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Davide K
A US citizen or an US citizen ? Why ?
Jun 4, 2021 2:33 AM
Answers · 5
3
A US [yu-ess] citizen
The rule for "a" or "an" is a phonetic rule, not an orthographic rule.
The rule is "an" before a noun group that begins with a vowel sound (not a vowel letter).
an apple
a red apple
a banana
an old banana
"an" is used before a noun group that begins with a silent "h."
an hour
a hat
"a" is used before words that start with "u" when "u" is pronounced as "yu."
a university (yuniversity)
a universal truth (yuniversal)
an ugly dog
June 4, 2021
Hi Davide, the corre
June 4, 2021
a US
June 4, 2021
"A US citizen"
This has to do with the pronunciation. You only use "an" when there is a vowel sound, but the letter "U" has a consonant sound because it is literally pronounced as "yoo". Hopefully that makes sense. If anyone has anything to add, definitely do so!
June 4, 2021
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Davide K
Language Skills
Chinese (Mandarin), Chinese (Cantonese), English, Italian, Japanese, Korean
Learning Language
English, Italian, Korean
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