# Which is correct? "A" or "An" in this sentence... **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 27, 2007, 12:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-is-correct-a-or-an-in-this-sentence/420677 "2007-09-27T12:45:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![RumMunkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b19c9b/32.png) [@RumMunkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RumMunkey)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2007, 12:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-is-correct-a-or-an-in-this-sentence/420677/1 "2007-09-27T12:45:12Z")
“A Heraldic dragon sits atop the Temple Bar monument in London, England” or “An Heraldic dragon sits atop the Temple Bar monument in London, England” I think technically “an” is correct here, but “a” _sounds_ right to me. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2007, 12:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-is-correct-a-or-an-in-this-sentence/420677/2 "2007-09-27T12:50:42Z")
Depends on whether you’re pronouncing the H in ‘Heraldic’ A Heraldic an 'eraldic ---
**Author:** ![RumMunkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b19c9b/32.png) [@RumMunkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RumMunkey)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2007, 12:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-is-correct-a-or-an-in-this-sentence/420677/3 "2007-09-27T12:58:24Z")
[QUOTE=Mangetout] Depends on whether you’re pronouncing the H in ‘Heraldic’ A Heraldic an 'eraldic [/QUOTE] Huh.. pronouncing the H is optional? I always have, but then again I’m Canadian so all bets are off. Thanks. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2007, 1:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-is-correct-a-or-an-in-this-sentence/420677/4 "2007-09-27T13:05:28Z")
En anglais, le “h” est toujours aspiré. Not entirely true (there is “hour”), but in general if you pronounce the “h” it’s “a.” A Heraldic dragon. A history book. A historian (though in the UK, it’s “an” for some reason). ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_T](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Gary\_T](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_T)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2007, 1:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-is-correct-a-or-an-in-this-sentence/420677/5 "2007-09-27T13:21:29Z")
[QUOTE=RealityChuck] A historian (though in the UK, it’s “an” for some reason). [/QUOTE] Not just in the UK, and the reason is what has already been mentioned. To elaborate, in words beginning with “h” that are accented on the second syllable, the initial “h” is often dropped, in which case “an” is used. Google on _“an historical” initial h_ for more info. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2007, 1:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-is-correct-a-or-an-in-this-sentence/420677/6 "2007-09-27T13:25:52Z")
[QUOTE=RealityChuck] En anglais, le “h” est toujours aspiré. Not entirely true (there is “hour”), but in general if you pronounce the “h” it’s “a.” [/QUOTE] And a few others - including honest, honour plus historic and herb (in some dialects). An preceeds a vowel _sound_, not necessarily a word starting with a vowel _letter_. ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2007, 1:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-is-correct-a-or-an-in-this-sentence/420677/7 "2007-09-27T13:26:10Z")
[QUOTE=RumMunkey] Huh.. pronouncing the H is optional? [/QUOTE] Not if you speak English correctly. But there’s a rather alarmingly large number of people who refuse to pronounce H’s at the beginning of a great many words. The technical term for these people is “bloody limeys.” Since “a” and “an” depend entirely on your pronunciation of the upcoming word, there’s no single answer. ---
**Author:** ![Wallenstein](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/b5a626/32.png) [@Wallenstein](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wallenstein)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2007, 1:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-is-correct-a-or-an-in-this-sentence/420677/8 "2007-09-27T13:27:21Z")
[QUOTE=Gary T] Not just in the UK, and the reason is what has already been mentioned. To elaborate, in words beginning with “h” that are accented on the second syllable, the initial “h” is often dropped, in which case “an” is used. Google on _“an historical” initial h_ for more info. [/QUOTE] “An historian” is very rarely used in formal speech - it is simply incorrect. The same applies to “an hotel” or “an historic” too. Some people hold onto it as an affectation, or through mis-information, but it should not be used in normal or formal speech, academic discourse, or journalism. In speech where the initial “h” is dropped you will use “an”, but unless rendering dialogue it should be avoided in written form. ([Guardian style guide: P | Information | The Guardian](http://www.guardian.co.uk/styleguide/page/0,,184838,00.html)) ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2007, 1:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-is-correct-a-or-an-in-this-sentence/420677/9 "2007-09-27T13:36:09Z")
[_An_ is sometimes used when the _H_ is pronounced { **bolding** mine}](http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/an): > [@](#): > > the form of a before an initial vowel sound (an arch; an honor) and sometimes, esp. in British English, before an initial unstressed syllable beginning with a silent or **weakly pronounced h: an historian**. ---
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2007, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-is-correct-a-or-an-in-this-sentence/420677/10 "2007-09-27T14:21:54Z")
What **e-logic** said - don’t believe what you read about us crazy Brits saying “an historian” or “an hotel”. We just don’t. Well, OK, a few crusty types might, but the usage is very rare and becoming rarer. I just pulled up the most recent 10 example of “a/an historian” in a database of UK national newspapers, and only one used “an” (in _The Times_, which is clearly not consist as another threre articles in the same paper used “a”). As an editor, I’d change “an historian” to “a historian” every time. ---
**Author:** ![DSYoungEsq](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c6cbf5/32.png) [@DSYoungEsq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSYoungEsq)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2007, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-is-correct-a-or-an-in-this-sentence/420677/11 "2007-09-27T14:29:24Z")
Why do I have this vision of Audrey Hepburn talking about Hartford, Hereford and Hampshire? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Malacandra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Malacandra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malacandra)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2007, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-is-correct-a-or-an-in-this-sentence/420677/12 "2007-09-27T14:31:37Z")
Isn’t Hartford in Connecticut? ---
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2007, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-is-correct-a-or-an-in-this-sentence/420677/13 "2007-09-27T14:34:30Z")
[QUOTE=Malacandra] Isn’t Hartford in Connecticut? [/QUOTE] Yes. Hertford (pronounced the same, give or take an English accent) is just north of London. ---
**Author:** ![SharkB8](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/977dab/32.png) [@SharkB8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SharkB8)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2007, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-is-correct-a-or-an-in-this-sentence/420677/14 "2007-09-27T15:00:13Z")
How 'bout the pronunciation of the “a”. Either (eyether) AYE like in “fate” or UH, as in “Adonis.” AYE historic landmark may sound better than UH historic landmark. Opposed to what I ofter hear, andprobably say, An 'istoric landmark. Not sure which is which, but if your not gonna drop the H and say “AN” changing your pronunciation of the “A” may feel better. ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_T](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Gary\_T](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_T)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2007, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-is-correct-a-or-an-in-this-sentence/420677/15 "2007-09-27T15:36:04Z")
[QUOTE=e-logic] “An historian” is very rarely used in formal speech - it is simply incorrect. In speech where the initial “h” is dropped you will use “an”, but unless rendering dialogue it should be avoided in written form. [/QUOTE] There is not universal agreement on this. The American Heritage Book of English Usage states "These usages [an historical, an hysterectomy, an hereditary trait] are acceptable in formal writing: [http://www.bartleby.com/64/C003/001.html](http://www.bartleby.com/64/C003/001.html) ---
**Author:** ![Wallenstein](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/b5a626/32.png) [@Wallenstein](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wallenstein)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2007, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-is-correct-a-or-an-in-this-sentence/420677/16 "2007-09-27T16:04:46Z")
[QUOTE=Gary T] There is not universal agreement on this. The American Heritage Book of English Usage states "These usages [an historical, an hysterectomy, an hereditary trait] are acceptable in formal writing: [http://www.bartleby.com/64/C003/001.html](http://www.bartleby.com/64/C003/001.html) [/QUOTE] Well, the Economist suggests in its style guide that: > [@](#): > > "An should be used before a word beginning with a vowel sound (an egg, an umbrella, an MP) or an h if, and only if, the h is silent (an honorary degree). \*\*Historical is an exception: it is preceded by an, the h remaining silent. \*\* " And The Times goes with: > [@](#): > > "a, an use a before all words beginning with a vowel or diphthong with the sound of u (as in unit) — a eulogy, a European etc; but use an before unaspirated h — an heir, an honest woman, an honour; \*\*also, prefer an hotel to a hotel, an historic to a historic, an heroic rather than a heroic \*\* " … so it does appear that opinion is split. I can only offer my experience as a native Britain - when I studied for a post-grad Literature degree at Cambridge Uni in 2001, we would never have written “an historic” or “an hotel”, and this usage will mark you out as slightly archaic / pompous (IMHO). However, it’s clearly not as officially frowned upon as I thought! ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2007, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-is-correct-a-or-an-in-this-sentence/420677/17 "2007-09-27T16:30:02Z")
[QUOTE=e-logic] “An historian” is very rarely used in formal speech - it is simply incorrect. The same applies to “an hotel” or “an historic” too. Some people hold onto it as an affectation, or through mis-information, but it should not be used in normal or formal speech, academic discourse, or journalism. [/quote] We debated some issues like this [recently](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=428766). Saying that something is “simply incorrect” is a dicey enough proposition at the best of times when we’re talking about usage, and your own citations, and those of **Gary T** , show that there’s far from universal agreement on this issue. I’ll say here what i said in the other thread: English usage guides, like the third edition of _Fowler’s Modern English Usage_ (ed. R.W. Burchfield) recommend “an historical.” American usage guides, like Bryan Garner’s _Dictionary of Modern American Usage_, says that: > [@](#): > > The traditional rule is that if the _h-_ is sounded, _a_ is the proper form. Most people following that rule would say _a historian_ and _a historic_. > > \ > > The theory behind using _an_ in such a context, however, is that the _h-_ is very weak when the accent is on the second rather than the first syllable (giving rise, by analogy, to _an habitual offender, an humanitarian, an hallucinatory image_, and _an harassed schoolteacher_). Thus no authority countenances _an history_, though a few older ones prefer _an historian_ and _an historical._ > > Today, however, _an hypothesis_ and \*an historical \*are likely to strike readers and listeners as affectations…_An_ humanitarian is, judged even by the most tolerant standards, a pretentious humanitarian. Even more interestingly, Garner notes that the 1926 edition of _Fowler’s Modern English Usage_, written by Fowler himself, “advocated _a_ before _historic(al)_ and _humble_.” It seems that the current preference for an in _Fowler’s_ is the new editor, Burchfield’s, contribution to the volume. [QUOTE=e-logic] In speech where the initial “h” is dropped you will use “an”, but unless rendering dialogue it should be avoided in written form. [/QUOTE] Huh? So, if you’re talking, you say “I will wait for an hour,” but if you’re writing about someone, you write “He waited for a hour”? That’s something i’ve never heard of in my life. ---
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2007, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-is-correct-a-or-an-in-this-sentence/420677/18 "2007-09-27T16:45:18Z")
> [@](#): > > The theory behind using an in such a context, however, is that the h- is very weak when the accent is on the second rather than the first syllable (giving rise, by analogy, to an habitual offender, an humanitarian, an hallucinatory image, and an harassed schoolteacher). Thus no authority countenances an history, though a few older ones prefer an historian and an historical. That’s odd - I now realise that I would naturally say “an habitual”, but not any of the others. Maybe the influence of the opening credits of _Porridge_! I do find it odd that _Fowler_ would give credence to “an harassed schoolteacher”, as that seems to indicate that he favoured the American pronunciation of “harassed”, with the stress on the second syllable. AFAIK, the usual British pronunciation has always had the stress on the first syllable, though the American pronunciation has gained ground in recent years. ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2007, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-is-correct-a-or-an-in-this-sentence/420677/19 "2007-09-27T16:47:39Z")
[QUOTE=Colophon] That’s odd - I now realise that I would naturally say “an habitual”, but not any of the others. Maybe the influence of the opening credits of _Porridge_! I do find it odd that _Fowler_ would give credence to “an harassed schoolteacher”, as that seems to indicate that he favoured the American pronunciation of “harassed”, with the stress on the second syllable. AFAIK, the usual British pronunciation has always had the stress on the first syllable, though the American pronunciation has gained ground in recent years. [/QUOTE] You misread my post. The quotation is not from Fowler, but from Bryan Garner’s _Dictionary of Modern American Usage_. ---
**Author:** ![Jodi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/7feea3/32.png) [@Jodi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jodi)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2007, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-is-correct-a-or-an-in-this-sentence/420677/20 "2007-09-27T17:12:05Z")
[QUOTE=e-logic] “An historian” is very rarely used in formal speech - it is simply incorrect. [/quote] Some people say things like “an historian” or “an heraldic symbol” because it is difficult to pronounce the “H” between the article and the word, because there’s no opportuntity to expel the puff of air that equates to “pronouncing the H”. Therefore when spoken, at least in rapid American English, it _does_ sound like “a 'istorian” or “a 'eraldic symbol” That’s because without the opportunity in the flow of speech to add the “H” puff, the words elide together and “I’ll ask a historian” sounds like “I’ll ask Astorian” and “It’s a heraldic symbol” sounds like “It’s Araldic symbol” People don’t say “a apple” or “a incident” for the same reason: the article and the subject get slurred together. To maintain the independence of the article from the subject, some people automatically employ the rule they’ve been taught since early childhood for words beginning with a vowel, and switch the article in “a 'istorian” or “a 'eraldic symbol” from “a” to “an.” Thus, this is not always an “affectation,” neither is it done from “misinformation” and you probably do speakers a disservice by assuming those reasons, as opposed that it is something that is subconsciously done. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-is-correct-a-or-an-in-this-sentence/420677.md?page=2)