Diction: a and an Mini-lesson #62 From the UWF Writing Lab’s 101 Grammar Mini-Lessons Series

The Article a and an are often misused. Usage depends on sound. Use a before words or letters with an initial consonant sound. a federal agenta historical occasion Use an before words or letters with an initial vowel sound. an FBI agentan honorary doctorate degree

a n b o c p d q e r f s g t h u I v j w k x l y m z “May I have (a, an), please.” an aan a aanan a an a a a an an a

Examples Both the words “university” and “umpire” begin with the vowel “u.” But when we pronounce the words, they have different initial sounds. “University” begins with the consonant sound “yu,” while “umpire” begins with the vowel sound “uh.” Therefore we say “a university” and “an umpire.”

Practice a/ an historian a/ an official document a/ an honors class a/ an unusual occurrence a/ an usual occurrence a/an MBA degree a/an one-million dollar lottery winner

Practice a/ an historian a/ an official document a/ an honors class a/ an unusual occurrence a/ an usual occurrence a/an MBA degree a/an one-million dollar lottery winner