"An Hilarious" - Help!

Thank you everyone. I'm sticking to "an hilarous" because that's the way I'd say it. My grandfather, who was an author told me yonks ago that hotel should be pronounced "'otel". And come to think of it, when you have just one word in quotation marks, it kind of seems a bit ridiculous to place the following comma or full stop (period for you Americans) before the final quotation marks, although I'm sure that's the correct procedure.

well it only sounds weird if you actually bothjer to pronounce the 'h' of hotel. Me, most of my family and most of the citizens of the North, South, East and West would probably, without thinking, say "I've been to an 'otel" same as an 'oliday or an 'aircut

*An* followed by an *H* (hilarious, hotel, whatever) is often correct written English. In spoken English, though, it is incorrect to sound the letter *H* if you use *an*. It is considered better to use the indef art *a* if you intend to follow up with an *H* sound. Cheers -- Neil

"I watched an hilarious film the other day" is something an old lady in a sitcom would say - e.g. Hyacinth Bucket or Margo Leadbetter. Neil above is right. You don't need 'an' unless the following word starts with a vowel sound. For further practice: [%sig%]

'An hilarious film' is correct.

But sounds ridiculous. As does An Hotel, which is also correct.

And an history book, which is correct too. Or is it? I had this discussion with my A level English teacher years ago. I was told that although it was still acceptable English to use that form it is nevertheless considered an antiquated form and has been superceded by the more common 'a' inplace of 'an'. The use of 'an' was always coupled with a silent following 'h'. Personally, I was taught the old fashioned way and still use it. It also pisses me off that a pint of beer is now £2/6/0d and when I get it, it is 55 degrees fahrenheit.

While we're on the subject of correct terminology (and sorry to hijack another thread) can someone exlain why we say that wind that is heading towards the East is a Westerly wind? I know it's coming from the West but surely if it's Westerly then it should be heading towards the West. If I asked where you had gone and someone said "he set off in an Easterly direction" I'd head East to look for you. Updraughts don't blow downwards for God's sake.

sorry, it's me. I forgot to change my name back after posting on the party thread! bloody trolling, never again!

*sends out a search party in all directions for Ely*

Try Cambridgeshire. You can't lose Ely, it's got a cathedral that stands out for miles above the fens.

I think it's just because it's more useful information to know where the wind comes from (as opposed to where it's going). Winds from the north tend to be colder, winds coming from the sea tend to carry more moisture etc.

I'm here!!! I'm Alive!!! Dan, that's fine but just call them Westerly winds if they head west, we still know where they come from because of where they're headed. "there are severe weather fronts over Birmingham, with Westerly winds up to gale force 8 in places"... everyone in Wales would be battening down the hatches while us unsuspecting fools in East Anglia were touching down amongst the Munchkins!

And likewise we still know where their headed, because of where they come from. The only people I can think of who would care more where it's going than where it came from would be hot air balloonists. And the decision was probably made in olden time long before they existed. I wonder if it's a worldwide thing or if other countries do it differently. I wouldn't be suprised if American weather forecasts have it the other way round, after all their direction of bouyage is wrong.

As far as I'm concerned, I would much rather know the direction from which the wind has come from...after all, the effect of it is that it carries stuff along with it and we need to know what's coming. Just cautious, me.

luckily I hide under three mountains so miss out on all this strong winds - but if heavy rain is forecast then please warn me I live on a flood flats of a river - but I won't be living here for much longer - anyone got any packing boxes I could lend?

I dont care how it's described as long as the ambiguity is removed, a Westerly wind is heading East, a Westerly journey is headed West. that's not right! If it's coming from the North then call it a North Wind perhaps, giving it a name relating to its origin, simple really

I just had this conversation with a friend today and Googled it to find this thread. I use the aforementioned "if the h is silent, use an". Saying "I had an hamburger" or "People who use 'an' too frequently belong in an hellbound inferno" just sound odd and I will pipe the face off of any fool using it. I repeat, I will pipe their face - clean off. Regards, Cobby

I don't like 'an' in front of h-words unless the h is silent - hour, heir, honour. That is a sensible rule, because you are pronouncing a vowel sound which seems wrong with an 'a' instead of an 'an'. However, it has been rigorously proved to me by an expert in grammar that the other use is acceptable. However, it makes me utterly utterly balk and it is shabby. I no longer pull people up on it, because it is now acceptable, for reasons I cannot understand or explain, but it will still make me look at you askance in an electronic manner if you do it...

All over an "an" Mr Cobby my you do sound dangerous still at least you can't pipe my face off as that went years ago...

Ely what you put sounds exactly the way I speak as being as common as muck I drop all my h's as for grammar I went one day a week to a college round here for three years to be taught it and apart from always being the oldest in the classes but also enjoying every minute off it sad to say and with bags! of regret I came out as green as I went in as it never did sink in but the experience was great!! and both Teachers and much younger pupil's were so nice and kind to me still wish I was there now, there is a saying its never to late but writing this has just made me realize and again its sad that for some things it could be. Now there a thought and as such will be trying not to dwell on to much...

I always thought that an was used before vowel sounds and a was used before consonant sounds. Don't remember the silent h thing...., good thread.

I thought that was what I said, Andrew.

Accordin to my Cousin, English teacher 2:1 masters in English from Dundee "always an an in front of an h"

well an hotel is correct but hotel is a french word so its a weird one. I say an historic an hotel an honourable (or anything-else with a silent H) evering thing else is "a" but like most of my grammar/ spelling it is entirely idosynchratic and follows no logical rules

It is exactly what you said George, but this is the first time I have ever been able to bring myself to say it, and there are those here who may recall my utter abhorrence of the phrase 'an hotel', sp this is me sort of backing down. I can never understand why fahrenheit and ounces make sense to people older and younger than me, yet those of us unlucky enough to be born around 1970 have no idea whether it is going to be sunny or not on any given day. Is shameful really, given my interest in science that I have no idea of the freezing or boiling point of water in Fahrenheit.

"An historic" sounds ok, but "an hotel" is dire. I used to work in a travel agents, for an enormously fat, sweaty and upwardly mobile man called Oswald. Every time he said "an hotel" I wanted to smack his face with the Thomsons Summer Sun brochure hard.