Do You Always Use AN Before a Vowel?

When you are learning English, you will be told to use 'an' before words that begin with a vowel, and you need to use 'a' before words that begin with a consonant. But, how true is this? Is this really a rule that you can live by when you are learning English? Well, as with most things when it comes to learning English, things aren't quite so straightforward.

When to Use AN

Now, the rule that you should always use 'an' before any word that begins with a vowel is mostly true. If the word begins with a, e, I, o, u then you can,90% of the time, safely use an 'an' and it should be perfectly fine. However, as we said, this isn't really as straightforward as we are making it seem here.

There are some situations where, before a vowel, you will use 'a' instead of an. This is because you have to listen to what the vowel sounds like. If the sound the vowel makes is a consonant sound, then you use 'a' instead., For example, before words that start with 'un' e.g. unique, you would use a 'a' because the word sounds like it starts with a consonant.

The same applies the other way around too. For example, if a word begins with a consonant but sounds like a vowel e.g. 'hour', then you would use the word 'an' instead.

Some words can be complicated between variants of English. For example, in British English, you would use a before the word herb. This is because it is pronounced as if it starts with a consonant. However, the pronunciation is different in American English. it drops the 'h' sound at the start, so it sounds as if it starts with a vowel. This means you would use 'an' instead.

How Do You Know Whether to Use A or An?

We know that this can sound somewhat confusing. Sadly, English gets way more confusing in other places than just working out whether to use 'a' or 'an'. It is a complicated language. Thankfully, the more you speak English, the more you will know whether you should use a or an before a word.

It is all based upon sound. Once you can recognize sounds in your head, we promise you you will instinctively know the exact word that you should be using. You will even be able to do it you have never seen a word before. If you are just starting to learn English properly, this may take a few weeks, but it is eventually going to happen.

Of course, you do not need to worry too much. If you are speaking English, nobody, except your tutor, will probably try and correct you if you use the wrong word. The only time that will happen is if you have asked them to help you out.

If you are still unsure as to whether you are using the right word, then speak to your tutor here at JustLearn.com. They will be more than happy to give you a nudge in the right direction.

Final Thoughts

For the most part, if a word starts with a vowel, then you should use an. This rule is correct. The exception to this rule is if the word sounds as if it starts with a consonant. You would then use a. Thankfully, you will not have to learn each word. Over time, you will be able to work out what to use based on word sound alone.