A, An, And How to Choose the Right Word

A and an are indefinite articles that precede nouns or the adjectives modifying nouns. In English grammar, a and an are determiners, meaning they specify the identity or quantity of something, and for both words, that quantity is one—the word from which theyre derived. Really, the only thing that sets this pair apart is the pronunciation of the first sound of the word that follows them.  Its pretty simple, except when it isnt—but well get to that. And, on the other hand, is a coordinating conjunction thats used to join words, phrases, and clauses—which is another thing altogether, so well save and for last. OK? How to Use A A is an indefinite article thats used before a noun or adjective that starts with a consonant sound—even if the first letter of the noun or adjective is a vowel. How to Use An An is an indefinite article that precedes a noun or an adjective that begins with a vowel sound—even if the first letter of that noun or adjective is a consonant. Examples A and an are two forms of the same word, so you really cant confuse their meaning. Just remember, choosing the right article is all about the first sound, not the first letter of the noun or adjective that follows the article. An elephant crashed through a fence.She has a high-pitched voice and an annoying habit of using it.I sat at a table and ate an apple.It was an honor to meet a military veteran. When Using A or  An Can Get Confusing, Part 1 Some words that begin with vowels actually sound like consonants, and vice-versa. Words that begin with the letter u are a bit of a challenge. When u is pronounced you, as in ukelele, its preceded by a because you starts with a consonant sound (y). He played a ukelele in the band.She wore a uniform.I met a unicorn. When u is pronounced uh, as in umbrella, or ew as in tuber, it takes an because uh and ew are vowel sounds. We had an understanding.That was an unconventional strategy.I called an Uber. When Using A or  An Can Get Confusing, Part 2 Some words that start with the letter h begin with a vowel sound, while others begin with a consonant sound—but as long as you know how the words are pronounced, choosing the correct article shouldnt be a problem because the same rules apply. Words in which you pronounce the initial h as a consonant, including habitat, hospital, and horoscope, are preceded by a—a habitat, a hospital, a horoscope.Words in which the initial h is dropped, including hour, honor, and hors doeuvre (making the vowel the first sound you hear) are preceded by an—an hour, an honor, an hors doeuvre. Another point of confusion is which article to use for all the history words: historian, historic, historical (and a few others like hysterical). The current common consensus is that since you pronounce the h, the correct usage would be: I was accosted by a hysterical historian in a historic district of Boston. Of course, youre still going to hear some folks say things like, It was an historic day for all concerned. There are two reasons for this: The person speaking might be from Great Britain. In some instances of British English, as opposed to American English, the h sound is dropped, making an acceptable. The other reason you might hear it is due to an affectation. The person speaking may be attempting to sound like someone of elevated social status. People who do this also tend to pronounce the silent t in often because they think it makes them sound classy. This practice is something to be avoided—except perhaps in a Monty Python sketch. Using A and An With Abbreviations According to Theodore M. Bernstein, author of The Careful Writer: A Modern Guide to English Usage, one last bastion of confusion in the a vs. an conundrum rears its ugly head when abbreviations crop up: Do you write, He received a M.A. degree or an M.A. degree? Do you write, a N.Y. Central spokesman or an N.Y. Central spokesman? Once again, the test is pronunciation. M.A. registers with most people as alphabetical letters, not as Master of Arts; hence, an M.A. degree is proper. On the other hand, N.Y. Central is instantly translated by the mind into New York Central; it would not be read as En Wye Central. Therefore, a N.Y. Central spokesman is proper. How to Remember the Difference Between A and An When in doubt, sound it out! If youre still not sure which article is correct, saying the word or phrase youre having trouble with out loud can help. If youre unsure of the proper pronunciation, most dictionaries offer standard pronunciation guidelines for each entry. If you cant figure out the notations, most online dictionaries also feature an audio function that will give you the correct pronunciation. Just click on the sound icon. When to Use And Although its a common error to type an instead of and or and instead of an (and spellcheck wont always catch it!) theres really no reason to confuse either a or an with and since they serve very different functions in language. Weve already identified a and an as articles. And is a conjunction. It doesnt qualify or quantify things, but rather, it joins them. You can think of and as the plus sign in an addition equation because thats pretty much the grammatical equivalent of what it is. In math class, youd write out 2 2 4, but you might say, two and two are four. The thing between the two factors of the equation ( or and) simply means youre supposed to add them. Either way, it adds up to four. Examples Jane and I are friends.It was a case of apples and oranges.The wound on his hand was ugly and infected. And and And finally, the ampersand—a.k.a. —is a symbol thats interchangeable with the word and in meaning (easily remembered because it has the word and in it), however, there are times and places when using an ampersand is acceptable, and others when its not. Ampersands are great for signage, graphics, and texting. When youre writing any kind of formal document, always use and unless the ampersand is part of a name, title, or quoted phrase. Ben and Jerry were kind enough to send 12 cases of Ben Jerrys Cherry Garcia ice cream to the charity event. Sources Bernstein, Theodore M. The Careful Writer: A Modern Guide to English Usage. Simon Schuster, 1965Is It A Historic Event Or An Historic Event? Lexico Dictionaries | English, Lexico Dictionaries.