Editor's Corner

Greetings, folks. I was recently asked about articles (a, an, the)—how to use them, when to use them, even how to pronounce them. So I thought I’d go over the basic grammar rules. Want to come along with me on this journey? Let’s go.

There are two kinds of articles: indefinite articles (a and an) indicate that a noun refers to something unspecific or general and the definite article (the) indicates that a noun refers to something specific.

We’ll start with indefinite articles. Here are some examples:

• Would you please hand me a book? (any book)
• I would love an appetizer. (any appetizer)

When do we use a and when do we use an? Good question—one I’ve been asked a few times recently. We use a before a word that starts with a consonant sound:

• a bird
• a catapult
• a lovely day
• a unicorn

And we use an before a word that starts with a vowel sound:

• an airplane
• an energetic hummingbird
• an FBI agent

Note that it’s the sound of the following word, not the letter it begins with, that determines whether we use a or an. That’s what seems to be confusing folks. Even though FBI starts with the consonant F, we would say an FBI agent because the letter F is pronounced eff—and that’s a vowel sound. On the other hand, we would say a unicorn because unicorn starts with a hard U sound (you-nicorn).Compare that to the word umpire, which starts with a soft U sound (uhm-pire). We would use an when referring to an umpire.

If you’re still on board, let’s move on to the definite article the, whichdenotes something specific as shown in these examples:

• Would you please hand me the book about artificial intelligence? (a specific book)
• I would love one of the vegetarian appetizers. (a specific type of appetizer)

Although the is the only definite article, many of us do pronounce it differently depending on the sound of the first letter of the word that follows it. Most of us say thuh (like duh) before any word that begins with a consonant sound:

• the meeting
• the conflict
• the zoo

However, many of us say thee before any word that begins with a vowel sound:

• the elevator
• the apple
• the umbrella

That’s it. You are now a definite and indefinite article expert. It probably won’t get you a pay increase, but it might lead people to think of you as a supercilious nuisance. That’s got to count for something.

Donna Bradley Burcher |Technical Editor, Advisory | jack henry™

Pronouns she/her/hers

9660 Granite Ridge Drive, San Diego CA 92123

Symitar Documentation Services

About Editor’s Corner

Editor’s Corner keeps your communication skills sharp by providing information on grammar, punctuation, JHA style, and all things English. As editors, we spend our days reading, researching, and revising other people’s writing. We love to spend a few extra minutes to share what we learn with you and keep it fun while we’re doing it.

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