在课上有学生问我大学ＵＮＩＶＥＲＳＩＴＹ前是用＂a＂ 还是用＂an＂？

大多数人认为这个问题很简单．当然是用＂an＂了，我说为什么呢？他们回答说因为ＵＮＩＶＥＲＳＩＴＹ是以元音Ｕ开头的，所以要用＂an＂．到底哪个是正确的呢？

我查了几个国内的语法书，很多只是告诉你答案却不告诉你为什么这样．只是让我们去死记一条规则．那么我们来看看美国人是如何来回答这一问题的：）

We use a before singular count-nouns that begin with consonants (a cow, a barn, a sheep); we use an before singular count-nouns that begin with vowels or vowel-like sounds (an apple, an urban blight, an open door). Words that begin with an h sound often require an a (as in a horse, a history book, a hotel), but if an h-word begins with an actual vowel sound, use an an (as in an hour, an honor). We would say a useful device and a union matter because the u of those words actually sounds like yoo (as opposed, say, to the u of an ugly incident). The same is true of a European and a Euro (because of that consonantal “Yoo” sound). We would say a once-in-a-lifetime experience or a one-time hero because the words once and one begin with a w sound (as if they were spelled wuntz and won).

Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary says that we can use an before an h- word that begins with an unstressed syllable. Thus, we might say an hisTORical moment, but we would say a HIStory book. Many writers would call that an affectation and prefer that we say a historical, but apparently, this choice is a matter of personal taste.

大家看清楚了没有，原来是因为大学的第一个字母发／ju:／,而/j/是个辅音．

看多了国外人讲的语法发现一个问题，很多国内很牛的语法书差不多都是把国外人讲的翻译了一下而已．而且还变的面目可憎．失去了语法的趣味性．所以还是建议大家直接去看原版的语法书。