3 ms·

> But access to the gadget comes with an usual caveat Am I not right here, or is it supposed to be "a usual caveat"? Edit: Or alternatively, "an unusual cavea

> But access to the gadget comes with an usual caveat Am I not right here, or is it supposed to be "a usual caveat"? Edit: Or alternatively, "an unusual caveat."

83457 9y ago
Depends on how you pronounce beginning of "usual". If "y" sound then use "a" but if "oo" then "an". Just like words like "history" can be pronounced differently and thus can be "a" or "an" depending on location/accent of writer.
- robinduckett 9y ago
  I don't think that's correct.
  - lfxyz 9y ago
    I'm afraid it is. I had to relinquish my copies of Butcher's Copy Editing and the New Hart's Rules when I left my editorial job, but I've found the rule of indefinite articles preceding vowels referenced on the Chicago Manual of Style site[0]. [0] http://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/qanda/data/faq/topics/Usage/faq0068.html http://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/qanda/data/faq/topics/Us...
- Dylan16807 9y ago
  1. I'm pretty sure nobody says "oosual" 2. Every time I have heard "an historic", that person pronounced the "h". It might have been downplayed slightly, but it has always been there. They are using "an" because it's an (historical) idiom, even though it's grammatically incorrect.
  - Intermernet 9y ago
    > I'm pretty sure nobody says "oosual" The cool / terrible thing about English (and other "international" languages) is that if there is a way to pronounce something someway, someone will pronounce it that way. Once we then define grammatical rules based on pronunciation of surrounding words, we then have to deal with the fallout of those rules. I have my opinions of pronunciation, but if the majority start pronouncing "usual" as "oosual" then I'll just shake my head and grumble a bit while accepting that the language has moved on. After all, Americans say "Aluminum" and there's nothing I can do about it!
    - Dylan16807 9y ago
      That's a big "if", though. I'm still putting my bets on it being 0% of current use, when rounded to the nearest percent.
  - andrewaylett 9y ago
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yorkshire_dialect https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yorkshire_dialect
  - taneq 9y ago
    I've definitely heard "an 'istoric occasion" and "an 'ospital". Never heard "an usual" though.
    - guitarbill 9y ago
      Maybe while watching Thunderbirds?
deleted 9y ago
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Intermernet 9y ago
Yes, it should be "a usual caveat". Possibly even "the usual caveat", but probably not "an usual caveat".
sulam 9y ago
Typo -- the author thought this caveat is unusual. Amusingly, it's not, so they're grammatically incorrect but factually accurate when they intended to reverse those.

> But access to the gadget comes with an usual caveat Am I not right here, or is it supposed to be "a usual caveat"? Edit: Or alternatively, "an unusual caveat."

83457 9y ago

Depends on how you pronounce beginning of "usual". If "y" sound then use "a" but if "oo" then "an". Just like words like "history" can be pronounced differently and thus can be "a" or "an" depending on location/accent of writer.

robinduckett 9y ago
I don't think that's correct.
- lfxyz 9y ago
  I'm afraid it is. I had to relinquish my copies of Butcher's Copy Editing and the New Hart's Rules when I left my editorial job, but I've found the rule of indefinite articles preceding vowels referenced on the Chicago Manual of Style site[0]. [0] http://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/qanda/data/faq/topics/Usage/faq0068.html http://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/qanda/data/faq/topics/Us...
Dylan16807 9y ago
1. I'm pretty sure nobody says "oosual" 2. Every time I have heard "an historic", that person pronounced the "h". It might have been downplayed slightly, but it has always been there. They are using "an" because it's an (historical) idiom, even though it's grammatically incorrect.
- Intermernet 9y ago
  > I'm pretty sure nobody says "oosual" The cool / terrible thing about English (and other "international" languages) is that if there is a way to pronounce something someway, someone will pronounce it that way. Once we then define grammatical rules based on pronunciation of surrounding words, we then have to deal with the fallout of those rules. I have my opinions of pronunciation, but if the majority start pronouncing "usual" as "oosual" then I'll just shake my head and grumble a bit while accepting that the language has moved on. After all, Americans say "Aluminum" and there's nothing I can do about it!
  - Dylan16807 9y ago
    That's a big "if", though. I'm still putting my bets on it being 0% of current use, when rounded to the nearest percent.
- andrewaylett 9y ago
  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yorkshire_dialect https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yorkshire_dialect
- taneq 9y ago
  I've definitely heard "an 'istoric occasion" and "an 'ospital". Never heard "an usual" though.
  - guitarbill 9y ago
    Maybe while watching Thunderbirds?

deleted 9y ago

[deleted]

Intermernet 9y ago

Yes, it should be "a usual caveat". Possibly even "the usual caveat", but probably not "an usual caveat".

sulam 9y ago

Typo -- the author thought this caveat is unusual. Amusingly, it's not, so they're grammatically incorrect but factually accurate when they intended to reverse those.