0

When I was writing out a degree title, I recall the "rule"

"a" comes before a consonant
"an" comes before a vowel

but then I naturally used to say that "I have an MSc degree" just for ease of pronunciation.

as M is a consonant, I thought this violates the "rule" but "an" is apparently the appropriate indefinite article for "MSc".

Why do I use "an" and not "a" ahead of a degree title as above?

vik1245
  • 141
  • Would you read that as "I have an em-es-cee degree" or "I have a Master of Science degree"? – KillingTime Nov 02 '19 at 13:13
  • 1
    When you recalled the rule, you left out one word. Sadly it was the most important word in the whole rule. The rule is, "a comes before a consonant sound, an comes before a vowel sound". – RegDwigнt Nov 02 '19 at 14:49
  • @KillingTime You are saying that the writer has complete freedom to choose here? In-house style guides may want to decide for acolytes. – Edwin Ashworth Nov 02 '19 at 14:51

0 Answers0