XPost: alt.movies.tim-burton, rec.arts.movies.past-films, rec.arts.tv   
   XPost: alt.cult-movies.cronenberg   
   From: rl3166pls@excite.com   
      
   Mason Barge wrote:   
   > On Tue, 11 Dec 2012 19:13:43 -0500, Michael Black    
   > wrote:   
   >   
   >> On Tue, 11 Dec 2012, Mason Barge wrote:   
   >>   
   >>> On Tue, 11 Dec 2012 12:46:40 -0700, Howard Brazee   
   >>>  wrote:   
   >>>   
   >>>> On Tue, 11 Dec 2012 10:31:04 -0800 (PST), moviePig   
   >>>>  wrote:   
   >>>>   
   >>>>>> And a horrendous amount of pomposity.   
   >>>>>   
   >>>>> Please.  You mean AN horrendous amount of.....  Oh, wait...   
   >>>>   
   >>>> I know you're kidding, but you pressed one of my buttons.   In   
   >>>> places where "H" isn't silent, why do people want to stick an "an"   
   >>>> in front of the word?   
   >>>   
   >>> It's an historical usage.   
   >>>   
   >>> It sounds good or bad depending on what you're used to. I actually   
   >>> will use "an" before an unstressed "hi" even in speech sometimes.   
   >>>   
   >> Yes, that one sounds right.  Actually it works the other way too.   
   >> "an horrendous" doesn't.   
   >   
   > I actually like "an horrendous" okay.  Either's good.   
      
   I think 'an horrendous' is correct.  I think the correct rule is to use 'an'   
   if the 'h' is silent or if the first syllable is not empasized.  One   
   interesting thing is the pronunciation of 'a' when it is used.  Part of the   
   time the long 'a' ('a' as in cane) sounds right, but often the schwa sound   
   is used ('uh' as in dummy).   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)