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Usenet Posted 22 years ago
Usage
A or An?
This is a sentence from a post I made in an electronics newsgroup this morning.
"When I returned home, if there had been any incoming calls a (an?) LED would be flashing and a counter showed how many unanswered calls had been detected."
What *is* the correct form please, 'a' or 'an'? And how, if at all, do the rules change for words starting with 'h', or vowels, or 'harder' consonants like 'k' etc?
(In case it's relevant, LED is 'light emitting diode'.)
Terry, West Sussex, UK
"When I returned home, if there had been any incoming calls a (an?) LED would be flashing and a counter showed how many unanswered calls had been detected."
What *is* the correct form please, 'a' or 'an'? And how, if at all, do the rules change for words starting with 'h', or vowels, or 'harder' consonants like 'k' etc?
(In case it's relevant, LED is 'light emitting diode'.)
Terry, West Sussex, UK
Top answer
Terry Pinnell typed thus: [nq:1]This is a sentence from a post I made in an electronics newsgroup this morning. "When I returned home, if ... starting with 'h', or vowels, or 'harder' consonants like 'k' etc?
- Terry Pinnell typed thus: [nq:1]This is a sentence from a post I made in an electronics newsgroup this morning.
- "When I returned home, if ...
- starting with 'h', or vowels, or 'harder' consonants like 'k' etc?
- )[/nq] "an" before a vowel sound , otherwise "a".
- So it depends how you pronounce "LED".
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7 Answers
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Terry Pinnell typed thus:
[nq:1]This is a sentence from a post I made in an electronics newsgroup this morning. "When I returned home, if ... starting with 'h', or vowels, or 'harder' consonants like 'k' etc? (In case it's relevant, LED is 'light emitting diode'.)[/nq]
"an" before a vowel sound, otherwise "a". So it depends how you pronounce "LED".
an LED (an ell eee dee)
a
[nq:1]This is a sentence from a post I made in an electronics newsgroup this morning. "When I returned home, if ... starting with 'h', or vowels, or 'harder' consonants like 'k' etc? (In case it's relevant, LED is 'light emitting diode'.)[/nq]
"an" before a vowel sound, otherwise "a". So it depends how you pronounce "LED".
an LED (an ell eee dee)
a
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[nq:1]This is a sentence from a post I made in an electronics newsgroup this morning. "When I returned home, if ... and a counter showed how many unanswered calls had been detected." What *is* the correct form please, 'a' or 'an'?[/nq]
In this case, definitely 'an', unless people use LED as an acronym; 'Led'.
And how, if at all, do
[nq:1]the rules change for words starting with 'h
In this case, definitely 'an', unless people use LED as an acronym; 'Led'.
And how, if at all, do
[nq:1]the rules change for words starting with 'h
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(snip)
[nq:1]And how, if at all, do[/nq]
[nq:2]the rules change for words starting with 'h',[/nq]
[nq:1]If the 'h' is silent - as in 'hour' and 'honour', use 'an'. If it is pronounced, as in 'historic' or 'hotel' - use 'a'.[/nq]
That's the rule I follow as well, but it should be noted that some people use "an" before words beginning with an audible H if the first syllable is unstre
[nq:1]And how, if at all, do[/nq]
[nq:2]the rules change for words starting with 'h',[/nq]
[nq:1]If the 'h' is silent - as in 'hour' and 'honour', use 'an'. If it is pronounced, as in 'historic' or 'hotel' - use 'a'.[/nq]
That's the rule I follow as well, but it should be noted that some people use "an" before words beginning with an audible H if the first syllable is unstre
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[nq:1]This is a sentence from a post I made in an electronics newsgroup this morning. "When I returned home, if ... if at all, do the rules change for words starting with 'h', or vowels, or 'harder' consonants like 'k' etc?[/nq]
Which do you say, Terry, "a LED" or "an LED"? 'Cause that's all there is to it, really: if you say "a" (or "uh"), you write "a", and if you say "an" (or "un"), you wri
Which do you say, Terry, "a LED" or "an LED"? 'Cause that's all there is to it, really: if you say "a" (or "uh"), you write "a", and if you say "an" (or "un"), you wri
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[nq:2]This is a sentence from a post I made in ... with 'h', or vowels, or 'harder' consonants like 'k' etc?[/nq]
[nq:1]Which do you say, Terry, "a LED" or "an LED"? 'Cause that's all there is to it, really: if you say "a" (or "uh"), you write "a", and if you say "an" (or "un"), you write "an".[/nq]
David, Alan, Odysseus, Adrian:
Thanks, all. So it's an unequivocal 'an LED' for me henc
[nq:1]Which do you say, Terry, "a LED" or "an LED"? 'Cause that's all there is to it, really: if you say "a" (or "uh"), you write "a", and if you say "an" (or "un"), you write "an".[/nq]
David, Alan, Odysseus, Adrian:
Thanks, all. So it's an unequivocal 'an LED' for me henc
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[nq:1]Many former AAA cities are now in the majors.[/nq]
I hadn't realized quite how many.
Baltimore (Orioles '03-'14, '16-'53, International League) Dallas (Rangers '58-'62, American Association)
Denver (Bears, '55-'82, Zephyrs '83-'92, American Association) Ft. Worth (Cats '46-'59, American Association)
Houston (Buffs '59-'61, American Association)
Kansas City (Cowboys '03, B
I hadn't realized quite how many.
Baltimore (Orioles '03-'14, '16-'53, International League) Dallas (Rangers '58-'62, American Association)
Denver (Bears, '55-'82, Zephyrs '83-'92, American Association) Ft. Worth (Cats '46-'59, American Association)
Houston (Buffs '59-'61, American Association)
Kansas City (Cowboys '03, B
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[nq:1]The Three-I League was in Class B, the (phony-oxymoron alert) highest low minor leagues back in the days when minor leagues went all the way down to Class D.[/nq]
According to
http://www.geocities.com/big bunko/class.html
there was a class E from 1938 until the sys
According to
http://www.geocities.com/big bunko/class.html
there was a class E from 1938 until the sys
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