To ask if it's "AN" honest person, or "A" honest person?

[NeedAJobCheers]

Applying for a trainee editor job....Don't want them to think I'm a thicko (which I think I am, for not knowing this).

I think it's AN honest person....

Grammar nazis will say "an hill", but increasingly the common usage is "a hill", and in the end common usage defines the language :)

an

Grammar "nazis" don't say "an hill", actually [arse].

Now would that be an arse? or a arse?

catkind even I as a non-native speaker could say that you got it totally wrong what grammar....supposedly would say. Seriously, show me one proper English speaking person who would say it's supposed to be AN hill. and no I am not going to go into a discussion about what's a proper English speaking person

And please, I am fucking sick and tired of the misuse of the term "Nazis" in every fucking stupid context.

www.grammar-monster.com/lessons/an_or_a.htm

An.

Perhaps usage has already changed the official grammar since i was at school . That's what i mean, nobody uses it so eventually what is seen as correct will change. Try listening to some old bbc reports or queen's speeches, bet you'll find plenty of "an horse" etc.
Apologies for hitting your bugbear worldcitizen, sticklers if you like.

'An hill'?

Fuck OFF. Would you say 'an hat'? An hug?

Sorry, that wasn't Fuck Off to the person who said it, but to the idea

I am an harse

I am sniggering at 'common usage makes it acceptable'

Sorry cat

in the end common usage defines the language

well, does that mean that I as a non-native speaker should follow the crowd which also writes down:

would've as would of

No, I am not going to follow some, cause they deem this common usage. To me it's simply a case of not understanding what the 've is about????

I have never in my life heard anyone say an hill or an horse.

And I do believe the queen would say ones horse.

world, would've is a contraction of would have, which is not the same as would of, though it is increasingly used in place of it. It would be common but not technically correct.

CJ your "fuck off" made me PMSL

well, if you speak then would've and would of sounds the same, right?

but when you write have down, something like

Oh, if I would have known or would've known....

you should have as in should've, right???

But many people start writing it down as should of or would of

Not quite the same (though i suppose it depends on accent). To me, would've sounds like would~uv and as opposed to to would of as would~~ov.

Yes, to me it sounds like that too and that's how I would say it as well, even though I don't even know in which context I would say would of or should of.
I mean people write it down that way when they clearly mean the other, but when would you say would of or should of?

an hill is just bizarre. I work as an editor, have been a bookworm since the age of about three, have read countless style guides (including some rather elderly ones from early 20th Century) and have never, ever seen this.

As vivi and run said, i the first sound of the word is a vowel then you use 'an'. If the 'h' is pronounced then you use 'a' although if the stress is not on the first syllable but on a vowels sound you may use 'an' as in 'an historical drama' but it is not obligatory.

actually I think the form would of is actually a written misunderstanding of would've, since they sound very similar. Would have is the correct form, as in "I would have done that if you had asked me"

edam could you also please explain or clarify the thing with would've/would have and would of

In writing you should always use would have and should have. In speech, people quite often say 'would of' which I think, as posters have suggested, is based on a mis-hearing of 'would've'

An hill? No. Surely not!!

An hotel is like that because hotel is originally a French word and would have been pronounced with a non-aspirant H. Surely

But an hill? No. I don't buy that!

"would of" is just lazy language (and usually has a "like" after it as in I would of, like, done this, like" as is the current craze of "tex-ed" instead of texted drives me potty!