just had a text from d cameron is it correct to say a historic day? or is it an

[ceasar]

[craft1948]

I'd have thought 'an'................

[craft1948]

but apparently I'm wrong................

. . . When the aitch (h) is silent, as in honor and hour, use the article an. When the aitch is pronounced, as in house, hamburger, history, and historical, use the article a. (33)

[jno]

well, yes, craft, but some people don't pronounce the H in historic (though they always do with history), so I guess they have reason to say a nistoric. But I say a historic. I also say a hotel but some people give that a silent H too. So I think this is borderline, with no one correct answer.

[Quizmonkey]

You're both simplifying quite a complicated and historic grammatical issue here, involving primary and secondary stress on syllables, French etymology etc. It's been answered many times on this site - best to search or Google it.

[mollykins]

i never knew you used 'an' when the next consonont is silent. i always do vowels with an 'an' and consononts with an 'a'

[mollykins]

so caesar, or is it an what . . . wind-up, con, scam, joke, serious?

[jno]

people don't pay a lot of attention to French etymology when they talk, Quizmonkey, at least not in my presence. All the ones I know who say 'an' do so simply because they say istoric or otel and the N performs its customary function of separating vowel sounds.

[B00]

Hang on....sod the A and an debate a second...no one intrigued how ceasar got a text from David Cameron??

[jno]

true, all I've had is daily letters from a LibDem, nothing from anyone else. The LibDems thought it was A historic day.

[LoftyLottie]

I say 'an historic day'.


I had to say it outloud to find out what I say!!