Acronyms and Articles

[RocketManJames]

Which of these do you prefer? Are both correct, or is only one of them correct?

a) He experienced an NDE. / Ed is an NPA.
b) He experienced a NDE. / Ed is a NPA.

Do you use the appropriate article for the spelled out acronym, or do you use the appropriate article for the actual term?

-RMJ

[Shilly]

Pretty sure it's "an." Any time you start a word with a vowel sound, you should use "an."

[Patrick del Poker Grande]

a

[RocketManJames]

Right, but what I am getting at is... are acronyms simply replacements for the actual term?

If someone were to read: He experienced an NDE.

And, that person read it as: He experienced a near death experience. Would he be incorrect? And, would he be responsible for making the article correction?

-RMJ

[istewart]

Not using your example, but having just debated this recently, I would say:

I am playing in an MTT.

I am playing in a multi-table tournament.

It's all about how it sounds.

[JaBlue]

it's obviously A

[Dominic]

[ QUOTE ]
Which of these do you prefer? Are both correct, or is only one of them correct?

a) He experienced an NDE. / Ed is an NPA.
b) He experienced a NDE. / Ed is a NPA.

Do you use the appropriate article for the spelled article to use when speaking acronym, or do you use the appropriate article for the actual term?

-RMJ

[/ QUOTE ]

this a rule that stems from what it SOUNDS like, not what's correct in composition....if you're writing those terms, you can use either "a" or "an."

If you're speaking, however, what sounds better? We use "an" in front of vowel sounds to make it easier to speak quickly...because the "N" sound when spoken sounds like "EN," hence, a vowel sound, the appropriate article to use when speaking, is "an."

[Brainwalter]

This brings up a point many ignore. These aren't acronyms. Acronyms are initals that you pronounce as a word. For example, NASA.

I would say "he is a NASA engineer" but I would say "Ed is an NPA" because the first sound following the article is "En". So for non-acronym initials like these, I would use the same article I would use to tell someone "the word starts with an N"

[The Dude]

Brainwalter's got it right here.

[maryfield48]

[ QUOTE ]
This brings up a point many ignore. These aren't acronyms. Acronyms are initals that you pronounce as a word. For example, NASA.

[/ QUOTE ]

So TLA isn't an acronym?

[Jack of Arcades]

no. it's an abbreviation.

[InchoateHand]

When you have difficulty remembering, just think acronym: NAMBLA, abbreviation: WMD.

[antidan444]

At the newspaper I work for, both acronyms and abbreviations (with a few exceptions, mostly involving sports leagues i.e. NBA, NFL etc.) must be written out in first reference.

In the case of a near-death experience, I don't think we'd be able to abbreviate it at all, since "NDE" is not a commonly-used abbreviation. But for the purposes of a term paper or some such I think you could use NDE after first reference.

And to confirm, it is an NDE, not a NDE.

[Fins]

Is it...

1) ... a usual suspect.

- or -

2) ... an usual suspect.


- Fins

[jakethebake]

[ QUOTE ]
it's obviously A

[/ QUOTE ]

[GuyOnTilt]

[ QUOTE ]
no. it's an abbreviation.

[/ QUOTE ]

Abbreviation is a broad term. Acronyms are a form of abbreviations. More specifically, TLA is an initialism, but the definition of acronym has broadened to pretty much include initialisms, TLA's (triple letter abbreviations), and other abbreviations such as Interpol or sonar (not sure of the name of these).

GoT

[antidan444]

It's "a usual suspect," despite the vowel sound "u".

There are always exceptions to the rules in the English language, which of course is why it's the hardest bleeping language to learn.

[Duke]

[ QUOTE ]
Ed is an NPA

[/ QUOTE ]

This is obviously incorrect. Ed is the NPA.

It's kinda like Highlander. There can be only one.

~D