Question

A university wrote to the successful business woman offering her an honorary degree. A. A university wrote to the successful business woman offering her an honorary degree. B. An university wrote to the successful business woman offering her an honorary degree. C. A university wrote to the successful business woman offering her a honorary degree. D. An university wrote to the successful business woman offering her a honorary degree. E. In the case of honorary both ' \(a\) ' and 'an' are correct.

Short answer

Option A is correct.

Step-by-step solution

- Identify the Noun and Article Agreement

Examine the sentence structure, focusing on the articles 'a' and 'an' before 'university' and 'honorary degree'. The rule is to use 'a' before words starting with a consonant sound and 'an' before words starting with a vowel sound.

- Determine the Correct Article for 'university'

'University' starts with a consonant sound 'yoo', so the correct article is 'a'.

- Check Agreement with 'honorary degree'

'Honorary' starts with a vowel sound, so the correct article is 'an'. This means it should be 'an honorary degree'.

- Evaluate the Options

Option A: Correctly uses 'a university' and 'an honorary degree'.Option B: 'An university' is incorrect.Option C: 'A honorary' is incorrect.Option D: 'An university' and 'a honorary degree' are incorrect.Option E: Incorrect, 'honorary' requires 'an' because it starts with a vowel sound.

Key concepts

Grammar Rules

Grammar rules are essential for creating clear and correct sentences. One important aspect is the agreement between nouns and articles. The correct use of articles 'a' and 'an' depends on the sound that follows them.

In English, 'a' is used before words that start with consonant sounds (like 'university'), and 'an' is used before words that start with vowel sounds (like 'honorary'). Knowing this rule helps ensure sentences are both grammatically correct and easy to understand.

Article Usage

Articles are small words that help define nouns. In English, we use 'a', 'an', and 'the'. Our focus here is on 'a' and 'an'.

Use 'a' when the noun that follows starts with a consonant sound. For example, 'a university'.
Use 'an' when the noun that follows starts with a vowel sound. For example, 'an honorary degree'.
It’s important to listen to the sound at the start of the word, not just look at the first letter.
This is why we say 'an hour' (because 'hour' starts with a vowel sound) and 'a house' (because 'house' starts with a consonant sound).

Vowel and Consonant Sounds

Understanding vowel and consonant sounds is key to using articles correctly. Vowel sounds are made with open vocal tracts. In English, these sounds correspond to the letters 'a', 'e', 'i', 'o', 'u'. Sometimes, 'y' can also make a vowel sound.

Consonant sounds are produced with a more closed vocal tract and include sounds like 'b', 'c', 'd', etc.

• 'University' starts with a 'yoo' sound, which is a consonant sound, so it takes 'a'.
• 'Honorary' starts with an 'o' sound, a vowel sound, so it takes 'an'.

Identifying these sounds helps in choosing the correct article.

Sentence Structure

Sentence structure is how words are arranged to create meaning. A well-structured sentence follows a clear order: subject, verb, and object. In our example:

'A university wrote to the successful business woman offering her an honorary degree.'
'A university' is the subject.
'wrote' is the verb.
'to the successful business woman' is the object.
'offering her an honorary degree' gives additional information.

Each part of the sentence has a specific role. Proper structure ensures clarity and correct grammar usage, such as 'a university' (subject) and 'an honorary degree' (additional information).