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Subject:RE: a vs. an From:Meredith Denton-Hedrick <mdenton-hedrick -at- finle -dot- com> To:"'techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com'" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com> Date:Wed, 8 Mar 2000 13:59:17 -0600
Jo Byrd wrote:
> I was always taught you use "an" before words beginning with
> "h," so "an
> historical moment" IS grammatically correct.
Quoting from my American Heritage Dictionary (second edition, 1985):
"Usage: _A_ is used before a word beginning with a consonant (_a frog_) or a
consonant sound (_a university_); _an_ is used before a word beginning with
a vowel (_an egg_) or a vowel sound (_an hour_). _An_ should not be used
before words like _historical_ and _hysterical_ unless the _h_ is not
pronounced, a practice now uncommon in American speech."
I use underscores above to indicate italicized text.
Meredith
--
Meredith Denton-Hedrick, Technical Writer
FINLE Technologies, a division of KLA-Tencor
E-mail: meredith -at- finle -dot- com
Phone: 512.381.7362
