Once again it’s time for a historic Quiz Bowl. Okay, maybe historic is a bit much, but I’m trying to make a point here. The point has to do with the subject of this month’s AMA Manual of Style quiz—articles. Is it a historic or an historic Quiz Bowl? Did you guess a historic? If so, you’re right. The article a is used before the aspirate h (eg, a historic occasion) and nonvocalic y (eg, a ubiquitous organism) (§11.9, Articles, p 412 in print).
Try another example from this month’s quiz.
The physician told that patient that he should have a/an ultrasound examination performed.
Here’s a hint. Sometimes it helps to read the sentence aloud.
The answer is as follows (use your mouse to highlight the text box):
The physician told that patient that he should have an ultrasound examination performed.
Words beginning with vowels are preceded by a or an according to the sound following (in this case, the u sound) (§11.9, Articles, p 412 in print).
Sound plays an important role in determining whether to use a or an. Test your skills by taking the full Articles Quiz on the AMA Manual of Style online. It will be a (or is that an?) unique experience.—Laura King, MA, ELS
I never realized that it is “a” and not “an” before ubiquitous and unique. Thanks for a wonderful fun quiz.
You have share buttons for facebook/Twitter etc. Is there a way I could share the link on LinkedIn?
Not to be snarky, but isn’t this also an example of an unclear pronoun error? Technically, either the physician or the patient could be getting the ultrasound, depending on how you read the sentence.