Know Your English (May 2001)

Know your English

Is it OK to say, ``Australia's Northern Territory passed an euthanasia law''?

We generally use the article ``an'' before words that begin with a vowel sound. Do not get confused between ``sound'' and ``letter''. The words ``university'' and ``unique'' begin with a vowel - at least in spelling. But when you pronounce these two words they begin with a consonant sound. Therefore one has to use the indefinite article ``a'' and not ``an'' before these two words. We have to say ``a unique person'' and ``a university''. Similarly, the word ``euthanasia'' though it begins with a vowel letter, when the word is pronounced, the first sound is a consonant one. Therefore the article that will precede it is ``a'' and not ``an''. It should be ``a euthanasia law''. Euthanasia as you know is sometimes referred to as ``mercy killing''. It is the act of painlessly killing an individual who has no hope of recovering from the disease that is slowly killing him. Euthanasia is illegal in most countries.


Source:
The Hindu daily, Tuesday, May 29, 2001