NationStates Jolt Archive


MS word is teh stoopid

Zilam
04-12-2006, 22:15
So I am typing a paper up, right? Well I type "it was ruled by an European Archduke"(inreference to mexico during Emperor Maximillian). But, MS word says that AN should be changed to A. I thought that one would use an before a word that starts with a vowel? Or is this a rule coming up because its a proper name???


-is confused-
Swilatia
04-12-2006, 22:18
is strange as you may find it. MSword is actually right here.
ChuChuChuChu
04-12-2006, 22:18
Try saying "an European". Thats just awkward
The Nazz
04-12-2006, 22:18
Word is wrong, but your wording is clumsy in my opinion. It's in the passive voice.
New Xero Seven
04-12-2006, 22:20
An apple.
An eel.
An icecube.
An octopi.
An umbrella.

An European = an yeropee-in.

See? Doesn't work.
Its a European.
Nadkor
04-12-2006, 22:20
Word is wrong, but your wording is clumsy in my opinion. It's in the passive voice.

"A European" is wrong? Nope, Word is correct.
Zilam
04-12-2006, 22:21
Word is wrong, but your wording is clumsy in my opinion. It's in the passive voice.


And I've changed it from passive, as it eliminates the problem.
Ashmoria
04-12-2006, 22:22
i find emperor maximillian and empress carlotta fascinating. what are you writing about?
ChuChuChuChu
04-12-2006, 22:22
An apple.
An eel.
An icecube.
An octopi.
An umbrella.

An European = an yeropee-in.

See? Doesn't work.
Its a European.

Shouldnt it be "an octopus"
Zilam
04-12-2006, 22:23
An apple.
An eel.
An icecube.
An octopi.
An umbrella.

An European = an yeropee-in.

See? Doesn't work.
Its a European.

Ahhh...I gotcha.. the whole pronunciation of it. I wasn't thinking about that.
Bekerro
04-12-2006, 22:23
European is an exception to the rule. There are other exceptions the other way too. e.g. "an hour" not "a hour".
Zilam
04-12-2006, 22:24
i find emperor maximillian and empress carlotta fascinating. what are you writing about?

I am just doing a silly one reaction and summary paper on the history of mexico. Its for my latin american politics class.
New Xero Seven
04-12-2006, 22:24
Shouldnt it be "an octopus"

Whoops. You're right.

An octopus.
Ultraviolent Radiation
04-12-2006, 22:25
Zilam, language rules are based on pronunciation. Writing is just a way to represent speech visually. European starts with a "yuh" sound, so the indefinite article is "a".
The Nazz
04-12-2006, 22:25
"A European" is wrong? Nope, Word is correct.
I looked it up. You are correct.

But the original sentence is still passive, and unless the style manual calls for it, I suggest the change. You avoid the whole problem that way because the indefinite article becomes a definite one, if you use it at all.
Dazchan
04-12-2006, 22:28
It's not actually the initial letter that causes "a" to become "an". It's the onset (ie, the initial sound). European, despite having an E at the start, begins with a "y" sound. Thus, it is a European.
Rasselas
04-12-2006, 22:29
It depends on the sound not the spelling
Zilam
04-12-2006, 22:30
I looked it up. You are correct.

But the original sentence is still passive, and unless the style manual calls for it, I suggest the change. You avoid the whole problem that way because the indefinite article becomes a definite one, if you use it at all.

Ok, so is this at least a little better:

Even at one point in its long history, Mexico fell into the hands of a European Archduke, Maximilian.
Armistria
04-12-2006, 22:35
Pronounciation is the key. I'd say a herb because I emphasise the 'h'. Some people say an herb.

English is very complicated; it has few general pronounciation rules. I tried to justify that words beiginning with a double vowel sound tend to start with 'a' and not 'an', but then I remembered that it's an Australian.I guess that European could be viewed as an exception.
Ashmoria
04-12-2006, 22:36
I am just doing a silly one reaction and summary paper on the history of mexico. Its for my latin american politics class.

its a cool part of mexican history. a puppet emperor set up by the french, the popular resistance led by benito juarez. great tales of bravery, folly and impossible victories.

i really should read a book on it.
The Nazz
04-12-2006, 22:38
Ok, so is this at least a little better:

Even at one point in its long history, Mexico fell into the hands of a European Archduke, Maximilian.
Sure.
Rejistania
04-12-2006, 22:38
it's a unit, a euro, a user... rather logical for a foreigner...


BTW: LaTeX is so much better than word. I stopped using other methods to write texts.
Ultraviolent Radiation
04-12-2006, 22:43
it's a unit, a euro, a user... rather logical for a foreigner...


BTW: LaTeX is so much better than word. I stopped using other methods to write texts.

I'm guessing it's Linux-only based on it's lack of popularity?
Zilam
04-12-2006, 22:45
its a cool part of mexican history. a puppet emperor set up by the french, the popular resistance led by benito juarez. great tales of bravery, folly and impossible victories.

i really should read a book on it.

Someone should make a movie about it :D
Fleckenstein
04-12-2006, 22:48
http://blog.erdener.org/archives/images/20040816-word.jpg
Multiland
04-12-2006, 22:53
So I am typing a paper up, right? Well I type "it was ruled by an European Archduke"(inreference to mexico during Emperor Maximillian). But, MS word says that AN should be changed to A. I thought that one would use an before a word that starts with a vowel? Or is this a rule coming up because its a proper name???


-is confused-

As far as I'm aware, it's more to do with the way a word is pronounced - eg. "an European" sounds like "an Yeuropean, and of course the word "an" is not supposed to come before a consonant. Similar to the way in which it's acceptable to write "an hour" because it sounds like "an our"
Rejistania
04-12-2006, 22:55
I'm guessing it's Linux-only based on it's lack of popularity?


It is widely used by mathematicians, scientists, and engineers, in academia and commercially, and by others as a primary or intermediate format (e.g. translating DocBook and other XML-based formats to PDF) due to the quality of typesetting achievable by TeX. It offers programmable desktop publishing features and extensive facilities for automating most aspects of typesetting and desktop publishing, including numbering and cross-referencing, tables and figures, page layout and bibliographies.

It's the only format to use if you are doing serious science (and not economy or marketing :) )
Swilatia
04-12-2006, 22:55
http://blog.erdener.org/archives/images/20040816-word.jpg

lol
Ultraviolent Radiation
04-12-2006, 23:04
It's the only format to use if you are doing serious science (and not economy or marketing :) )

Oh. I think I'll be fine sticking to OpenOffice.org for my less-scientific needs.
Siph
04-12-2006, 23:09
http://blog.erdener.org/archives/images/20040816-word.jpg

Albinoblacksheep r0><0rz! w00t!
Rejistania
04-12-2006, 23:30
Oh. I think I'll be fine sticking to OpenOffice.org for my less-scientific needs.

I was really unsatisfied with how OOo texts looked and prefer the elegant defaults of LaTeX also for my story...
Harlesburg
05-12-2006, 12:32
So I am typing a paper up, right? Well I type "it was ruled by an European Archduke"(inreference to mexico during Emperor Maximillian). But, MS word says that AN should be changed to A. I thought that one would use an before a word that starts with a vowel? Or is this a rule coming up because its a proper name???


-is confused-
j00 is teh wrong, 'an European' doesn't come out of the mouth proper like.
Ifreann
05-12-2006, 12:34
http://blog.erdener.org/archives/images/20040816-word.jpg

Curse you, I was gonna post that!


Anyway, OpenOffice FTW!