[DawnRaider]

When you speak it

[LookIt'sPete]

I say an hourglass.

[tehforum]

An hourglass.

[117r]

It is pronounced "an ourglass"

[Formerly Helpful_C]

It's 'an hourglass' because you don't pronounce the 'h'. It wouldn't surprise me if the word was of French origin.

[cambio wechsel]

This isn't like a/an hotel, where some people voice the 'h' and others don't, and they pick the form of the indefinite article accordingly. No-one, surely, says "a hour" with a voiced h.

[Palatial Veranda]

An

[The Polymath]

(Original post by DawnRaider)
When you speak it

An hourglass. A hourglass just sounds wrong, unless for some reason you're pronouncing the "h" to say "a hower glass"

[DawnRaider]

(Original post by Junaid96)
An hourglass. A hourglass just sounds wrong, unless for some reason you're pronouncing the "h" to say "a hower glass"

yeh , otherwise it sounds funny, but i was always told you use an "a" before a word starting with constanants and "an" before a vowel

[Foghorn Leghorn]

I think it's an hourglass as it depends on the sound of that begins the word. In this case h is silent so you would say "an 'ourglass".

[cambio wechsel]

(Original post by DawnRaider)
yeh , otherwise it sounds funny, but i was always told you use an "a" before a word starting with constanants and "an" before a vowel

were you told that at an university?

it's the first phoneme, not the initial letter, that is the determinant here.

[Sashari]

Ok, this thread confused me a bit. I definitely pronounce it 'an hourglass', but how should you write it then?

[Katterson]

An. Usually an is only for words which start with vowels but the H in Hourglass is silent, so the word still starts with a vowel sound.
It would be more accurate to say you use 'an' for words starting with a vowel sound (as they may not neccessarily start with a vowel, as above)

[The Polymath]

(Original post by DawnRaider)
yeh , otherwise it sounds funny, but i was always told you use an "a" before a word starting with constanants and "an" before a vowel

I think the rule depends on the type of sound a word starts with.

(Original post by cambio wechsel)
were you told that at an university?

it's the ifirst phoneme, not the initial letter, that is the determinant here.

Loving that example

[Joinedup]

'An' because cos 'hourglass' starts with a vowel.

A vowel is a sound, not a letter.

another example is "An NHS trust" being correct cos you'd sound pretty silly pronouncing it 'nuhs' or something.

[ChemGraduate]

An



This was posted from The Student Room's iPhone/iPad App

[Formerly Helpful_C]

(Original post by DawnRaider)
yeh , otherwise it sounds funny, but i was always told you use an "a" before a word starting with constanants and "an" before a vowel

You do, but it's all about the pronunciation. You wouldn't say 'a honest man', would you? The schooling system has failed to inform you of these exceptions, hence why you feel uncomfortable.

[cambio wechsel]

(Original post by Sashari)
Ok, this thread confused me a bit. I definitely pronounce it 'an hourglass', but how should you write it then?

I play it safe with "a heggtimer".

[pepeeglesfield]

(Original post by Sashari)
Ok, this thread confused me a bit. I definitely pronounce it 'an hourglass', but how should you write it then?

you would write 'A hourglass' as a 'h' is a consonant, and is therefore gramatically correct, however when pronouncing it, as many have said already, the h is silent making the work sound like it begins with a vowel, hence its PROUNOUNCED 'an hourglass'.

[Formerly Helpful_C]

(Original post by Sashari)
Ok, this thread confused me a bit. I definitely pronounce it 'an hourglass', but how should you write it then?

An.

Would you write 'an unique' or 'a unique'?

Sorry for accidentally negging you, I tried to hit the 'quote' (using a phone).