An Angry Man, Again

When choosing whether to use the article a or an, look to the word that immediately follows the article. If that word begins with a consonant sound, use a. If that word begins with a vowel sound, use an. Some writers haven’t gotten the memo. I’ve shared a/an mix-ups here, here and here. They’re everywhere. I’d say they’re as common as Wang listings in a Chinese phone book. I’m sharing a four-pack of a/an absurdity today.

                         
                         

These four make me want to utter a four-letter word. I won’t. Actually, I will. T-E-S-T. I have created a test for my readers. If you are an English-speaking person, it should be easy to pick the correct articles. I am a tough teacher, and you must go 10 for 10 to get an A. Let’s begin. (The answers are below.)

1. I am [a/an] writer. (Hint: Writer begins with a consonant sound.)

2. I am [a/an] editor. (Hint: Editor begins with a vowel sound.)

3. This is [a/an] historic day. (Hint: The h is pronounced.)

4. When asked, he provided [a/an] honest answer. (Hint: The h is silent.)

5. The town held [a/an] 1870s celebration to commemorate Albert Einstein’s birth. (Hint: The word that immediately follows the article begins with a vowel sound.)

6. The Rubik’s Cube was [a/an] 1980s fad. (Hint: The word that immediately follows the article begins with a consonant sound.)

7. The owners made [a/an] unfair offer. (Hint: Unfair begins with a vowel sound.)

8. The players made [a/an] unilateral decision to reject the deal. (Hint: Unilateral starts with a vowel but sounds like it starts with you.)

9. I purchased [a/an] DVD at the tag sale. (Hint: DVD begins with a d and sounds like it begins with a d.)

10. Philadelphia has [a/an] NBA team that hasn’t won a championship in more than 30 years. (Hint: NBA begins with an n but sounds like it begins with an e.)

Answers: 1. a; 2. an; 3. a; 4. an; 5. an; 6. a; 7. an; 8. a; 9. a; 10. an