'a' or 'an' for acronyms and abbrevation

I would just go by the initial sound of the acronym (as it is pronounced):

an FBI agent, an NBA game, an MIT student (because the initial sound in each of these is "eh", and using "a" instead of "an" would make it hard to pronounce)

but -- a NATO country

Hi Tancs,

If you say the expression and it sounds like it starts with a vowel, use 'an'.

For example,

an FBI agent

a NATO country (NAYTOH)

an NBA game (ENBEEAY)

an MIT student

Best wishes,

Clive

Thanks for the replies, now it is getting clearer. So, I say:

an FDA approved drug

an H-bomb

a LASER pointer

an LED light

a ROM memory

an R & D campany

an SAT test

an X-ray machine

Do I get them right? Thanks a bunch!

CS

all correct!

You might want to note that there are sometimes options. I almost corrected 'an SAT test' because it is also pronounced like the past tense of 'sit'-- making it 'a SAT test'; then I realized that many people say 'S-A-T'. (You might notice, for instance, that in your examples 'laser' is pronounced like a word while LED is pronounced as a series of letters).

0 01li

02br
02br
01i00A02i00 and 01i00an02i00 signal that the noun modified is indefinite, referring to 01i00any02i00 member of a group. These indefinite articles are used with singular nouns when the noun is general; the corresponding indefinite quantity word 01i00some02i00 is used

please read the question before you comment.

All correct. Here's a tip you might find useful in some (but, unfortunately, not all) cases. When you come across an acronym you are unfamiliar with note which article the author uses, this will tell you whether he says the letters individually or pronounces it as a word.

In your examples you have several acronyms that would work with this test. "SAT", "LED", "ROM",and "LASER."

I

off-topic but it's:
a R O Memory

I would say (and write) an R O memory.