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i always thought that 'an' preceeds a noun begining with a vowel, but more and more i read 'an' where the word begins with a(an?) 'h'.
where do you stand on this?
It's correct. I have no idea where the rule comes from.
eh? 😕
have never been very good with punctuation. 😳
It's true, but it's the sound of the word that matters.
If it [i]sounds[/i] like it starts with a vowel then you use "an" before it.
Hence "an 'our" and "an 'istorian"
-- [url= http://www.chambersharrap.co.uk/chambers/features/chref/chref.py/main?query=an ]Chambers UK[/url][b]a[/b] (used before a consonant or consonant sound, eg [i]a boy, a one[/i]) or (used before a vowel or vowel sound, eg [i]an egg, an hour[/i]) [b]an[/b], [b][i]indefinite article[/i][/b]
It would be an honour for me to answer this.
It's all about silent Hs. Except that some people think it sounds upper class to say "an hotel". Which is as sick making as calling your bike or car "she".
More and more? I thought it was dying out.
I think that it's restricted to words in which the H isn't pronounced, like "Hour", or where the transition from H (aspirant) to the next vowel would make pronunciation difficult.
Hotel was originally a French word, so in theory the H wasn't pronounced,so an.. was correct. The Guardian style guide now says: a hotel not "an"
Moreover:
[url= http://www.guardian.co.uk/styleguide/a ]Style GUide[/url]
a or an?
Use an before a silent H: an hour, an heir, an honourable man, an honest woman; a hero, a hotel, a historian (but don't change a direct quote if the speaker says, for example, "an historic"). With abbreviations, be guided by pronunciation: eg an LSE student