> A friend and I were recently discussing the "an/a rule". He had written a letter and used the phrase "...an historical website...". I told him it should have been "...a historical website...". The website he had written the letter too even complimented him on his use of "an historical".
>
> The an/a rule, if I remember correctly, is purely phonetic. Use "a" for a consonant sound and "an" for a vowel sound. Therefore, it should be "a historical website". Right??
>
> Kel"can't think of an quote"ly

It depends on how you pronounce it. If you skip the H then you would put "an" in front of it. I've never, ever heard anyone say it without the H, though.

-eric "Yeah, that sort of thing bugs me, too." sleator
Fri 22 Sep A.D.2000