| Kenneth G. Wilson (1923–). The Columbia Guide to Standard American English. 1993. |
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| a, an (determiner, art., adj.) |
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| Choose a or an according to what sounds right, and you will almost certainly be correct: most variations are Standard English. Americans usually use a (pronounced uh when unstressed) before words beginning with consonant sounds, as in a dog, and an (pronounced uhn or occasionally an, especially at higher levels of speech) before words beginning with vowel sounds, as in an apple. But when a and an receive heavier stress than the nouns they precede, as in a boy, not two boys, and an army, not several armies, they rhyme with day and can, respectively. Atypical and Nonstandard is any use of a with words beginning with a vowel sound. Using an before words spelled with initial vowels but pronounced beginning with consonant sounds, as in an union, is rare and may seem affected. | 1 |
| Use of a and an varies before words beginning with h-. When the h is silent as in honor, use an; when it is always sounded, as in horror, use a. When a spoken h is sounded in one context but not in another, as with hysterical, use either a (uh his-TER-i-kuhl WIT-nes) or an (an is-TER-i-kuhl WIT-nes); Edited English requires a rather than an, regardless of which way readers might pronounce it aloud. When the sound of initial h- is in divided usage, as in herb, use either an UHRB or uh HUHRB, depending on your pronunciation of the noun. | 2 |
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| | | The Columbia Guide to Standard American English. Copyright © 1993 Columbia University Press. |
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