Proper Grammar Question

[Aerlik]

Is it just me or if a word has two vowels together, namely 'o' and 'u', does the 'an' before the word become an 'a?'

Good point, cos it's a ouija board.  The English language is a minefield for grammatical correctness.

Why is an honour, but a horse?  And why do so many talk of June (five) 5 and not June 5th.?  Ohhhh the complexities.

[Hardy]

'Competency' is one of my current bugbears.

Also, down here in Langerland the transposition of the meanings of "let" and "leave" is a  gear-grinder. They'll say "let your dirty boots outside the door and don't leave me catch you bringing them into the house".

[laoislad]

Also, down here in Langerland the transposition of the meanings of "let" and "leave" is a  gear-grinder. They'll say "let your dirty boots outside the door and don't leave me catch you bringing them into the house".

Must be a Munster thing. I worked with fellas from Waterford who spoke like that.

I find it odd when Nordies on here using 'mind' instead of remember.

[Puckoon]

Can't say I'm a fan of the Yank usage of 'erb for herb.

They spell it "urb". Drives me insane.Speaking of yankified words that I hate, "normalcy" instead of "normality", "efficacy" instead of "effectiveness", "systemic" instead of "systematic".

No, they absolutely do not.

Also efficacy and effectiveness are totally interchangable, with the caveat that efficacy will almost always be preferred in medical related topics.

If you want to pick on the Americans for something, try the fact that the week begins on a Sunday over here. That is a truth and a dumb one at that.

[playwiththewind1st]

Prods say an hotel cos they're taught that in their halls of learning.

That made me laugh - bloody heathens & barbarians.

[5 Sams]

Prods say an hotel cos they're taught that in their halls of learning.

That made me laugh - bloody heathens & barbarians.

Used to curt a Ballymena woman..her brother told me about getting jumped by a few lads one night and being asked to spell Harry...

[haranguerer]

Is it just me or if a word has two vowels together, namely 'o' and 'u', does the 'an' before the word become an 'a?'

Good point, cos it's a ouija board.  The English language is a minefield for grammatical correctness.

Why is an honour, but a horse?  And why do so many talk of June (five) 5 and not June 5th.?  Ohhhh the complexities.

Its based on pronunciation - vowel sound, 'an', not vowel sound, 'a'. Ouija is pronounced 'weeja'. Its never 'an' for horse or hotel - thats just bad pronunciation (due to the 'h' being dropped in some dialects) written down. It can be 'an' for some words that dont begin with vowels, if they're pronounced (properly, not just dialect) as though they began with vowels - eg an hour

[Hardy]

Grammar can be an hoor.