At just two weeks old, he weighs less than a lb.
or
At just two weeks old, he weighs less than an lb.
Grammar Checker says "an lb" is right, really?
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Eddie Kal
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Aladin Lee
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This does not answer your question, but if you wanted to avoid the doubt, you could use 'one lb'. – JMB May 30 '20 at 11:15
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Does this answer your question? "An hour" or "a hour" – Jason Bassford May 30 '20 at 17:20
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The abbreviation lb is read as (a) *pound, not (an) l-b*. The grammar checker is succeeding according to its own interpretation, but failing in the actual context. – Jason Bassford May 30 '20 at 17:22
2 Answers
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I wouldn't generally use the abbreviation in a sentence. The letters "lb" are a unit and are used with a number. So it is valid to write "1 lb" or "5 m" or "1.4 kg", but you shouldn't write "I'll have a lb of apples". nor would you say "I'll have an ell-bee of apples."
Your grammar checker (and mine) is getting confused by this. It is spotting the error, (a followed by "ell-bee") but it isn't giving you the right solution (change lb to pound)
So the correct spelling should be:
At just two weeks old, he weighs less than a pound.
It is still correct to use the unit with a number:
At just two weeks old, he weighs less than 1 lb.
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+1 for this: you shouldn't write "I'll have a lb of apples". nor would you say "I'll have an ell-bee of apples." – Michael Harvey May 30 '20 at 13:58
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Good point. I mean, I could see it in a handwritten journal, but "real" writing wouldn't use it this way. – Micah Cowan May 30 '20 at 19:52
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A general rule-of-thumb:
When the following word begins with a vowel sound, the correct indefinite article to use is an.
In this case, p (from the word pound) is not a vowel sound so, therefore, a is correct.
My grammar checker also says an is correct, this must be a mistake with the grammar checker.
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1It would be "an", only if you actually pronounced the letters "l" and "b". The vowel rule should be based on what you pronounce, not necessarily what the written letter is... but since what you would pronounce is "pound", and that also begins with a consonant, it's still a. – Micah Cowan May 30 '20 at 11:55
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4@CulverKwan 'Lb' is the traditional written abbreviation for 'pound' (weight), from the Latin libra. When you read it out loud, you would say 'pound'. – Kate Bunting May 30 '20 at 12:14