April 2005
WHEN TO USE "A/AN" AND "THE" (PART 2)
This month we conclude our two-part series on the proper use of "a," "an," and "the" in spoken and written language. All three articles (A, AN, and THE) modify a noun (a person, place, or thing). Last month we discussed two rules regarding their use with persons and things. Today, we'll address their use with the proper names of specific places.
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1. "A" and "AN" are not typically used when referring to the proper name of a place.
Incorrect:
I plan on visiting a Germany next month.
Correct:
I plan on visiting Germany next month.
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Exception:
"A" or "AN" may be used when the place is used metaphorically (i.e., when one thing is used to represent something else).
Examples:
A Germany could never take over the continent of Europe again. ("Germany" refers metaphorically to the Nazi takeover of Europe during World War Two.)
"An Alaska should never be permitted to occur on our coastline," stated the congressman. ("Alaska" refers metaphorically to the drilling for oil on federal lands.)
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2. In general, use "THE" when referring to places written as a "plural" noun; do not use "THE" when referring to places written as a "singular" noun.
Plural Nouns:
The Rocky Mountains are a great place to visit.
The Great Lakes are the largest group of fresh-water lakes in the world.
The Hawaiian Islands offer year-round comfort.
The Main Streets of America are in decline today.
The Netherlands is famous for its windmills.
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Singular Nouns:
Mount Everest is a difficult mountain to climb.
Hawaii is a great place to visit.
Lake Erie often freezes during the winter.
Easter Island is famous for its massive statues.
Main Street sure does look abandoned today.
Italy is shaped like a boot.
Europe is a favorite travel destination.
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Exceptions to this Rule:
Do not use "THE" before street names.
Do not use "THE" before the names of cities, towns, and states.
Use "THE" before the names of rivers, oceans, and seas.
Use "THE" before geographical locations (e.g., the Middle East, the West).
Use "THE" before deserts (e.g., the Painted Desert), gulfs (e.g., the Gulf of Mexico), and peninsulas (e.g., the Kitsap Peninsula).
Use "THE" before points on the globe (e.g., the South Pole).
Use "THE" before woods and forests (e.g., the Redwood Forest).
Use "THE" before the names of unique places (e.g., the White House).
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3. Some places defy the application of a rule. Here are several of them.
Follows the Rule: We're going to THE Allegheny Forest on Thursday.
Exception: We're going to Sherwood Forest tomorrow.
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Follows the Rule: Alsace-Lorain is part of France.
Exception: Hong Kong is now a part of THE People's Republic of China.
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Follows the Rule: Every year, thousands of people visit THE White House in Washington.
Exception: You'll find many great restaurants along Fisherman's Wharf.
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Follows the Rule: Mount Everest is a difficult mountain to climb.
Exception: THE Matterhorn is a difficult mountain to climb.
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ANSWERS TO LAST MONTH'S PRACTICE EXERCISES
1. George saw several wild dogs run across a road on Monday and told his wife about them. Today he saw them again. When he got home from work, he told his wife:
a. "A pack of wild dogs crossed the road again."
b. "The pack of wild dogs crossed the road again."
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Both George and his wife knew about the wild dogs from Monday's incident, so George used "THE" to refer to a particular pack of wild dogs whose identity was known to both parties.
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2. For the first time ever, Miriam saw the same group of wild dogs (mentioned above) run across the road. When she got home, she told her mother:
a. "A pack of wild dogs crossed the road."
b. "The pack of wild dogs crossed the road."
Correct Answer: A
Rationale: Miriam understood that her mother knew nothing about this particular pack of wild dogs, so she used "A" to refer to something (wild dogs) whose identity (to her mother) was unknown prior to the conversation.
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3. Philip dreamed of expanding his small circus. After saving up enough money, he wanted to purchase a baby elephant and hire a trainer, reasoning that he could always give the elephant away if the circus couldn't support it. Not wanting to make a hasty decision, he first asked for his father's advice. His father said:
a. "An elephant is not something you can give away easily."
b. "The elephant is not something you can give away easily."
Correct Answer: A
Rationale: Since no elephant had been purchased, Philip's father was not referring to one particular elephant but to any elephant, so "AN" is used.
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4. Against his father's advice, Philip purchased a baby elephant. Soon, however, he discovered that its upkeep was more than his budget could bear. His father said:
a. "You better find a way to keep the elephant. An elephant is not something you can give away easily."
b. "You better find a way to keep an elephant. An elephant is not something you can give away easily."
c. "You better find a way to keep the elephant. The elephant is not something you can give away easily."
d. "You better find a way to keep an elephant. The elephant is not something you can give away easily."
Correct Answer: A
Rationale: Philip's father used "THE" elephant because he was referring to the particular elephant that Philip had purchased. He then used "AN" elephant because he was referring not just to one particular elephant but to any elephant.
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We received several comments and questions related to the use of "A" vs. "AN" in last month's issue. Here are some of them.
QUESTION: I just wanted to clarify the use of a and an. What about modifying a word that begins with a silent "h" (e.g., honest, heir, hour, honor)? I always use "an" but see other people use "a" instead. What is the rule? (Kay)
QUESTION: For some reason, Microsoft Word suggests I change "a non-authorized member of staff" to "an non-authorized member of staff." I thought "an" is only used when the first letter of the following word is a vowel. (Paul)
QUESTION: The statements "She is a registered nurse" or "He is a licensed vocational nurse" don't present difficulties. If I were to verbally use the designated acronyms of "RN" and/or "LVN," I would precede them with "an." However, the use of these acronyms in the following sentences appears awkward--and probably incorrect--as neither starts with a vowel, as in "She is a RN" and "He is a LVN." Would you please tell me the correct written (and, if applicable, spoken) form? (With appreciation, Louise)
QUESTION: Regarding your rules about using "a" vs. "an": What happened to the "h" exception (e.g., "an honorary degree")? Has it been banished to grammatical oblivion? (Scott)
QUESTION: Hi. I read your piece on the use of "A" and "AN," and I wondered about the rule you set up. It immediately made me think of the phrase, "an historic event." Is this incorrect usage, considering the "h" is a consonant? Also, explain why "user" is a consonant sound, when "u" is a vowel. Thanks. (Bryan)
QUESTION: I am SO glad you are addressing this issue. Is "a" never used in front of a vowel? My problem is using it in front of "MRI" (Magnetic Resonance Imaging). While "an MRI" sounds better than "a MRI," the letter "m" is still not a vowel. There are other instances (e.g., "historic"), but this particular one ("MRI") really bugs me! Thanks. (Carol)
GRAMMARCHECK: Many thanks to everyone who wrote. To eliminate confusion about the use of "A" or "AN" before a particular word or phrase, forget the so-called "rule" of using "A" before a "consonant" and "AN" before a vowel. It's simply incorrect. Once you've determined that "A" or "AN" is the correct article to use before a word or phrase, here's the rule you should always follow: use "A" before a consonant SOUND and "AN" before a vowel SOUND. So here are our answers to each of the questions asked above:
Kay and Scott: Words that begin with a silent "h" begin with a vowel SOUND, thus they are preceded with "AN." For example, "honest" begins with an "o" sound, "heir" begins with an "a" sound, "hour" begins with the vowel sound "ow," and "honor" begins with an "o" sound, so all of them are preceded with "AN." The word "historic," however, begins with an "h" sound; thus, it should be preceded with "A."
Bryan: The letter "u" in the word "user" begins with a consonant "y" SOUND, so "user" would be preceded with "A."
Paul: Since "non-authorized" begins with the consonant SOUND "n," the correct article to use is "A." We couldn't get Microsoft Word's grammar check feature to duplicate the situation you describe, but perhaps you're using an older version.
Carol: Acronyms can be tricky, because sometimes people read them as acronyms while at other times they read what the acronym stands for. For example, we often read "MS Word" as "Microsoft Word" rather than "M. S. Word." The acronym "MRI" presents a similar problem for some people. And to make matters more confusing, what about acronyms that form real words, such as "MADD" (for Mothers Against Drunk Driving) and "NOW" (for National Organization for Women)? Most people tend to read (and speak) these acronyms as words. Here's what we suggest when acronyms are used:
Determine how an acronym would sound when spoken, and then choose the correct article to use.
Examples:
1. "MS Word" should be read as "M. S. Word," so the correct article to use is "AN" since "M" begins with a vowel SOUND.
2. "MRI" should be read as "M. R. I.," so the correct article to use is "AN" since "M" begins with a vowel SOUND.
3. "MADD" typically is read as "mad" (e.g., a MADD rally), so the correct article to use is "A" since "mad" begins with a consonant SOUND.
Again, many thanks for sending in these excellent questions!
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QUESTION: I write fiction. I also read a lot of fiction. In the past few years I've noticed that many writers now use "snuck" instead of "sneaked." I looked in the dictionary and, sure enough, "snuck" is there but qualified as not originally used in the language. It drives me nuts, though. Has this word, as you have occasionally explained, evolved over time to now be acceptable? Thanks. (Joyce)
GRAMMARCHECK: The word "snuck" is becoming more acceptable and is, indeed, an example of a nonstandard word whose use has evolved over time to become a more acceptable past tense form of the verb "sneak." Although its use still meets with resistance in formal written English, an increasing number of people, including educated people, are using it in all regions of the United States. We believe it's only a matter of time before "snuck" surpasses "sneaked" as the dominant past tense form.
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QUESTION: Your March grammar edition contained four exercises regarding purchasing and keeping an elephant. The four examples start with the words "You better." Here in the U.K. this is incorrect and sounds very wrong. The phrase should read "You had better" or abbreviated to "You'd better." Or is this another difference between U.S. and U.K. English? (Regards, Emily)
GRAMMARCHECK: Thanks for writing, Emily. You're correct, and both U.S. and U.K. English require the use of "had" in this phrase. However, here in the States, people SPEAKING this phrase often delete "had." Since the phrase was used by Philip's father as he spoke to his son, we used the informal expression instead of the formal (and correct) one.
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COMMENT: In your newsletter last month, you said "native speakers of British English prefer PRACTISE while users of American English prefer PRACTICE." Not quite true. British English writers use PRACTISE for the verb and PRACTICE for the noun.
Examples:
I must practise more if I hope to improve my golf.
I've had a lot of practice, but I still can't play well.
Great newsletter. Enjoyable reading each month. Many thanks. (Kind regards, Paul)
COMMENT: Hi! Regarding the use of "practise" vs. "practice": Actually, in Britain, we tend to (or should) use "practise" as a verb and "practice" as a noun, although I accept that this practice (or is that practise?) is tending to disappear over time. Thanks, and best wishes. (Mark)
GRAMMARCHECK: We defer to our British readers on this one. It will be interesting to see if the differentiations between "practice" and "practise" in British English tend to disappear over time, as they have in American English. Thanks for writing, Paul and Mark!
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QUESTION: My teacher says I need to replace the word "like" in the following sentence. Can you make a suggestion?
Have you ever wondered what it was like to live in Denmark or France during World War II?
GRAMMARCHECK: We can think of a different way to phrase this sentence, such as "Have you ever wondered what life in Denmark and France was like during World War II?" (which doesn't eliminate "like") or "Have you ever wondered what people living in Denmark and France experienced during World War II?" (which changes the meaning of the original sentence) or "Have you ever wondered how life was in Denmark or France during World War II?" (which also changes the meaning of the original sentence). But we can't think of a word that could replace "like" without altering your original intent. Readers--any suggestions?
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QUESTION: Please revise the following word groups to remove all fragments:
Baseball is a wonderful game. Loved by many. Popular for years.
GRAMMARCHECK: Here are a few ways to eliminate the fragments:
Baseball, a wonderful game loved by many, has been popular for years.
Baseball is a wonderful game, loved by many and popular for years.
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GRAMMARCHECK ARCHIVES
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QUESTION: I take issue with your comments about quotation marks. Although you do mention that commas and periods always go inside quotation marks, some end punctuation does not in some cases, and the question you answered specifically mentions "end punctuation." Here are some examples where the end punctuation goes OUTSIDE the closed quote:
Did you read the article, "Using Quotations Correctly"?
I'm amazed it said, "We can't think of any exceptions to this rule in American English"!
However, the same end punctuation might be placed inside the end quotation mark if the speaker is, for instance, asking a question:
I asked, "Did you read the article?"
"Did you read the article?" I asked.
"I'm amazed!"
GRAMMARCHECK: In last month's issue, one of our readers asked the following question in reference to two specific examples, each involving the placement of an end mark "period" within quotation marks: "Shouldn't the period (end mark) go inside the quotations, with very few exceptions?" Since this reader asked about the placement of an end mark "period" within quotation marks, not about end marks and quotation marks in general, our answer was correct. But we appreciate the examples you provided. Thanks for writing!
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QUESTION: I would appreciate your confirmation of the correct sentence structure as follows:
"Judging by our discussion yesterday, I believe that my qualifications are an excellent fit given my experience, skills and ability to quickly adapt to new situations."
Please respond as soon as possible. Thank you. (Roni)
GRAMMARCHECK: We see one area that should be corrected and four areas that could be improved.
1. The past participle "given" functions as an adjective that modifies "qualifications," so a comma should be placed after "fit" since the participial phrase ("given my experience, skills and ability to quickly adapt to new situations"), as a concluding verbal modifier, is not essential to the meaning of the sentence but merely adds information to it.
2. We prefer to use a comma between the last two items of a series.
3. With what are your qualifications an excellent fit?
4. We prefer to eliminate unnecessary "to be" and "to have" verbs (e.g., "are").
Here's one possible revision, taking into account the four areas mentioned above:
"Judging by our discussion yesterday, I believe my qualifications match well with the job requirements, given my experience, skills, and ability to quickly adapt to new situations."
You only asked about correct sentence structure, but we are, after all, English professors. :-)
Thanks for writing, Roni!
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Our readers often share great ideas about writing and grammar. If you have a writing tip related to editing for style, e-mail it to grammar@grammarcheck.com. We'll print the best ones in next month's edition.
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QUESTION: I apologize. I inadvertently pasted some clipboard material into your Web form for questions. This was an accident, and I apologize wholeheartedly! Thanks. (Mark)
GRAMMARCHECK: No problem, Mark. In fact, it gives us an opportunity to clarify something about our Web form. Every month we receive at least 100 e-mail messages (from our Web form) that don't ask a question. Here's what's happening: Some people believe the Web form is an actual "grammar check" test, much like the grammar check option featured in Microsoft Word and other word processing programs. Once they click the SUBMIT button, they're taken to a Web page that thanks them for sending in their grammar question. How disappointing it must be for them not to get a report back about the correctness of their text. So no apologies are necessary, Mark. We're glad to have you as a GRAMMARCHECK reader!
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QUESTION: I always thought one put all punctuation inside of quotes (save for colons and semicolons), but then, when working as a copy editor for a well-known, prestigious natural history museum on the East Coast that shall remain unnamed, was told to put all punctuation outside the quotes. I have wondered if this is because of the many instances of using quotes to denote how to spell a genus name, or former genus or species name (or point out a misspelled scientific name used in print, and pointed out to minimize confusion), in which case I WOULD put the punctuation outside the signified work. What do you think?
And to further the conversation on "but," which of the following sentence pairs is correct:
"Gone but not forgotten."
"Gone, but not forgotten."
"Children should be seen but not heard."
"Children should be seen, but not heard."
I say the former in each set is correct. Love your newsletter! (Laurel)
GRAMMARCHECK: We find it difficult to comment since the unnamed museum may subscribe to a style guide, particular to the field of natural history, that allows for the placement of all punctuation outside of quotation marks. Or if the museum is that well known, it could be the arbiter of its own style guide. Or the museum could subscribe to a British English style guide that permits, for example, the placement of periods and commas after quotation marks. In general, however, all periods and commas in American English are placed inside of quotation marks. The rules regarding question marks, colons, semicolons, and exclamation marks differ.
You're correct about the two sentence pairs. The former is punctuated correctly since "but not forgotten" and "but not heard" are not independent clauses and thus a comma should not precede them. Thanks for writing, Laurel!
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WEB SITE OF THE MONTH
Each month we feature a Web site that provides on-line help with grammar and/or writing. Check out this month's site:
"Advice on Academic Writing"
http://www.utoronto.ca/writing/advise.html
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QUESTION: Hello. I'm just trying to find out which sentence is correct:
Thank you for your questions and comments. We value all feedback and use them to further enhance our services.
Thank you for your questions and comments. We value all feedback and use it to further enhance our services.
Thank you for your time. (Eddy)
GRAMMARCHECK: Hello, Eddy. The second sentence--using "it"--is correct since "feedback" is a singular noun that requires the use of the singular pronoun "it."
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QUESTION: I have finished some work that I need to label as complete. Should the label read "review complete" or "review completed"? Thanks. (Nia)
GRAMMARCHECK: It depends on what the abbreviated form of "review complete[d]" stands for. If you mean "This review is complete," then "review complete" is appropriate. If you mean "This review has been completed," then use "review completed." Either way is correct. Thanks for writing, Nia.
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QUESTION: What are the plural forms of "forum" and "symposium"?
GRAMMARCHECK: The plural of "forum" is "forums" or "fora," while the plural of "symposium" is "symposiums" or "symposia." Now it's our turn:
1. If your town has one gymnasium and someone builds a second one, the town now has two _______.
2. If you planted one geranium in your garden, and someone gave you a second one to plant (which you did), your garden will now have two _______.
3. If your son found one opossum in the garden, and your daughter found its mate, your garden now has two _______.
Check out next month's edition for the correct answers.
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That's it for this month. Thanks for subscribing to GrammarCheck. See you in May!