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quick question about grammar...!

Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
in General Chat
I'm getting myself confused... is it "an X-ray" or "a X-ray"? Neither sounds right to me!
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    An??? Well... that sounds better when you say it at least...
    Xx
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    well i though an sounded a bit better but written down it looks the same and well, X isn't a vowel. Maybe it's an exception...

    Speedy reply btw!
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Im sure it's an. :)
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I think its 'an' because when you say X, you pronounce it 'ex', and words beginning with vowels have 'an' before them
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    The way you pronounce it.. it's an "ex ray", therefore the word is "an".

    I've got an iPod.
    It's an HP printer. ("an ache pee printer")
    He's an MC. ("he's an em see")
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    purpledhaze wrote: »
    Speedy reply btw!

    It was a matter of urgancy :lol:

    And, I never knew that rule that everyones posted! Does that apply for everything in English? Or is it just another of those "I before E except after C" rules that hardly ever work...
    Xx
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Thank you!!! :D
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    purpledhaze wrote: »
    well i though an sounded a bit better but written down it looks the same and well, X isn't a vowel. Maybe it's an exception...

    Speedy reply btw!
    EDIT: 'kay, fixed.
    :D And it's absolutely "an" X-ray.
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Broken-Angel wrote: »
    It was a matter of urgancy :lol:

    And, I never knew that rule that everyones posted! Does that apply for everything in English? Or is it just another of those "I before E except after C" rules that hardly ever work...
    Xx

    yeah one of those. If a word starts with A,E,I,O or U it's "an". There are a few exceptions. Like "it's an honour" and "an x-ray" apparently :)
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Broken-Angel wrote: »
    It was a matter of urgancy :lol:

    And, I never knew that rule that everyones posted! Does that apply for everything in English? Or is it just another of those "I before E except after C" rules that hardly ever work...
    Xx
    When it comes to a/an it's all about pronunciation. If you pronounce "herb" with a silent H it's an herb - but if your accent dictates that it starts with an "h" sound, it's a herb. It allows for smoothness of speaking - "an cat" or "a X-ray" would require an unnecessary pause, whereas "a cat" or "an X-ray" can be said quickly. So it's not about the letter, it's about the letter sound.
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    purpledhaze wrote: »
    yeah one of those. If a word starts with A,E,I,O or U it's "an". There are a few exceptions. Like "it's an honour" and "an x-ray" apparently :)

    Because of the way you pronounce them, 'honour' sounds like 'onour', vowel sound, so its 'an' and the same with 'ex' - ray :)
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I always think of "in a nurry" - if the word really were "nurry" that would be right, but as "hurry" it's still pronounced the same. You just fix it so it's always A and then a consonant sound.
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Haha, I've never understood these rules... I've got a very strong Nottingham/London accent (Dads from Notts, Mums from London) and I speak in slag a lot! Never botherd paying attention to grammer.
    Xx
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Language is by its very nature supposed to be easy to speak - usually what "sounds right," is.
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    SteelWool wrote: »
    Language is by its very nature supposed to be easy to speak - usually what "sounds right," is.

    Well, that's not quite true otherwise languages wouldn't have grammar - and you wouldn't have words like 'floccinaucinihilipilification'. ;)
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    :lol: I'm not really referring to made-up or recently-imported words though, I mean the little basic parts of a sentence like a/an, me/I, even who/whom to a degree. If you've learned a reasonable amount of the language, much of spoken grammar is intuitive if you don't get bogged down in "rules." Writing gets tricky.
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Teagan wrote: »
    like 'floccinaucinihilipilification'. ;)

    Ohh I can say the other one as well.. the longest one.. It means lung cancer or something
    Xx
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    On the subject of rules, I get annoyed by things like, people insisting you always have to use "[noun] and I." It's simple enough to check a sentence - take away "[noun] and" and see if it sounds right.
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Yes, it's 'AN x-ray'.

    As has been said by someone (Lexi, i think?) it's 'an' before a silent consonant preceding a vowel, or a vowel sound.

    So 'A HP printer', 'A herb' (UK only) and 'A hurry', as none of these have a silent h ;)
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Kaff wrote: »
    Yes, it's 'AN x-ray'.

    As has been said by someone (Lexi, i think?) it's 'an' before a silent consonant preceding a vowel, or a vowel sound.

    So 'A HP printer', 'A herb' (UK only) and 'A hurry', as none of these have a silent h ;)
    Well, the H in "HP" isn't a "huh" sound, it's an "aych" sound, but otherwise agreed. 8)
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    SteelWool wrote: »
    Well, the H in "HP" isn't a "huh" sound, it's an "aych" sound, but otherwise agreed. 8)

    Well I'm northern and common, so it's a haitch sound to me ;)
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Same kaff! Thats why I get confused...
    Xx
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    The grammar pedants among us will be happy to know I googled the HP issue, and in fact both 'a HP' and 'an HP' are correct.

    When deciding whether to use an or a before an acronym, you can either verbalise the first letter of it, or the first word as it would be written out in full.

    So we can all sleep soundly tonight :thumb:
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Teacher: Is you mum in?
    Student: She ain't in.
    Teacher: Where's your grammar?
    Student: She ain't in either.

    :-)
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    so who here says aitch and who says haitch then?

    I use both.
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    nicebutdim23 wrote: »
    so who here says aitch and who says haitch then?

    I use both.

    I think i use both too :S
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Kaff wrote: »
    Well I'm northern and common, so it's a haitch sound to me ;)
    'Kay, I only know the particulars of accents from around where I live. ;)

    And like I said, if the pronunciation varies regionally then the a/an ought to vary as well. Otherwise it just sounds weird. :D
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    a lemon is spelt with an L
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    It absolutely is.
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Kaff wrote: »
    Yes, it's 'AN x-ray'.

    As has been said by someone (Lexi, i think?) it's 'an' before a silent consonant preceding a vowel, or a vowel sound.

    So 'A HP printer', 'A herb' (UK only) and 'A hurry', as none of these have a silent h ;)
    So why is it 'an historian' then, Ms. Grammar Expert :p? Because even though that's got an 'i' after the h, you do actually say the h. Unless you're particularly common, but even you aren't that bad ;).
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