I think I thought of something...
...dumb enough to write to Dear Abby about. How's this for a problem:
Dear Abby,
My sister and I have been arguing over something for 20 years. I say that when you're writing a word that starts with a "U", you should use the word "an" first as in, "I bought an uniform." My sister says that you should write it like you say it, "I bought a uniform." I think she's totally wrong and that "an" should be used whenever you use a word that begins with a vowel, even a "U". What do you think?
Meg
Alrighty then. That ought to keep her busy.
Meg
PS In a fake argument with my sister I will always be right. Sorry girl.
I thought the same thing, but it doesnt sound right, so i did a google and although i dont actually understand what they are talking about your sister could be correct
ReplyDeletean US Marshal
That's wrong. The letter 'u' is pronounced here like 'y' with no preceding vowel. It is not pronounced as a vowel, and words starting with the 'y' sound should have 'a' in front
an unanimous
That's wrong. The letter 'u' is pronounced here like 'y' with no preceding vowel. It is not pronounced as a vowel, and words starting with the 'y' sound should have 'a' in front.
I am still confused but I hope it helps LOL
oo yahoo was a help too
ReplyDeleteWhy do we use "a uniform","a university",not "an uniform","an university"
Best Answer - Chosen by Asker
Good question. It's because of the consonant sound that the vowel "u" makes in both words ("yu", consonant sound of "y-"). You already know the rule for articles that preceed a word - use "a" if the word starts with a consonant (or consonant sound), and "an" if the following word begins with a vowel or womel sound.
That's why. English is bizarre.