01-19-2011, 04:53 PM
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#1
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Franchise Player
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: CGY
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Grammar Question
"I drove a Subaru Impreza for six years until I had to turn it in for a SUV."
Or,
"I drove a Subaru Impreza for six years until I had to turn it in for an SUV."
In regard to the use of "a" or "an" next to a acronym, do we go with what sounds best vocalizing the acronym itself or instead remain true to the full meaning of the acronym?
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01-19-2011, 04:55 PM
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#2
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Franchise Player
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: Victoria, BC
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Half an hour.
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01-19-2011, 04:56 PM
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#3
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Franchise Player
Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: Calgary
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I would say "an" but I have no idea if that's actually correct. Saying "a" feels awkward.
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01-19-2011, 04:58 PM
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#4
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Franchise Player
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: CGY
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Quote:
Originally Posted by HotHotHeat
Half an hour.
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Doesn't really answer my question, but thanks anyway. As a side note, is it okay to just say/type "half hour" as opposed to "half an hour" or is that bad grammar too?
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01-19-2011, 04:58 PM
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#5
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Franchise Player
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: Calgary, AB
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I would use "an SUV" but "a sport utility vehicle". So, go with the sound of the acronym.
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01-19-2011, 04:59 PM
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#6
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Franchise Player
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: CGY
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Jimmy Stang
I would say "an" but I have no idea if that's actually correct. Saying "a" feels awkward.
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"An SUV."
"A sport utility vehicle."
Does the use of the acroynm change wether we use "a" or "and"?
???
EDIT: Just saw getbak replied. Anyone else?
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So far, this is the oldest I've been.
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01-19-2011, 05:01 PM
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#7
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Atomic Nerd
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: Calgary
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the acronym is a word unto itself in that context and thusly you would use "an"
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01-19-2011, 05:04 PM
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#8
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Scoring Winger
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Traditional_Ale
"An SUV."
"A sport utility vehicle."
Does the use of the acroynm change wether we use "a" or "and"?
???
EDIT: Just saw getbak replied. Anyone else?
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I believe the rule is use an if saying the letter starts with a vowel sound and use a if saying the letter starts with a consonant sound.
An SUV or a BLT.
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01-19-2011, 05:07 PM
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#9
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Franchise Player
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: CGY
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Lurch
I believe the rule is use an if saying the letter starts with a vowel sound and use a if saying the letter starts with a consonant sound.
An SUV or a BLT.
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Perfect! Thank you!
__________________
So far, this is the oldest I've been.
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01-19-2011, 05:08 PM
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#10
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Franchise Player
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: Victoria, BC
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Traditional_Ale
Doesn't really answer my question, but thanks anyway. As a side note, is it okay to just say/type "half hour" as opposed to "half an hour" or is that bad grammar too?
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I was just giving another example of a commonly used phrase that is grammatically wrong.
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01-19-2011, 05:10 PM
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#11
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Franchise Player
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"an" is correct.
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01-19-2011, 05:19 PM
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#12
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#1 Goaltender
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: Underground
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I owned a Subaru Impreza for six years until I had to turn it in for an SUV.
I'm just being a dork.
However I concur with the prior posters that you would use "an" in this sentence.
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01-19-2011, 05:58 PM
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#13
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Franchise Player
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: Red Deer, AB
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Quote:
Originally Posted by HotHotHeat
Half an hour.
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Awesome.
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01-19-2011, 06:03 PM
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#14
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RealtorŪ
Join Date: Feb 2009
Location: Calgary
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this brings the question... how alert is everyone on others grammatical errors?
I know my grammar is horrible so I rarely pick up on mistakes.
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01-19-2011, 06:08 PM
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#15
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GOAT!
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Realtor 1
this brings the question... how alert is everyone on others grammatical errors?
I know my grammar is horrible so I rarely pick up on mistakes.
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I see almost everything, I just rarely bother to comment on it. Improper use of words gets me more than simple grammatical errors.
As for this thread, SUV is not pronounced soove. It gets an "an."
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01-19-2011, 07:23 PM
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#16
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#1 Goaltender
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: Underground
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Realtor 1
this brings the question... how alert is everyone on others grammatical errors?
I know my grammar is horrible so I rarely pick up on mistakes.
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I agree with FanIn80. I see grammar mistakes but they don't bother me. However, I'm a fan of the Chomsky school of debate and am therefore very concerned with appropriate use of language. Poor choice of words in sentences and violation of simple logic / circular reasoning jump out of the page for me.
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01-19-2011, 07:37 PM
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#18
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One of the Nine
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Realtor 1
this brings the question... how alert is everyone on others grammatical errors?
I know my grammar is horrible so I rarely pick up on mistakes.
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What sticks out for me is when people try to be smart and use 'their' instead of 'there' when they should have used 'there'. Or when people go dropping apostrophes into words that don't need them. That their get's me every time.
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01-19-2011, 07:41 PM
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#19
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Disenfranchised
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Quote:
Originally Posted by 4X4
What sticks out for me is when people try to be smart and use 'their' instead of 'there' when they should have used 'there'. Or when people go dropping apostrophes into words that don't need them. That their get's me every time.
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Me to.
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01-19-2011, 07:51 PM
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#20
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Powerplay Quarterback
Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: Medicine Hat
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Broadly speaking of which ...
Watching The Colbert Report last week, I was reminded of an awesome 'a' vs. 'an' scenario. (I love the English language!!) "Today we honour a n historical figure..."
This article discusses the topic ('an' before 'h'-words?) thoroughly and insightfully, for those interested.
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