Skipman Posted 13 June , 2016 Share Posted 13 June , 2016 Should it not be " a MIC " not "an MIC " also " a Hotel " not " an Hotel " " an " only appropriate if 'H' is silent Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John_Hartley Posted 13 June , 2016 Share Posted 13 June , 2016 Yes. IMO. I don't recall ever seeing "an MIC" though, so I assume just about everyone will agree with you on that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted 13 June , 2016 Share Posted 13 June , 2016 It's everywhere " so can someone wiser than I confirm that Drv Nanhu should have an MIC recording these medals? " " I have been unable to locate an MIC for him or any military reference on Ancestry. " " Lieutenant Colonel of 8th (Isle of Wight Rifles) Hampshire Regiment in July 1913 and has an MIC went to Gallipoli in 1915. " etc Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IPT Posted 13 June , 2016 Share Posted 13 June , 2016 I would no more say "a MIC" than I would say "a embassy". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted 13 June , 2016 Share Posted 13 June , 2016 I would no more say "a MIC" than I would say "a embassy". You can say what you like, the question is, is it correct? Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ron Clifton Posted 13 June , 2016 Share Posted 13 June , 2016 I would write "a MIC" because I would read MIC as "medal index card", not as a word in its own right. The same question arises with NCO. Actually, I would probably avoid it altogether by writing "his MIC" or "the MIC". The beauty of English is that there is almost always another way to write or say something to avoid awkward phrasing or syntax. Ron Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted 13 June , 2016 Share Posted 13 June , 2016 I would write "a MIC" because I would read MIC as "medal index card", not as a word in its own right. The same question arises with NCO. Ron Is it not all just to do with the letter that follows ie an N.C.O, or a non commissioned officer. a MIC or a medal index card Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John_Hartley Posted 13 June , 2016 Share Posted 13 June , 2016 Mike Yes, IMO again. But then my academic study of the English language culminates in a just scraped through "O" level in 1966 (one of my prized four). The language, both written and spoken, develops over time so what may have been relevent half a century ago may no longer be the case. Here's a question, then - in speech, would people say "an MIC"? John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Admin spof Posted 13 June , 2016 Admin Share Posted 13 June , 2016 If you pronounce it like Mick then it would be "a MIC" but if you say the letters M...I...C then it would be "an M.I.C." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
14276265 Posted 13 June , 2016 Share Posted 13 June , 2016 The letter N is named and pronounced "en", hence an N.C.O. The letter M is very similarly named and pronounced "em", and hence an M.I.C. Quite simply, an is used before vowels (and sometimes before h in an unaccented syllable e.g. an historian, but that is another story), and thus an "em". When talking about a Military Medal, it is an MM, not a MM. 265 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trev2386 Posted 13 June , 2016 Share Posted 13 June , 2016 I dunno, but I write "A MiC", small i. Same as I write "A MiD". But then again, is it "An MiD", or "A MiD"? Trev Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
14276265 Posted 13 June , 2016 Share Posted 13 June , 2016 "An MiD". The letter M spelt out as em has a vowel at the beginning... 265 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted 13 June , 2016 Share Posted 13 June , 2016 The letter N is named and pronounced "en", hence an N.C.O. I agree. The letter M is very similarly named and pronounced "em", and hence an M.I.C. I disagree, it should be a MIC. When talking about a Military Medal, it is an MM, not a MM. It is a Military Medal, and an MM. I'm not a Mick, or an Mick, I'm Scottish. Mike 265 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dai Bach y Sowldiwr Posted 13 June , 2016 Share Posted 13 June , 2016 As an unbiased external judge, I suspect it all depends on how you read 'MIC' in your head. Pretty much as SPOF (is that S.P.O.F. or spof??) says in Post #9If it's one word (mic) then I suggest it should be 'a mic', but if it's read as a sequence of letters (M.I.C), then it would be 'an M.I.C.'So you can't mix&match.So no 'a M.I.C.', and no 'an Mic'Like it's always 'an R.A.F. pilot', or 'a raf pilot' Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted 13 June , 2016 Share Posted 13 June , 2016 Agree with all that Dai, except " irag' epends " is that Welsh? Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ron Clifton Posted 13 June , 2016 Share Posted 13 June , 2016 Perhaps we should return to the traditional practice of indicating abbreviations by using full stops: "an M.I.C." makes it clear that MIC is to be read as three separate letters. Ron Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dai Bach y Sowldiwr Posted 13 June , 2016 Share Posted 13 June , 2016 Agree with all that Dai, except " irag' epends " is that Welsh? Mike Sorry I was writing it on my smart phone, when somehow the cursor shifted back a few lines without me noticing. I noticed the error after posting, and then corrected it. But not quickly enough evidently... Perhaps we should return to the traditional practice of indicating abbreviations by using full stops: "an M.I.C." makes it clear that MIC is to be read as three separate letters. Ron Hmmm. I think whether the poster puts "an MIC" or "a MIC", (or variants) both have to be accepted as possibly being correct, as the reader can't possibly know how the poster intended it to sound, and it's a bit impractical to cover every eventuality. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bif Posted 13 June , 2016 Share Posted 13 June , 2016 Ah ! The ever divergent and mutating language we all call English. It allows for all manner of use and change. That's why crisp is what I hope my potato chip to be; bowler is the guy trying to knock down all ten pins not a hat or a cricket player; sh*g is a type of carpet (trying to preserve politeness); biscuits are the little round bread rolls My Mother made for Sunday dinner; Ma'am is a respectful salutation to ladies, not just the Queen; ad infinitum. At least we are all understandable and correct at least some of the time. ( smiley emoji insert if I knew how to use them). Trying to speak and read as good or best or well as possible, Bif Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GWF1967 Posted 13 June , 2016 Share Posted 13 June , 2016 Should it not be " a MIC " not "an MIC " also " a Hotel " not " an Hotel " " an " only appropriate if 'H' is silent Mike I believe the correct term is " An H'otel", with a silent H. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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