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Noun Phrases
The indefinite articles a has a second form, an, that is used before vowel sounds. For example, we say a banana but an apple. The rule governing the use of an pertains to vowel pronunciation, not vowel spelling. For example, the following words use a where the spelling would seem to require an because the pronunciation of the nouns actually begins with a /y/ consonant sound: a unicorn a uniform a unit a usage Both a and an are normally unstressed. Unstressed a is pronounced /E/, rhyming with duh. Unstressed an is pronounced /En/, rhyming with bun. (When we talk about a and an in isolation, we stress them so that they have quite different pronunciations. Stressed a is pronounced /ey/, rhyming with day, and stressed an is pronounced /An/, rhyming with can. Don’t confuse these stressed pronunciations with the normal unstressed pronunciations in sentences.) The reason for the two forms a and an is historical. Both a and an come from the word one. Over the years, the pronunciation of one used as a noun modifier (as opposed to the use of one as a number) became contracted: the n in one was preserved before words beginning with vowels and lost before words beginning with a consonant sound. As a result, today we have the two forms of the indefinite article: a before consonant sounds and an before vowel sounds. The origin of the indefinite article from the number one also deeply affects the way it is used in modern English. Since a and an both come from the word one, like the number one, a/an is inherently singular. Thus we cannot use a/an to modify plural nouns: X a books, X an oranges. Since the indefinite article a/an is restricted to modifying singular count nouns, what do we use for plural nouns and noncount nouns? The answer, of course, is some. Here are some examples first with plural count nouns and then with noncount nouns, which are inherently singular:
Plural count nouns I would like some apples, please. There are some umbrellas in the stand over there. I’ve made some sandwiches for you to take. I need to buy some stamps. I need to write up some notes after today’s meeting.
Noncount nouns (always singular) I’m afraid that there has been some confusion about your order. Please bring me some water. There is some question about his visa. We will get some information to you about that as soon as we can. Would you like some soup?