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Wednesday, December 21, 2005

A Unique or An Unique?

Just another note about the challenges of the English language. Why "a unique..." rather than "an unique..."? When a "u" word is pronounced as though it begins with a "y" (yoo nique), it's treated more like the consonant sound of the y. So, a university, an umbrella, a usual day, an unusual day.
at

96 comments:

  1. AnonymousFriday, April 21, 2006 at 8:16:00 PM PDT

    thank you very much mr. elf and google. I've been fretting over this for the past 97 seconds and, voila, its solved--at least you've convinced me.

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  2. MotomaSunday, August 27, 2006 at 9:55:00 AM PDT

    This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

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  3. AnonymousSaturday, December 16, 2006 at 8:19:00 AM PST

    this for such a short & simple snippet.

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  4. SpnSTuesday, February 6, 2007 at 9:31:00 PM PST

    This is a unique post that is an unusually useful.

    ReplyDelete
  5. AnonymousWednesday, August 15, 2007 at 8:39:00 AM PDT

    I was amazed to get an immediate response to the request "unique, a or an?" thanks for resolving a question that I have had for much longer than 97 seconds!

    ReplyDelete
  6. ViruSSaturday, August 25, 2007 at 1:36:00 AM PDT

    Thanks for ur help... This is a question that stumps many...

    ReplyDelete
  7. UnknownWednesday, October 17, 2007 at 5:52:00 PM PDT

    lol i was just wondering that too; thanks a lot! it prevented so much mental anguish haha.

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  8. murielgTuesday, November 6, 2007 at 2:01:00 AM PST

    Thank you! I was just writing a paper for my english class, and was unsure about this. =) not anymore!!!!!

    ReplyDelete
  9. AnonymousFriday, May 16, 2008 at 2:07:00 AM PDT

    Thank you Mr. Elf!
    This was an useful posting!
    :)

    ReplyDelete
  10. ElfFriday, May 16, 2008 at 7:06:00 AM PDT

    And that was certainly a unorthodox way of responding. ;-) Now stop it, or we'll confuse people!

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  11. AnonymousSunday, June 1, 2008 at 11:33:00 PM PDT

    @Matti

    "This was an useful posting."

    You are getting me confused again!

    ReplyDelete
  12. Ricardo Antonio Cabral M.Saturday, June 21, 2008 at 9:32:00 PM PDT

    Nice! now I finally get it :D

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  13. AGTuesday, June 24, 2008 at 3:14:00 AM PDT

    thanks man

    quite a unique way of answering that question

    cheers

    ReplyDelete
  14. AnonymousThursday, July 17, 2008 at 4:20:00 AM PDT

    And another... big thank you!

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  15. RachelWednesday, July 30, 2008 at 8:27:00 AM PDT

    I was writing a memo just now, I wrote "an unique" and I just stopped and looked at it and realized it was wrong. My whole world had been turned upside down. Then I found this explanation and all is right with the world.

    Thank you Elf.

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  16. ElfWednesday, July 30, 2008 at 9:16:00 AM PDT

    So glad that people are finding this helpful. I figured that if one person asked me then there must be lots of others who wondered about it.

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  17. Puneet GoelWednesday, September 10, 2008 at 9:58:00 PM PDT

    Yes it is "a unique" just like it is "an hour"!

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  18. UnknownMonday, September 15, 2008 at 9:46:00 PM PDT

    Damn! I didn't even know such a rule existed. Thanks a ton!

    ReplyDelete
  19. RosieMonday, September 22, 2008 at 12:04:00 PM PDT

    Thank goodness, problem solved. Thanks for the help!

    ReplyDelete
  20. MolestedMonday, September 29, 2008 at 10:51:00 AM PDT

    This comment has been removed by the author.

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  21. MolestedMonday, September 29, 2008 at 10:55:00 AM PDT

    I blew the first comment, here's the one that works:

    Google is my friend, whoever is pointed at as the problem-solver by Google, my friend, is also my friend - especially if it actually resolves my issues.

    Given the logic of the "Friend of a friend is also a friend" (resulting in a peculiar instance of a paradox, if 'friend of friend' = 'friend', how is 'friend of friend' not in the first given group 'friend'?) then you are indeed my friend. You solved my issue - and if this would've remained unsolved and typed in wrong - it would have had consequences, thank you for being so concise and brief!

    Regards,
    Molested
    Designer

    ReplyDelete
  22. ElfMonday, September 29, 2008 at 11:02:00 AM PDT

    As the saying goes, a friend in need is a friend...in need. All depends on how you parse it.

    -ellen

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  23. Jr Deputy AccountantWednesday, October 29, 2008 at 11:08:00 AM PDT

    Thank you for this. Simple and direct. SCORE! I finally found an answer to this ridiculously simple question!

    ReplyDelete
  24. AnonymousThursday, November 13, 2008 at 10:43:00 PM PST

    Cheers - saved me at least a few minutes of internal argument.

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  25. AnonymousFriday, January 9, 2009 at 1:17:00 PM PST

    thanks mr. you are worthy to be no. 1 on google search with 'a unique' keyword :)

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  26. AnonymousSaturday, January 24, 2009 at 2:18:00 PM PST

    thanks you so much. i was writing an essay and had no idea

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  27. AnonymousSaturday, February 14, 2009 at 10:12:00 PM PST

    Wow, I wasn't sure what it was so I googled "a unique" and "an unique" separately to see which would bring up more results. Who knew that your post would be the first result to pop up.

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  28. ElfSunday, February 15, 2009 at 2:23:00 PM PST

    Cool!

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  29. AnonymousMonday, February 23, 2009 at 2:39:00 AM PST

    Wow, I typed an unique for an! essay and then Word grammar check said it was wrong. But I always thought that the rule was: an = when a word starts with a,e,i,o,u.

    But then I figured, yeah it does sound strange. I googled your blog and it turned out that both grammar check and my feelings were correct. Thanks for explaining it!

    Greetz from Holland

    ReplyDelete
  30. tkhisanSunday, March 15, 2009 at 12:17:00 PM PDT

    This is the one I wanted to know. My ploblem was solved. Thanks!

    ReplyDelete
  31. 以心Wednesday, March 18, 2009 at 5:37:00 AM PDT

    Thank you for your concise and informative information.

    ReplyDelete
  32. IşıkThursday, April 9, 2009 at 11:48:00 PM PDT

    Thank so much for putting it accross so simple and convincingly.

    ReplyDelete
  33. carolineTuesday, April 21, 2009 at 6:22:00 AM PDT

    Thanks; you've saved me countless hours of procrastination over this :)

    ReplyDelete
  34. BrainOrbTuesday, April 28, 2009 at 5:37:00 PM PDT

    "Blogger Surya said...

    This is a unique post that is an unusually useful."

    The correct is: This is a unique post that is unusually useful.

    Don't use articles with adjectives and adverbs, please, just with nouns.

    ReplyDelete
  35. AnonymousWednesday, April 29, 2009 at 11:01:00 AM PDT

    Thanks a lot!

    ReplyDelete
  36. whitechacoTuesday, May 12, 2009 at 6:49:00 PM PDT

    what about before acronyms? would it be an or a (for example) MP3 ? or would it vary by sound?

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  37. ElfTuesday, May 12, 2009 at 9:37:00 PM PDT

    Excellent follow-up question. It's based on the way the abbreviation is pronounced. So if you pronounce MP as "mip" it would be "a MP". If you pronounce MP as "em pee", it would be "an MP." (I don't know of anyone who pronounces that particular one--MP3--as "mip 3", but it was a good example for something that COULD be pronounced in two different ways.)

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  38. Aman ChawlaWednesday, June 3, 2009 at 4:29:00 AM PDT

    Short and precise.
    Thank you.

    ReplyDelete
  39. Aman ChawlaWednesday, June 3, 2009 at 4:30:00 AM PDT

    Short and precise.
    Thank you.

    ReplyDelete
  40. Daniele BazzanoSaturday, June 6, 2009 at 4:39:00 AM PDT

    Straight and to the point. Thanks!

    ReplyDelete
  41. AnonymousWednesday, June 10, 2009 at 2:03:00 AM PDT

    Surya: - "This is a unique post that is an unusually useful."

    Brainorb: - The correct is: This is a unique post that is unusually useful.


    This is a unique post that is an unusually useful one -- is also correct?
    or
    This is a unique post WHICH is an unusually useful one?

    ReplyDelete
  42. AnonymousWednesday, June 10, 2009 at 6:11:00 AM PDT

    Muchas Gracias!!!

    ReplyDelete
  43. ElfWednesday, June 10, 2009 at 10:34:00 AM PDT

    THAT or WHICH: Excellent question. So I just created a new post on that topic. Hope it's clear enough. Let me know if it makes sense or if you have other questions!

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  44. AnonymousFriday, June 26, 2009 at 4:18:00 PM PDT

    thanks xD

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  45. AnonymousMonday, June 29, 2009 at 4:03:00 AM PDT

    Thanks

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  46. AnonymousTuesday, July 14, 2009 at 12:49:00 PM PDT

    Thanks

    ReplyDelete
  47. AnonymousTuesday, July 14, 2009 at 12:49:00 PM PDT

    Thanks

    ReplyDelete
  48. AnonymousFriday, July 17, 2009 at 5:37:00 PM PDT

    thanks very much :-)

    ReplyDelete
  49. FabianoSaturday, July 18, 2009 at 11:44:00 AM PDT

    Cool! One more I`ve learned. Cheers!

    ReplyDelete
  50. AnonymousFriday, July 24, 2009 at 12:58:00 PM PDT

    interesting, I was intrigued by the ortographic correction suggested and decided to google it, didn't know about that one. Regards from Brazil.

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  51. AnonymousMonday, August 17, 2009 at 12:51:00 PM PDT

    True that. I was not sure either. "an unique" does not sound right

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  52. AnonymousMonday, August 24, 2009 at 3:51:00 AM PDT

    was confused with 'an' or 'a' unique, googled it, and here it is. thx a lot

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  53. AnonymousThursday, September 3, 2009 at 5:43:00 AM PDT

    This is fantastic info! Thanks!

    ReplyDelete
  54. AnonymousThursday, September 17, 2009 at 9:57:00 PM PDT

    so much praise!!!!!!!!!

    ReplyDelete
  55. ElfThursday, September 17, 2009 at 10:01:00 PM PDT

    Wish I could think of posts that are this useful all the time! :-)

    ReplyDelete
  56. AnonymousMonday, September 21, 2009 at 3:41:00 PM PDT

    tanks buabe

    ReplyDelete
  57. UnknownThursday, September 24, 2009 at 5:33:00 AM PDT

    Thank you very much for the explanation!

    ReplyDelete
  58. UnknownTuesday, October 6, 2009 at 12:45:00 AM PDT

    Thanks ELF,

    I just wanted to be clear on a unique or an unique...
    You finally convinced me...

    ReplyDelete
  59. AnonymousWednesday, November 11, 2009 at 1:49:00 PM PST

    i can't believe that on my first google search for 'a unique' i found your page! Great tip - thank you.

    ReplyDelete
  60. AnonymousSaturday, November 14, 2009 at 9:09:00 AM PST

    This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

    ReplyDelete
  61. AnonymousMonday, November 30, 2009 at 10:44:00 PM PST

    I just got confused about this for like 20 seconds. Thank you

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  62. ChloéTuesday, December 1, 2009 at 12:53:00 AM PST

    Thanks a lot! That helped!

    ReplyDelete
  63. :)Tuesday, December 1, 2009 at 4:18:00 AM PST

    nice post... u have no idea how usful this was

    ReplyDelete
  64. TechBasixThursday, December 10, 2009 at 11:12:00 AM PST

    Thanx! I knew what sounded right but wasn't quite sure!

    ReplyDelete
  65. Jeff HoweTuesday, January 5, 2010 at 12:57:00 PM PST

    But what's interesting here is that a grammatical rule follows phonetics and common usage rather than grammatical formalism. This makes it seem slippery and vague to me——a commendation for the dictum: "if it sounds right, then use it."——but then I suppose common usage is behind most of our grammatical rules (which would make them not rules at all, but rather constantly evolving rules of thumb.)

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  66. ElfTuesday, January 5, 2010 at 1:13:00 PM PST

    Jeff, this is no different from how one refers to acronyms/abbreviations. For example, "an HTML document" vs "a HTML document." If we pronounced it "HITmil," for example, it would be "a HTML document," but we don't, we pronounce it "aitch tee em ell," so its initial component is a vowel sound "ai...", hence "an HTML doc." Neither of these are inconsistent for the rules of the rest of our language: Words that start with a vowel sound (anteater, emu, impala, octopus, undergarment) take "an" and those that start with a consonant sound (begonia, carnival, unit, etc.) take "a". I don't think anyone would argue that it should be "an unit."

    I *would* argue that we have at any time a set of valid grammar rules. But, yes, they evolve, just like traffic laws have evolved to encompass the way we drive. The fact that they evolve with usage doesn't make them merely "guidelines" instead of "laws."

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  67. ElfTuesday, January 5, 2010 at 1:15:00 PM PST

    And, I should add, these rules are no different from what is seen in some other languages--the correct form is based on the sound of the following word. For example, in french, le or la become l' before vowel sounds.

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  68. AnonymousTuesday, January 19, 2010 at 8:38:00 AM PST

    I did know that it was 'a unique' but wanted to know why as I needed to convince someone :-). Your post solved the problem. Thanks for the explanation. It must feel great to see that a post in 2005 is still being referred in 2010. Kudos to you!

    From India

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  69. AnonymousMonday, February 1, 2010 at 7:05:00 PM PST

    The writer of wordwhirled.blogspot.com has written a superior article. I got your point and there is nothing to argue about. It is like the following universal truth that you can not disagree with: There is no greater personal triumph than filling your tank with more litres of fuel than you have ever achieved before. I will be back.

    ReplyDelete
  70. Ponsakthi AnandWednesday, February 3, 2010 at 2:58:00 AM PST

    Thanks for your explaination

    ReplyDelete
  71. AnonymousSunday, February 21, 2010 at 10:49:00 AM PST

    Thank you! I have a book report due tomorrow and I was completely at a loss!

    ReplyDelete
  72. AnonymousWednesday, March 31, 2010 at 6:31:00 PM PDT

    thank you

    ReplyDelete
  73. AnonymousSunday, April 18, 2010 at 10:02:00 AM PDT

    Thanks a lot for this information. I really got benefit of it.

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  74. AnonymousFriday, April 23, 2010 at 7:41:00 PM PDT

    yhx :)
    very clear

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  75. AnonymousSunday, May 2, 2010 at 3:51:00 AM PDT

    Habeis puesto tanto gracias que no se sabe cual es la respuesta, pesados! ¬¬

    ReplyDelete
  76. AnonymousMonday, May 10, 2010 at 1:33:00 PM PDT

    haha, you have no idea how long I've been wondering this...

    ReplyDelete
  77. AnonymousSunday, May 23, 2010 at 3:05:00 PM PDT

    five years later and still useful! Thanks!

    ReplyDelete
  78. Too Tired to ThinkWednesday, June 2, 2010 at 8:38:00 PM PDT

    Thank you, I should have known this, but being that is late and I've been working on a Biology paper for the past six hours or so I'm starting to lose my mind...Hence my rambling.
    Thanks for clearing up this little dilemma.

    ReplyDelete
  79. Generic ViagraMonday, June 7, 2010 at 2:06:00 AM PDT

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  80. Kamagra OnlineMonday, June 7, 2010 at 2:08:00 AM PDT

    I appreciate your way of expressing feeling and technical aspects through words.Great article post.

    ReplyDelete
  81. AnonymousFriday, June 18, 2010 at 1:05:00 PM PDT

    Sometimes it amazes me how after 28 years of speaking this language I always seem to find something new. Thanks for the help!

    ReplyDelete
  82. AnonymousWednesday, September 1, 2010 at 7:17:00 PM PDT

    This is brilliant, thanks from Paris
    Jean

    ReplyDelete
  83. fuzzyFriday, September 10, 2010 at 11:34:00 AM PDT

    helps quite a but. I never knew that

    ReplyDelete
  84. AnonymousThursday, September 30, 2010 at 6:29:00 PM PDT

    nice explanation... I never really thought of this before.

    chances

    ReplyDelete
  85. UnknownThursday, October 7, 2010 at 3:08:00 AM PDT

    Excellent explanation. Thank you very much!

    ReplyDelete
  86. GlenSaturday, October 9, 2010 at 9:20:00 AM PDT

    It is funny how when you write or speak "a unique" vs. "an unique" it is fairly instinctual to know which one is correct. But being a person who always seeks out understanding, I am elated to find a great explanation. Thank you Mr. Elf. Now I'm off to explore why it is "an hour" and not "a hour". - LOL

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  87. ElfSunday, October 10, 2010 at 6:22:00 PM PDT

    "An hour" not "a hour"--because once again it starts with a vowel sound ("hour" starting sound is the same as "our" or "ow"). Hence, an hour.

    ReplyDelete
  88. AnonymousSaturday, October 23, 2010 at 6:25:00 AM PDT

    Greetings,

    I have a inquiry for the webmaster/admin here at www.blogger.com.

    May I use some of the information from your post above if I give a link back to your site?

    Thanks,
    Peter

    ReplyDelete
  89. ElfSaturday, October 23, 2010 at 2:58:00 PM PDT

    I'm responsible for wordwhirled.blogspot.com, not the whole www.blogger.com. Yes you may use some of this if you point back to here.

    ReplyDelete
  90. AnonymousSunday, October 24, 2010 at 6:55:00 AM PDT

    This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

    ReplyDelete
  91. AnonymousTuesday, November 2, 2010 at 4:58:00 AM PDT

    thanks, this is very helpful

    ReplyDelete
  92. AnonymousTuesday, November 2, 2010 at 3:58:00 PM PDT

    merci beacoup

    ReplyDelete
  93. ElfTuesday, November 2, 2010 at 4:27:00 PM PDT

    a votre service!

    ReplyDelete
  94. generic viagraTuesday, November 16, 2010 at 11:08:00 PM PST

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  95. ElfTuesday, November 16, 2010 at 11:25:00 PM PST

    Thanks for the nice note, "generic viagra", but I've removed your post because your "user name" link seems to be a way to get people to go to your web site.

    ReplyDelete
  96. ElfTuesday, December 7, 2010 at 8:20:00 AM PST

    Sorry, folks, I'm turning off comments on this post; I have to clear spam almost daily now.

    ReplyDelete

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