Has this been asked before? An historical event?

[IMoveTheStars]

I'm sure 'an historical event' must be right, the BBC use it constantly.

Drives me mad though, but I'm probably wrong. Am I?

ahhh have a feeling that although you should only say 'a' before a word starting with a consonant, words starting with an 'h' have special dispensation.......

I always thought that the only exception was 'an hour' but I guess an 'istorical event' is another?

[twitch]

Say it in a pseudo French accent. If it sounds right then, it probably is.

I think actually that it is one of those grammatical oddities, that if it sounds right, then it is.........Sorry about your twitch

nice name, SIB

ohhh thanks JTGK, it's new

I know, i saw your other thread

-adds ribbons for twirling-

wow ribbons, I feel like the May Queen. Life don't get much better than this

Yup, an historical is correct. But 'a historical' would be as correct, 'an' just sounds nicer. Some v. posh people still say an 'otel although tends to restricted to the elderly.

to be FGS, I really should go to bed!

arf.

Thanks, I had a feeling it was correct but it annoys me that it is

Think it's something to do with the the "h" sound.

My nan was so posh (don'tyaknow) that she used to say, "an hotel".

I tried using it at school aged about 8, and everyone just larfed and larfed.

Even the teacher.

'Twas a state school.

My teacher asked us an annoying question when I was about 8.

which is the only word that doesn't begin with a vowel that you can follow with 'an'

Do you mean that you can prefix with 'an'? Any word beginning with 'h'!

Not just any "h" word, but certain ones... but I don't know the rule for which...

'An historic' is clearer than 'a historic' really too, because there is a word 'ahistoric'.

Ooh, like the way you're thinking Bitof...

It's just a rule left over from French that is completely irrelevant to English. Some French words beginning with 'h' are treated differently to others. e.g. "la haine" (hatred), not "l'haine", even though the h is still silent. I'm puzzled as to why this has become a rule of English seeing as usually the 'rule' is that French-influenced language is terribly non-U, like serviette or pardon. I hereby declare you can ignore it.

An hinteresting reply. Thank you, Lil, and pardon my hignorance, but non-U?

Non-U meaning what plebs say, like settee rather than sofa, or dessert rather than pudding. The idea bring that you can tell someone's class from their vocabulary! I've always been puzzled by the French rule since time was when only the peasants spoke English and the nobility spoke French so you would think words derived from French would be U, but no.

Getting back on task: the general rule in English (and to a certain extent in French, though there are so many exceptions I don't think it should count as a rule) is that if the h is silent you use 'an', if it's sounded you use 'a'; words like historical and horrendous are exceptions.

BTW Nonno - you remind me of someone doing a fake West Indian accent

Oh, sweetheart, I have a plethora of dodgy accents...
I'm wasted in the printed word. Give me a radio show!