'a' or 'an' before abbreviations and acronyms?
In yesterday's post, we talked about using abbreviations like 'the WHO' (the World Health Organisation).
When people talk about 'the WHO', they pronounce each letter separately: the /ˈdʌbl̩jueɪtʃəʊ/ NOT the /ˈhuː/.
But when people talk about 'NASA' (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) they don't pronounce each letter separately. They treat it as one word: /ˈnæsə/. This only works for certain abbreviations.
So, if you pronounce each letter (like 'MA' - Master of the Arts, or 'NBC' - National Broadcasting Company) the choice of 'a' or 'an' before the abbreviations/acronyms depends on the FIRST SOUND:
If the first SOUND is a vowel SOUND use 'an' e.g.
/enbiːsiː/ = an NBC reporter (a National Broadcasting Company reporter)
/ˈemaɪ/ = an MA (a Master of the Arts)
/ˈefeɪkjuː/ = an FAQ (a Frequently Asked Question)
But if you pronounce the abbreviation as a WORD you just need 'a' e.g.
/ˈnæsə/ = a NASA employee (National Aeronautics and Space Administration
/ˈneɪtəʊ/ = a NATO conference (the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation)
/ˈmomə/ = a MOMA exhibit (the Museum of Modern Art)
/muːk/ = a MOOC (a Mass Open Online Course)
