Grammar Girl Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing

Why we have both 'a' and 'an.' What does it mean to be lonely? Sufficiency.

Mar 21, 2023

17:13

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Quick takeaways

The word 'a' developed as a phonetic simplification and replaced 'an' before consonant sounds over three centuries.

The concept of loneliness has transformed from physical isolation to an emotional state, but literature can provide solace and coping mechanisms.

Deep dives

Evolution of the words A and Anne

The podcast discusses the evolution of the words A and Anne. The word Anne, which is the older form, originates from the Old English word for one. Over time, the pronunciation changed and Anne became Un, which is still used today when not referred to as a word. The form A developed as a phonetic simplification and replaced Anne before consonant sounds. The change happened over the course of three centuries starting in the 12th century.

The Itzen Form of Itz in Modern English

02:44

Grammar Girl - A Family Like Story From Chris Bacon

01:58

Mine and Thine as Possessive Pronouns

02:44

Introduction

3min

Mine and Thine as Possessive Pronouns

3min

The Itzen Form of Itz in Modern English

3min

Get $100 Off Your First Month With TalkSpace

3min

Loneliness - A New Concept

3min

Loneliness and the Importance of Living in a Wilderness

4min

Grammar Girl - A Family Like Story From Chris Bacon

2min

920. Once you start thinking about it, it's weird that we have both "a" and "an." It gets even weirder from there! Plus, modern loneliness, and its solutions, are quite different from what they were when the word was first coined. We look at the history of this formerly rare word.

The segment on "a" versus "an" was written by Neal Whitman, an independent writer and consultant specializing in language and grammar and a member of the Reynoldsburg, Ohio, school board. You can search for him by name on Facebook, or find him on his blog at literalminded.wordpress.com.

The segment on the word "loneliness" was written by by Amelia Worsley, an Assistant Professor of English, Amherst College. It was originally published in The Conversation and appears here through a Creative Commons license.

| Transcript: https://grammar-girl.simplecast.com/episodes/a-an-loneliness/transcript

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