: Message edited by: CAMmando ]

[Jack Mitchell]

quote:

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I use the "stupid" rule ... I say the phrase to myself, then If I say "that sounds stupid" I change it. If it still sounds stupid I paraphrase it. Of course I apply the stupid rule to the form only not to the content less I might never speak nor post.

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I use the same rules

 

So often I will decide to post and then scan for errors - My next move is the actual post - then the editing.

 

I feel so foolish since I have called Jim Kallhoff as Karlhoff - my eyes decieve me as of late, I am so very sorry for making this mistake.

 

Regards, Jack

[Brendan P]

'Rekd have you been using some of that high hemp alloy again?

[Thad]

quote:

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I use the "stupid" rule ...

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Me too. I made my way through high school and college english classes using the "does it sound right?" method. Hell, I even graduated college with honors! What does that tell you about the education system???

 

Thad

[Oppiz]

Me, with a high school education, trade school, then apprenticeship, then 20 years machinist, now programmer… really stink at this sort a thing.

 

This is the process I go through to post on forum:

 

1) write it in MS word

2) Spelling and grammar check

3) Proof read it about a dozen times

4) Fix all my mistakes

5) Copy and paste it on the forum

6) Preview

7) Fix all my mistakes again

8) Post it on forum

9) Read it again

10) Edit post, fix all my mistakes

11) Read it again

12) F**** it! They’ll figure out what mean!

[Slick]

"The Stupid Rule"

 

Ya know what's funny about that, this is "an" O/T thread, which is kind of ironic...

 

Does the stupid rule apply to cutting metal? As in, "I wait to hear what sounds better."

[heeler]

I have always tried to live by the KISS rule.

 

KEEP

IT

SIMPLE

STUPID

 

 

Glenn

[specv]

Well im going to chime in here, 'Rekd, the reason you use an is because "FYI" is not a word its an abbreviation. when you say the letter F it sounds like you are saying EPH, which starts with an E...lol

 

no im not bored either:)

 

and also too lazy to read all the posts before i posted...oops

 

[ 05-08-2003, 11:29 AM: Message edited by: specv ]

[Scott Bond]

I have improved my writing skills and professional grammar .

 

'Bond teh Pro-Grammer

[CAM-mando]

quote:

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12) F**** it! They’ll figure out what mean!

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Now thats what Im talkin' bout.

 

quote:

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Does the stupid rule apply to cutting metal?

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Come to think of it yeah

 

quote:

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'Bond teh Pro-Grammer

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Now I Get It

 

Dave

teh Slow witted at times

 

BTW anybody ever get teh real answer ??

[Rick Damiani]

quote:

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Me too. I made my way through high school and college english classes using the "does it sound right?" method. Hell, I even graduated college with honors! What does that tell you about the education system?

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It tells me that:

 

a) You used the first rule of effective writing effectivly.

 

You were sucussfull at not letting slavish adherence to rules interfere with a).

 

c) Somewhere along the way you learned to speak english correctly.

 

d) You were fortunate to have teachers rather than grammer natzis grading your papers.

 

Being a simple-minded sort, I never could figure out exactly how the english language worked, so I just wrote what I'd say ifn I was gonna actually say it. Way too many people get all hung up on 'proper' form while writing and forget what that writing is supposed to be doing.

 

As for the guy who uses the grammer checker: are you aware that most 'real' literature, when run throuh a grammer checker, comes out with error after error after error? That's because writers - the really good writers who write stuff that is actually fun to read - do both a) and while ignoring 'proper' form.