Keeping chin on cue.

[j6uk]

To much time at the front of the class, not bothering to look around

But it's not surprising that many people get this rule wrong, nobody seems to understand what it actually is.

For anyone interested. The simple version of the rule is, that if the sound of the following word is a vowel sound (not including 'y' btw) then you use "an". The rule is specifically to make the language flow more naturally by preventing vowel sounds occurring next to each other.

What causes confusion is then words with a silent first letter like heir, or honour. The correct usage is "an heir" and "an honour".

The most common mistake I hear is made by news presenters saying "an horrific".

However.. some accents, particularly in the UK, make the first letter of words silent when it would not normally be silent, for example horrific is sometimes pronounced "orrific", and then using "an" would actually be perfectly correct

[j6uk]

How old are you? Kinda thing my little girl would come out with

Hmmm...that would be 'an' instrument

Terry

[nrage]

How old are you? Kinda thing my little girl would come out with

If she knows the difference between a/an then she's doing better than most adults

[j6uk]

no doubt she takes after her mum

If she knows the difference between a/an then she's doing better than most adults

[itsnoteasy]

Nothing wrong with a bit of education then you could write good like wot I does.

[j6uk]

Don't worry, its better to know what your saying and have the odd selling mistake than, articulately write loads and not knowing wtf your talking about

Nothing wrong with a bit of education then you could write good like wot I does.

[nrage]

Don't worry, its better to know what your saying and have the odd selling mistake than, articulately write loads and not knowing wtf your talking about

True, true, but if no-one else can understand what you're saying.. that kinda defeats the point of saying it, right?

[archalf1471]

Keeping chin on cue.

and at what point did this become the English language forum? lol.

[itsnoteasy]

and at what point did this become the English language forum? lol.

I know this is just a laugh, but I would hate someone thinking they couldn't post because of poor grammar or spelling, it's what you have to say that's important to me not how you spell it.

[j6uk]

I don't know what your talking about

True, true, but if no-one else can understand what you're saying.. that kinda defeats the point of saying it, right?

[throtts]

I don't know what your talking about

Now now, boys. You guys really need to go out and get jobs..

[Terry Davidson]

I have to admit I see some posts where it is difficult to work out what the poster is actually trying to say. I helps if the language is somewhere near proper English

Terry

[j6uk]

He's at work

Now now, boys. You guys really need to go out and get jobs..

[Terry Davidson]

throtts:

I have an excuse as I'm retired and from what it looks like I have nothing better to do (outside of those tasks 'she who must be obeyed' assigns me).

Terry

[nrage]

I know this is just a laugh, but I would hate someone thinking they couldn't post because of poor grammar or spelling, it's what you have to say that's important to me not how you spell it.

I hope no one is saying the cannot or should not post. Just that, self evidently, that if they don't make themselves clear, they may no be understood. It goes both ways, I know that occasionally I use words which are not commonly used/understood - this makes for bad communication as much as poor spelling/grammar.