an
part of speech
article (an — the form of «a» before a vowel sound)
meaning for a pupil
1) An is a small word used before a word that starts with a vowel sound, like an apple, an egg or an hour. It means one. tree →
2) In rates «an» means each or per: «60 km an hour», «5 dollars an hour». tree →
3) (casual) In quick talk «an» is often swallowed or turned into «a»: «a apple» is heard but wrong in writing. tree →
4) (casual) «'n'» or «an'» is a clipped «and»: «fish 'n' chips», «me an' him»; this is a different word. tree →
5) (formal, old) Some formal writers still use «an» before a sounded h: «an historic day», «an hotel». tree →
sense in the lessons
In school maths: means one of something before a vowel sound; in rates it means «each» or «per», as in «an hour», so the total is rate × time. In everyday reading: «an» shows a new thing in a story, «the» shows one we already know («an owl... the owl»). In casual talk: «an hour» is often «an hr» in texts. In the exam voice: «per hour», «at a rate of 5 dollars per hour». Phrases: «an hour», «an apple a day», «once an hour», «an hour and a half».
examples
- Sam has an apple and 3 pears. tree →
- A car goes 60 kilometres an hour. tree →
- She earns 5 dollars an hour. tree →
- An egg costs 20 cents. tree →
- An elephant is the biggest land animal. tree →
- We waited for an hour and a half. tree →
- An owl lived in the tree; the owl hooted all night. tree →
- It is an honour to meet you. tree →
- been waiting like an hr, where r u (casual) tree →
- 5 bucks an hour?? that's a rip-off (casual) tree →
- An 8 and an 18 are both even. tree →
- Remuneration is at a rate of 5 dollars per hour; compute the earnings for a period of 6 hours. (formal exam) tree →
- Then an idea came to him. tree →
note
Use «an» before a vowel sound, not just a vowel letter: «an hour», «an honest boy» (silent h), but «a uniform», «a one-way street» (they start with a «y» or «w» sound). Numbers follow the sound: «an 8», «an 11», «an 18», but «a 1» and «a 7». Maths: «an» can stand for the number one. In «miles an hour» or «dollars an hour» it marks a rate, so the total is rate × time. Trap: forgetting that «an orange» counts as 1. Formal «per» = an in rates. Casual «'n'» means and, not an.
In the corpora
- A job interview is a meeting where an employer asks questions to decide whom to hire; several people usually compete for one job.
- A pay rise is an increase in pay; some come each year, others have to be asked for.
- An employment tribunal is a kind of court for work disputes, such as being sacked unfairly or not being paid what is owed.
- An inheritance is money or belongings left by someone who has died, as written in their will.
- An overdraft lets you spend below zero, which is borrowing, and banks charge high interest on it.
Trees and pragmatics
Every meaning and example of «an» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.