Apostrophes in Acronyms????

[Karateed]

I knew that....it's just very funny to me is all......

[Drwyd]

What gets me is the misuse of "a" and "an" as in "an HTML file"

Apparently they are called "indefinite articles" or should that be inarticulate infidels ?

[Big Frank]

A Historic or an Historic
While we’re talking about different pronunciations, let’s talk about a historic. Some Americans argue that it should be an historic, but I come down firmly on the side that says it should be a historic event. One of the most contentious interactions I had at a book signing was over this point.

Here’s my reasoning: If you have an odd accent for an American and pronounce historic as “istoric,” you can make an argument for writing an historic, but it’s a stretch since the standard American pronunciation of historic is with the h-sound: “historic.” So even if you pronounce it “istoric,” most of your readers won’t.

If you’re feeling argumentative about this point, I’ll direct you to Bill Walsh’s website, The Slot, which has an exhaustive review of how different style guides deal with historic. But you should know that after reviewing many style guides, he also stands behind a historic being the correct choice.

http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com/a-versus-an.aspx

The thing I find most interesting about that excerpt is that the author seems to ignore the millions of native English speakers outside the US, as if how they pronounce and write English is somehow irrelevant

[Rik]

WOW! Well, for me anyway!

I can't believe that someone else thinks that it should be 'a historic' and not 'an historic'.
I have never understood why it should have been 'an historic' and as such, I never said it.

Thanks beret. You've made my day.

[handrawn]

legacy from when the h was silent in historic when spoken by them as 'made the rules'

[zaphodeist]

"An" when the following word starts with a vowel

The word "nadder" means snake - or it did - "Look Cuthbert, there's a nadder!" This has now come to be "adder" - "Yes Fitzroy, it's an adder".

Just saying

[Drwyd]

An user ?

[handrawn]

you get half a cigar for that John the crucial letter is the first letter you pronounce so 'an 'istoric' [with silent 'h'] and 'a historic' have always been correct' and 'an historic' never has ... except by those with a misguided sense of the correct [which sadly includes many entrusted with education] an 'otel' ....yes 'an hotel'... never ! - my gran would have had a fit [mind you she was half french...]

[AntonyF]

What gets me is the misuse of "a" and "an" as in "an HTML file"

Apparently they are called "indefinite articles" or should that be inarticulate infidels ?

Similarly "an historic" drives me insane.

Edit: I see further agreement on this point.

[handrawn]

I hve just been reading over lunch of 'a FTSE 100' company - pretty sure the word for 'F' begins with a vowel but hey, economists, what do they know... ?

[footsie? - you pronounce it footsie...? youre pulling my leg .]