"a x" or "an x"?

Soontir C'boath · Post by **Soontir C'boath** » 2004-01-03 08:54pm

Though X is not a vowel, do you find yourself saying "an" before it? I just found out, that I would say it as "an x-ray" or "an x-rated movie." Is it just like the word hour? Even, then it's just one letter as oppose to "hour" being the only word. Or is it all just me?:lol:~Jason

The Cleric · Post by **The Cleric** » 2004-01-03 08:56pm

It's "an" because "X" is prounounced "ex".

Soontir C'boath · Post by **Soontir C'boath** » 2004-01-03 09:15pm

Ehhhhhhhhh, exile. eX-ray, eXeXeX rated. Whoever took out the e is a buffoon then.

~Jason

Montcalm · Post by **Montcalm** » 2004-01-03 09:18pm

If they say an ex rated movie does it mean its not rated anymore

phongn · Post by **phongn** » 2004-01-03 09:41pm

If the word after is pronounced like it has a vowel in front of it, then you use "an."

Examples:
An F-15
A B-52

Asst. Asst. Lt. Cmdr. Smi · Post by **Asst. Asst. Lt. Cmdr. Smi** » 2004-01-03 10:04pm

What everyone else said. If you pronounce a consonant, or some words as if there was a vowel in the beginning, then you treat it as a word beginning with a vowel, and put "an" before it.

Hethrir · Post by **Hethrir** » 2004-01-03 10:39pm

Also Acronyms and silent letters with the next being a vowel have "An" infront. 'An honest answer...' 'I played an RPG last night...'

Post by **Rob Wilson** » 2004-01-03 11:21pm

Double post, can a Mod delete this one please. Cheers

Post by **Rob Wilson** » 2004-01-03 11:21pm

Basically it comes down to pronunciation. if it is the ecks 'x' sound, as in 'x-rated' then you use 'an'. If however it is the zuh 'X' sund as in 'Xylophone' or 'Xerox' then you use 'a'. The pronunciation of one sound begins with a vowel, the other with a consonant.

So in Phongs example you use An F-15 because the 'F' at the beginning is pronounced with the eff sound. You use A B-52 because the 'B' at the beginning has the 'bee' sound.

Has that cleared it up for you?

Soontir C'boath · Post by **Soontir C'boath** » 2004-01-03 11:24pm

Yes it is all cleared up, thank you all. Now I wonder about the toddler who'll ask his teacher about it sooner or later.

~Jason

Post by **Rob Wilson** » 2004-01-03 11:31pm

Hethrir wrote:Also Acronyms and silent letters with the next being a vowel have "An" infront. 'An honest answer...' 'I played an RPG last night...'

You're incorrect on the Acronyms. It's only if the first letter of the Acronym is pronounced as a vowel that they get 'an' in front of them (in your example 'R' pronounced 'arr'). For instance it is 'a' CIA agent, but 'an' FBI agent, simply because of the pronounciation. The same for silent letters, if the word is pronounced as starting with a vowel then it gets 'An'.

There's no need to complicate beyond pronounciation as that's all that governs it.