Q&A for How to Use "A" and "An" Correctly

Use "an" before MS. For example, "An MS patient may have a shorter lifespan than someone without the disease."

When you say something like "a five-gallon bucket" or "an eleven-piece band", you follow the same rules as outlined in the article.

Yes, that is correct.

It depends on the how the acronym is pronounced. If the acronym was MRI, then you would say "an MRI". That is because the phrase would look like this when sounded out "an em-arr-eye". The sound matters more than the spelling of the word or acronym.

The correct answer is: An awesome husband. Or, a husband who is awesome.

According to both British and American English sources, the correct usage should be "a historic event" because we pronounce the "h". Apparently people used to say "an istoric event", losing the "h", in the 18th and 19th centuries. But with the passage of time, the "h" sound has won out, and thus, the article should be "a historic". However, you still understand what is being said, so don't get hung up on worrying about it -- enjoy the great speech for its whole, not the grammar trip-ups!

"A" and "an" are articles, more specifically "indefinite" articles.

The answer is "a" European man.

A, because the next sound spoken is the sound of a "w" (in the word "one").

"A" and "an" follow a special rule where the word immediately after it is what determines which one you use, not the subject. You would say "an untidy room" or "a room," but not "a untidy room."

It is "an R&D" project. This refers to how the "R" is pronounced, which sounds like "ah", which is a vowel sound.

If there is a vowel at the start at the next letter, then put an "an" in front of the next word. If the next word starts with a consonant at the begining of the next letter, then put an "a" before the word. So it should be "an email."

"An."

Present tense: I, we, you, they do; he, she, it does. Past tense: I, we, you, he, she, it, they did.

You would use "an NPS score" as the letter N sounds like it starts with a vowel, like "en".

It would be "an STG assignment" as the letter S sounds like it starts with a vowel, like "ess".

When speaking you would use "an." When writing you could justify using either "a" or "an."

"A year." The "y" sound at the beginning of "year" is considered a consonant sound, and pretty much any word that starts with "y" uses that sound. "Y" is only a vowel when it sounds like "i," which usually happens at the end of a word, not the beginning (e.g., "any", "only").

Yes. For example, "Can I have a book, please?" If you are unsure of which to use, say both sentences out loud, and choose which one sounds right. For example, "I rode on an elephant," will sound better out loud than "I rode on a elephant."

Yes.

Say he "has great potential."

Yes.

In speaking, it's much easier to say "an R" than "a R." They're writing it the way they say it.

It's justified because the first sound pronounced in the word "honest" is the short "o" sound. It's the same as if you were saying "an awesome man."

Write it the way you speak it: "a."

When we say the name of the letter "s," the first sound we pronounce is a short "e." Therefore, we would precede it with "an," just as we would say "an elephant" rather than "a elephant."

"A European champion" because European is pronounced "YOU-RO-PEE-AN."

"An," because the next sound is a vowel sound.

Being countable is not the issue. The initial sound in the following word is the issue. An unconscious state or a lifestyle can be considered a single entity and thus can be preceded by "a" or "an."

"A" and "an" are known as "indefinite articles." Use "an" in place of "a" when it precedes a word that begins with a vowel sound (such as "apple," "other" or "elephant").