Page 107 - Perfect English Grammar: The Indispensable Guide to Excellent Writing and Speaking

When deciding between using a and an, the only thing to consider is the
sound of the word that follows the article. If the next word begins with a

consonant sound, then use a. If it begins with a vowel sound, then use an.

■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ an announcement an argument an iguana a cat a high-society event a

■ tsk-tsk a yellow banana Keep in mind that the next sound may actually be
written as a consonant but sound like a vowel, and vice versa. It’s the sound

that matters, not the letter.

■ ■ ■ ■ ■ an FBI investigation a European hotel an heiress a unicycle an XTC

concert Note that the h in some words is not aspirated (given sound) so it
may take a different article.

■ ■ ■ an hour a human an herb garden (US), a herb garden (UK)

8.5.1 AN HISTORIC VERSUS A HISTORIC

Some style guides and amateur grammarians will make a big deal out of

claiming that an should be used with historic and similar words.

■ ■ ■ an historic moment an historical adventure an historian of literature

However, the above sentences are correct only if you do not pronounce (or
aspirate) the h in those words. Most North Americans do not pronounce

those words that way, although some have adopted a hypercorrection and
have begun to drop off the h sound to better fit what they mistakenly believe

to be a language rule.

■■ For most North Americans, the only correct form is: a historic moment
■a historical adventure a historian of literature

8.6 Plurals

In English, nouns usually are made plural by adding -s or -es to the end.
Add -s to most words to make a plural.