The article ‘a’ should always be used before words that start with consonant sounds. So, you need to remember that if a word begins with a vowel, but has an initial consonant sound, (‘university’ as an example), use the article ‘a’ before it.
What is used before university A or an?
It’s “a university!” Use the article “a” before the sound of a consonant. The word “university” starts with the vowel “u” but the first letter is pronounced like a “y.” Therefore, you treat the word as if it starts with a consonant.
Is it an or a university?
“University” is a singular countable noun. Although it begins with a vowel, the first sound of the word is /j/ or “y.” Thus, “a” instead of “an” is used.
Is an used before useful?
A) An : ‘An’ is an indefinite article used before words starting with vowels. Though the word ‘useful’ starts with a vowel ‘u’ but its sound is that of a consonant. … Though the word ‘useful’ starts with a vowel ‘u’ but its sound is that of a consonant. Therefore, this is the correct option.
Is it an hour or a hour?
You should say, ‘an hour’ (because hour begins with a vowel sound) and ‘a history’ (because history begins with a consonant sound). You should say ‘a union’ even if union begins with a ‘u’. This is because the pronunciation begins with ‘yu’, a consonant sound.
Why is a used before university?
So, although the letter is a vowel, it is not pronounced like one in ‘university’ because it does not have a vowel sound. We therefore say ‘a university’. The U in umbrella is pronounced as a vowel sound ( Λ using the phonetic alphabet) and so we use ‘an’.
Why can’t we say university?
The U in university is pronounced with a long ‘u’ sound which sounds like ‘yew’ and is written as j in the phonetic alphabet. So, although the letter is a vowel, it is not pronounced like one in ‘university’ because it does not have a vowel sound. We therefore say ‘a university’.
Is it a honest or an honest?
An honest is correct… the word honest starts with a vowel sound, since the letter “h” is not pronounced in this situation. It happens with other words that start with “h”. Honest Honor Hour Hope this helps!!
Is it a year or an year?
The word year when pronounced starts with a phonetic sound of e which is a vowel sound making it eligible for being preceded by an. Yet, we tend to write a year.
Why don’t we say an useful?
Answer: A useful. Although U is a vowel, the pronunciation of useful begins with a Y sound (yoos-ful) which is a consonant sound. … For a simple word like secure, you should use a secure, since its pronunciation begins with an S consonant sound.
Is it an useless or a useless?
of no use; not serving the purpose or any purpose; unavailing or futile: It is useless to reason with him. without useful qualities; of no practical good: a useless person; a useless gadget.
Do you use a or an before uniform?
Therefore, because uniform is pronounced with a “y” sound (/ˈjuːnɪfɔːm/), which is not a vowel sound, it takes an a before it. I would use “a uniform”, because uniform, although it is spelled with an initial vowel, is pronounced as beginning with a “y” sound.
WHEN TO SAY A or an?
If the word begins with a consonant sound you would use a, such as “a dog” and “a balloon,” as well as “a one” and “a unicorn.” If the word begins with a vowel sound, use an, such as in “an honorable man,” and with spoken acronyms like “an FBI agent.” Words like historic, with a pronounced “H,” can use either a or an.
What is difference between a and an?
To determine if you should use ‘a’ or ‘an’ before a word, you need to listen to the sound the word begins with. Use ‘a’ if the word begins with a consonant sound and use ‘an’ if the word begins with a vowel sound. Below are some examples.
Do you always use an before a vowel?
The rule is: Use an before a word beginning with a vowel sound (not letter). It doesn’t matter how the word is spelled. … Use a before a word with a consonant sound as well as y and w sounds. Which means it is not unusual to find a before a word starting with a vowel or an before a word starting with a consonant.