Question for a grammar snob!

[Iowa Lizzy]

So, I''ve got a weird question: When you''re typing (about diamonds, of course!) do you write "a RB" or "an RB?" Since "r" is a consonant, I wouldn''t put "an" in front of it. BUT, if you say "RB" out loud, you would SAY "an" before, right?

This is a question I would normally ask my mother (the english major) or my friend (the copy writer) but I have a feeling they''d ask "why on earth do you care?" And then I''d have to explain my addiction to PS.

It''s just bothering me. Can anyone answer this or do I have to dig out my old MLA and AP Style books from college?

Liz

 

[bee*]

I wouldn't be 100% sure but I don't think that I'd say "an" RB if I was talking.

ETA-now I'm not sure-I keep going over it in my head and it's confusing me too!

 

[Lexie]

I''m pretty sure that you would say "a" RB, as opposed to "an" RB.

Essentially, the choice of the article is based on how the first letter of the word is pronounced, and not how the first letter of the word is written; therefore, since the "R" in RB makes a consonant-type sound, you would use "a."

 

[Fancy605]

Date: 7/12/2008 2:08:31 PM
Author: Lexie
I''m pretty sure that you would say ''a'' RB, as opposed to ''an'' RB.


Essentially, the choice of the article is based on how the first letter of the word is pronounced, and not how the first letter of the word is written; therefore, since the ''R'' in RB makes a consonant-type sound, you would use ''a.''

I agree.

Plus, if you were talking, you wouldn''t say "RB," you''d say "a round brilliant." "RB" is just a short cut we use for typing because we are lazy. When I see "RB" typed, I hear it is "RB" in my head, but I really ought to completely decode it and hear it as "Round Brilliant."

 

[Iowa Lizzy]

I keep thinking of the fast food chain "Arby''s." And the "R" for RB is pronounced the same as the restaurant. And if I were speaking (and yes I realize, Arby''s begins with a vowel) I''d say for example "I''d like an Arby''s sandwich." So I feel like I''d say, "I''d like to look at an RB diamond."

Since the letter "r" is pronounced "are" I am getting all sorts of confused.

What about the soda "RC Cola?" Wouldn''t you say, "I''m thirsty for an RC Cola?"

 

[Iowa Lizzy]

I am completely overthinking this.

 

[brazen_irish_hussy]

I type is as "a", but I do pronounce it as "an" when speaking because "an" is based on sound and it is a vowel sound, that''s why you intuitively want to make it "an". It like "an hour", h is not a vowel, but because of the way it is said, it is a vowel sound, hence the "an". I hope I am making sense, cultural linguistics was such a long time ago.

 

[Lexie]

Date: 7/12/2008 2:19:23 PM
Author: Iowa Lizzy
I keep thinking of the fast food chain 'Arby's.' And the 'R' for RB is pronounced the same as the restaurant. And if I were speaking (and yes I realize, Arby's begins with a vowel) I'd say for example 'I'd like an Arby's sandwich.' So I feel like I'd say, 'I'd like to look at an RB diamond.'


Since the letter 'r' is pronounced 'are' I am getting all sorts of confused.


What about the soda 'RC Cola?' Wouldn't you say, 'I'm thirsty for an RC Cola?'

Oh! Hm.. I see what you mean now, Liz.

Whenever I see the abbreviation "RB", I automatically think of it as the spelled out version ("round brilliant") in my head, which is why I'd be more inclined to precede it by "a." But if you're looking at the abbreviation and simply see the two letters for what they are, an "R" and a "B" to represent the shortened form, and pronounce it as such, then I suppose that you would indeed use "an."

 

[gemgirl]

It''s definitely "a RB diamond"

 

[Elmorton]

I''m going with "an RB" for the reason you point out - but I''d also like to say that if I saw "a RB" here, I definitely wouldn''t flinch. While PS tends to be a very well-written crowd, it''s not exactly a major grammatical faux pas.

Btw, IowaLizzy, nice to see another Iowan here! I think there''s the grand total of 5 of us now!

 

[VRBeauty]

Not a wierd question at all! I use a lot of acronyms in my writing at work (gotta love the beaurocracy

) so I've looked this up more than once. I go with "an" -- as does this reference:

http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/abbreviations.htm

Using articles with abbreviations and acronyms:
One of the most often asked questions about grammar has to do with the choice of articles — a, an, the — to precede an abbreviation or acronym. Do we say an FBI agent or a FBI agent? Although "F" is obviously a consonant and we would precede any word that begins with "F" with "a," we precede FBI with "an" because the first sound we make when we say FBI is not an "f-sound," it is an "eff-sound." Thus we say we're going to a PTO meeting where an NCO will address us. We say we saw a UFO because, although the abbreviation begins with a 'U," we pronounce the "U" as if it were spelled "yoo." Whether we say an URL or a URL depends on whether we pronounce it as "earl" or as "u*r*l."


BTW, one of my personal pet grammar peeves is newscasters who insist that something was an historic event.

No dearie, it might have been an hour that will be recorded in history, but that still makes it a historic event!

 

[LaraOnline]

Date: 7/12/2008 1:43:01 PM
Author: bee*
I wouldn''t be 100% sure but I don''t think that I''d say ''an'' RB if I was talking.


ETA-now I''m not sure-I keep going over it in my head and it''s confusing me too!

You''ve probably sorted this out by now, but I feel certain that ''a'' RB is the correct response.

 

[Kaleigh]

A RB seems correct to me.

 

[Regular Guy]

Date: 7/12/2008 5:37:35 PM
Author: MINIMS
Not a wierd question at all! I use a lot of acronyms in my writing at work (gotta love the beaurocracy

) so I''ve looked this up more than once. I go with ''an'' -- as does this reference:

http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/abbreviations.htm

Using articles with abbreviations and acronyms:
One of the most often asked questions about grammar has to do with the choice of articles — a, an, the — to precede an abbreviation or acronym. Do we say an FBI agent or a FBI agent? Although ''F'' is obviously a consonant and we would precede any word that begins with ''F'' with ''a,'' we precede FBI with ''an'' because the first sound we make when we say FBI is not an ''f-sound,'' it is an ''eff-sound.'' Thus we say we''re going to a PTO meeting where an NCO will address us. We say we saw a UFO because, although the abbreviation begins with a ''U,'' we pronounce the ''U'' as if it were spelled ''yoo.'' Whether we say an URL or a URL depends on whether we pronounce it as ''earl'' or as ''u*r*l.''


BTW, one of my personal pet grammar peeves is newscasters who insist that something was an historic event.

No dearie, it might have been an hour that will be recorded in history, but that still makes it a historic event!

This seems well researched and correct to me!

 

[LuckyTexan]

When using an acronym you treat the acronym like you would if it was a spoken word... EXAMPLE: USA is YOU ESS AYE so we would say A USA product, not AN USA product... if it was a freestanding word, like udder you would say AN udder because the spoken sound is a vowel.

RB is said ARE BEE so... AN RB is correct.

ROFL at your hesitation to ask a person IRL... I wouldn''t either! LOL! I''m a closet PS''er too

 

[LaraOnline]

Sorry, are we pronouncing the letter-names, or the full words: ''Round Brilliant''?
Now, I''m confuzzled! I just assumed we were using internet shorthand for the full words! Sorry...
so ''A Round Brilliant''...
and ''An RB'' (sounds like a make of car, doesn''t it)

sounds right to me

 

[arjunajane]

If we are talking about the actual words - then A Round Brilliant.
If we are talking about the abbreviation, then yes, An RB.

 

[Iowa Lizzy]

Thanks to everyone who replied. I think we got it sorted out!


MINIMS: Thanks so much. I was trying to think of other words that begin with consonants yet deserve an "an" in front of them. All I could come up with at the time was "hour." I love that the site used "FBI Agent." I couldn''t think of a better example, so that was much appreciated!

Once I have a question like this I can''t stop thinking about it until it gets answered. So thanks everyone, now I can officially sleep at night! Tee hee!

 

[krispi]

I think it all depends on how you pronounce it in your head while you''re reading it. The abbreviations on PS aren''t as well-used as others that occur in "real life" (like FBI) so I have a tendency to substitute the real words for abbreviations on here. Therefore, I would use "a". But some actually hear the letters pronounced in their head, so for them "an" seems correct.