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In this suggested edit on https://security.stackexchange.com/review/suggested-edits/80054 Security SE

is a identity verification concept that claims [...]

to

is an identity verification concept that claims [...]

Is this right?

I thought as it is refering to "concept" and not to "identity", it wouldn't be "an". Have I been wrong?

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Zaibis
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1 Answers1

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The choice of a or an is determined by the immediately following word, which is identity. So you would use an, since identity starts with a vowel sound. This is a spelling issue.

Which spelling to use is not determined by the head noun of the noun phrase. For example, the complete noun phrase is

an identity verification concept that claims to verify a person by asking it about stuff just this person knows of, collected from "public information"

That noun phrase can be reduced to

a concept

Even though this is true, you still spell the indefinite article according to which word comes immediately after it, whether it is the head noun (a concept) or a modifier (an identity...) of the head noun.

Alan Carmack
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  • Again I don't understand the second part: How does this help solving this? Or did you just explain what I did and forget to add thats NOT what gets applyed here? – Zaibis Jun 30 '16 at 13:58
  • @Zabis What do you mean by: I thought as it is refering to "concept" and not to "identity", it wouldn't be "an"? – Alan Carmack Jun 30 '16 at 14:30
  • Exactly what you describe I meant by it. But you just give it a word, without stating why this doesn't or does (but in a diferent way) is related here. Thats what is confusing. – Zaibis Jun 30 '16 at 14:32