在課上有學生問我大學ＵＮＩＶＥＲＳＩＴＹ前是用＂a＂ 還是用＂an＂？

大多數人認為這個問題很簡單．當然是用＂an＂了，我說為什么呢？他們回答說因為ＵＮＩＶＥＲＳＩＴＹ是以元音Ｕ開頭的，所以要用＂an＂．到底哪個是正確的呢？

我查了幾個國內的語法書，很多只是告訴你答案卻不告訴你為什么這樣．只是讓我們去死記一條規則．那么我們來看看美國人是如何來回答這一問題的：）

We use a before singular count-nouns that begin with consonants (a cow, a barn, a sheep); we use an before singular count-nouns that begin with vowels or vowel-like sounds (an apple, an urban blight, an open door). Words that begin with an h sound often require an a (as in a horse, a history book, a hotel), but if an h-word begins with an actual vowel sound, use an an (as in an hour, an honor). We would say a useful device and a union matter because the u of those words actually sounds like yoo (as opposed, say, to the u of an ugly incident). The same is true of a European and a Euro (because of that consonantal “Yoo” sound). We would say a once-in-a-lifetime experience or a one-time hero because the words once and one begin with a w sound (as if they were spelled wuntz and won).

Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary says that we can use an before an h- word that begins with an unstressed syllable. Thus, we might say an hisTORical moment, but we would say a HIStory book. Many writers would call that an affectation and prefer that we say a historical, but apparently, this choice is a matter of personal taste.

大家看清楚了沒有，原來是因為大學的第一個字母發／ju:／,而/j/是個輔音．

看多了國外人講的語法發現一個問題，很多國內很牛的語法書差不多都是把國外人講的翻譯了一下而已．而且還變的面目可憎．失去了語法的趣味性．所以還是建議大家直接去看原版的語法書。