Re: Another load of typos

[Thomas Bushnell BSG <tb@becket.net>]

Will Newton <will@misconception.org.uk> writes:

> On Thursday 17 March 2005 03:16, Florian Zumbiehl wrote:
> 
> > ... and probably not for (that is, not unless you tell me otherwise):
> > > HPGL
> > > HTML
> > > HTTPS
> 
> Traditionally I think these would use "an". Even if you pronounce "h" as 
> "haich" rather than "aich" as another poster pointed out, many words 
> beginning with "h" such as "historic" or "horrendous" require "an" in formal 
> writing e.g. "an historic achievement".

Actually, the word "historic" in the phrase "an historic achievement"
is not pronounced by most speakers with a leading "H" even though in
other contexts it usually does.  Correct American English *always*
puts an N when there is a consonant, and *never* puts one when there
isn't, and the rule is how you actually pronounce the word, not how it
happens to be spelled.

The best advice for the cases which very by which side of the Atlantic
you are on is to consistently pick one or the other.  The best advice
for the cases which depend on how you pronounce an acronym is to
reword the sentence so that no reader will stumble.

Thomas