An + w/ help

An + w/ help
Message from melmoth posted on 19-09-2014 at 09:14:28 (D | E | F)
Hello everyone,
I would be very grateful if some of you could help me solve an apparent mystery.
I just came across the following tweet from the Prime Minister of the UK:

I've spoken to Alistair Darling - and congratulated him on an well-fought campaign

I'm a bit puzzled. I would have thought that the article a(n), followed by a word beginning in a consonant, took the form a. On the other hand, I dare not question the Prime Minister's command of the language of the vast majority of his constituents. Any idea? Thanks in advance!
Cheers.


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Edited by lucile83 on 19-09-2014 09:37

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Re: An + w/ help from lucile83, posted on 19-09-2014 at 09:41:57 (D | E)
Hello,

Usage noteUsage note: well
Compound adjectives beginning with well are generally written with no hyphen when they are used alone after a verb, but with a hyphen when they come before a noun:She is well dressed. ◇ a well-dressed woman. The forms without hyphens are given in the entries in the dictionary, but forms with hyphens can be seen in some examples.
Link

Just to say that anyone can make mistakes, especially on Twitter
Did he write it on his own? I'm not sure.

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Re: An + w/ help from clint01, posted on 20-09-2014 at 11:17:19 (D | E)
Hello,
I have got to add that the indefinite article AN is used before a word beginning with a(n) H that is not pronounced. For instance:
It was an honour ...
An hour and a half
It is also used before the abbreviations that follow:
An MP because M is pronounced (EM) (the first sound (E) is a vowel)
An RP because R is pronounced (ARE)
When the letter U at the beginning of a word is pronounced like the pronunciation of YOU, A is used instead of AN (if THE is not appropriate).
For example: A university student but AN ugly boy
Of course, you already knew these points. I just mentioned them for the other learners.

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