A or An ?

Many students, even those with a pretty high level of English, wrongly believe that they should use 'an' before a noun / compound noun beginning with a vowel and 'a' before a noun beginning with a consonant. However, this is just not the case. Observe:

(i) a university
(ii) a euro coin
(iii) an heirloom
(iv) an MOT test

(vi) a one-way street

The actual rule for choosing the correct indefinite article is based on the sound of the first letter and not on whether it is a vowel or a consonant. In the words 'university' and 'euro' the beginning sound is the consonant sound 'y' and in 'one-way street' the beginning sound is a 'w' and therefore these words are preceded by 'a'. 'MOT' and 'heirloom' both begin with an 'e' vowel sound and so take 'an' as the indefinite article.

So what should you put before these words? Feel free to post your answers in the comments box!

a. umbrella
b. envelope
c. hour
d. european city
e. helicopter
f. unicorn
g. honest gentleman
h. FBI agent
i. hotel
j. egg