Quote:
Originally Posted by X Foomph
...could someone please elaborate on the correct usage of the words 'a' and 'an'. I find myself perplexed sometimes as I try to get my get head around the proper usage, moreso of the word 'an'.
With some sentences it is quite easy and self explanatory, such as 'an X5 drove by' as opposed to 'a X5 drove by'. My understanding is that the former is correct. However, if one was to say 'My X5 needs a supercharger' or 'My X5 needs an supercharger', which one is correct? 
It's no biggy, I'd just like to know the correct grammar  |
If the word following begins with a vowel sound, the word you want is “an”: “Have an apple, Adam.” If the word following begins with a consonant, but begins with a vowel sound, you still need “an”: “An X-ray will show whether there's a worm in it.” It is nonstandard and often considered sloppy speech to utter an “uh” sound in such cases.
The same rule applies to initialisms like “NGO” (for “non-governmental organization”). Because the letter
N is pronounced “en,” it’s “an NGO” but when the phrase is spoken instead of the abbreviation, it’s “a non-governmental organization.”
When the following word definitely begins with a consonant sound, you need “a”: “A snake told me apples enhance mental abilities.”
Note that the letter
Y can be either a vowel or a consonant. Although it is sounded as a vowel in words like “pretty,” at the beginning of words it is usually sounded as a consonant, as in “a yolk.”