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saint_stevo
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It's annoying isn't it?

 

I can't be the only one who feels the need to correct people when they say it wrong, can I?

 

No, i had some training yesterday and our trainer insisted in saying Pacific.

 

I wrote Specific with a heavily bolded 'S' on a piece of paper and held it up.

 

Idiot!

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Which is correct: 'a hotel' or 'an hotel', 'a historian' or 'an historian'? And why is it 'a European' not 'an European'?

 

The form an for the indefinite article is used before a spoken vowel sound, regardless of how the written word is spelt. If you say 'an otel' when speaking (which is now often regarded as distinctly old-fashioned), then it may be appropriate for you to write 'an hotel'; but most people say 'hotel' with a sounded 'h', and should write 'a hotel'.

By contrast, words such as 'honour', 'heir' or 'hour' in which the 'h' sound is dropped are written with 'an'. Americans who drop the 'h' in 'herb' may also prefer to write 'an herb', but in standard British pronunciation the 'h' is sounded, and 'a herb' is therefore correct in writing. Because 'European' is said with an initial 'y' sound, which counts as a consonantal sound in English speech, it is said (and written) with 'a' not 'an'. An abbreviation such as M.P., which is pronounced em pea, begins with a spoken vowel, and so it is 'an M.P.'

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I don't like the americanisation of schedule into shedule. Thats just damn laziness.

 

 

Hmmm. I think you'll find the Americans say Skedule (with the ch pronounced as in School) whilst the CORRECT pronounciation is Shedule with the c being silent.

 

Extremely happy to help.

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Just as bad are people who say 'it's a MUTE point' when they should say 'it's a MOOT point'.

 

Duh.

 

Yeah, that one gets me too. Especially when people believe it to mean a mute point; i.e. something which the people concerned should be quiet about. Rather than moot point, meaning a talking point, or something of possible disagreement to the people concerned and worth talking over.

 

People even say... mood point, whatever that is.

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Guest Dark Sotonic Mills
Don't get me started..! ;)

 

Think I'd better get the mower and strimmer out for a while, otherwise I might be swallowed up by the pedantic side. It's hell in there, you know.

 

cgon304l.jpg

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Which is correct: 'a hotel' or 'an hotel', 'a historian' or 'an historian'? And why is it 'a European' not 'an European'? The form an for the indefinite article is used before a spoken vowel sound, regardless of how the written word is spelt. If you say 'an otel' when speaking (which is now often regarded as distinctly old-fashioned), then it may be appropriate for you to write 'an hotel'; but most people say 'hotel' with a sounded 'h', and should write 'a hotel'.

 

By contrast, words such as 'honour', 'heir' or 'hour' in which the 'h' sound is dropped are written with 'an'. Americans who drop the 'h' in 'herb' may also prefer to write 'an herb', but in standard British pronunciation the 'h' is sounded, and 'a herb' is therefore correct in writing. Because 'European' is said with an initial 'y' sound, which counts as a consonantal sound in English speech, it is said (and written) with 'a' not 'an'. An abbreviation such as M.P., which is pronounced em pea, begins with a spoken vowel, and so it is 'an M.P.'

 

Good stuff. Reminds me that my Dad used to say honour with the aitch sounded out, as in how and hover. It used to drive me mad, but at his age, he'd earned the right to say words however he liked, and he wasn't going to change. He also used to pronounce a few other words with a U.S. slant, particularly new, which he pronounced noo, dual, which he pronounced dool, and a couple of others I can't remember ATM.

 

My cousin has absolutely no connection with the U.S.A., but he has a curious penchant for calling every identifiable part of a car or motorbike by its U.S. label. Every time he mentions one in company, everyone else will chorus the GB label. For example, he might say... the car broke down, so I lifted the hood... we'd all shout BONNET..! He mentioned one the other day about his motorbike. He'd gone around a corner quite smartly and scraped the footpeg.

 

Footrest, I immediately retorted. ;)

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