Career - Undecided on what is next

Yeah, I've had people tell me it has to be a vowel and not a vowel sound, but to me that's just stupid. Why should anyone write, "an emphasis," but "a MBA"?

Therefore, I judge by the sound and not whether the letter's a vowel or consonant.
 
E-Boogie Wrote:

> I'm pretty certain "an" is correct. Reason being
> "MBA" starts with a vowel sound "em." Just like
> it would be "an employee."
>
> Edit: Oh, and punctuation goes inside quotations,
> not outside:
> http://www.grammarbook.com/punctuation/quotes.asp


You got me on the incorrect placement of quotation marks. I'm usually pretty good about that.

But you are wrong about the use of "a" or "an." I thought I was correct but I checked about 10 different sources and only one mentioned the use of "an" in front of constants and that was only in the case of the unsounded "h." Also, MBA stands for something and in those cases you use the one appropriate for the begining of the acronym.

Also I never said I planned on going to HBS or Wharton. I had no chance of getting into either of those B-schools despite a pretty solid resume and GMAT.
 
With regard to the proper usage of the noun-phrase for "MBA," I suggest the following:

(1) "an MBA" (intended to read as, "an Em-Bee-Ay")
(2) "a MBA" (intended to read as, "a mibba")

Any questions?
 
General rule is that "a" is used before consonant sounds and "an" is used before vowel sounds.

This usually means that "a" is used before consonants and "an" is used before vowels. However, some consonants have an unvoiced breath before them (words beginning with "h" and followed by a vowel are fairly common, "history"). Also, when you are using letters as in M.B.A., it is acceptable to use an in speech because of the vowel sound before M. eM Bee A. Not fully sure whether writing rules permit this too.
 
DirtyZ Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> "An MBA" is correct.


Wrong

Just because it is commonly misused does not make it correct.

It is actually simple for all the morons out there who seem to disagree. MBA is not in an of itself a word it is an acronym and as such the grammatical rule applies as if the acronym were in fact spelled out. You wouldn't write/say I have an Master degree, would you? So you don't say I have an M.B.A. That is the rule and it is pretty simple.
 
oops.

May I Have an "M," Please?
By The Grammar Guru

So you're a contestant on Wheel of Fortune? How are you going to request your consonants and vowels? "May I have a a, please?" "May I have an a, please?" "May I have a s, please?" "May I have an s, please?"
Just follow these simple rules:
Use a before letters and words with an initial consonant sound: "May I have a u, please?" The letter u is a vowel, but when pronounced, it has an initial consonant sound.
Use an before letters and words with an initial vowel sound: "May I have an s, please?" The letter s and several other consonants have an initial vowel sound (f, h, l, m, n, r, s, and x).

With words and initialisms, the same principles apply:
a university an understanding
a historical occasion an honorary degree
a master's degree an MBA degree
a Saturday game an SAT score of 1000
a one-hour appointment an ordinary person

http://www.uwf.edu/writelab/writeadvice/wa-goodgram7.htm

also,
http://grammar.qdnow.com/2007/03/29/a-versus-an.aspx
http://hubpages.com/hub/Grammar_Mishaps__A_vs_An

RAwannabeCFA Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> DirtyZ Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > "An MBA" is correct.
>
>
> Wrong
>
> Just because it is commonly misused does not make
> it correct.
>
> It is actually simple for all the morons out there
> who seem to disagree. MBA is not in an of itself
> a word it is an acronym and as such the
> grammatical rule applies as if the acronym were in
> fact spelled out. You wouldn't write/say I have
> an Master degree, would you? So you don't say I
> have an M.B.A. That is the rule and it is pretty
> simple.
 
google "an MBA" and "a MBA" both are acceptable but "an MBA" produces twice more hits (1,840,000 vs. 691,000)
 
Guys, they invented it, they must be right, the end.

http://www.hbs.edu/mba/hbsadvantage/

Connections to opportunities:
The HBS Alumni Network
When you graduate with an MBA from Harvard Business School, you earn a place within a community of more than 70,000 business leaders in 150 countries. More than 40,000 of our alumni have made themselves available to current students to help them build connections and uncover business opportunities throughout their careers. Whether you're interested in corporate management, entrepreneurial enterprises, or non-profit leadership, as MBA students, you'll find experienced, top-level business professionals eager to lend you their support.
 
ponponpq Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Guys, they invented it, they must be right, the
> end.
>
> http://www.hbs.edu/mba/hbsadvantage/
>
> Connections to opportunities:
> The HBS Alumni Network
> When you graduate with an MBA from Harvard
> Business School, you earn a place within a
> community of more than 70,000 business leaders in
> 150 countries. More than 40,000 of our alumni have
> made themselves available to current students to
> help them build connections and uncover business
> opportunities throughout their careers. Whether
> you're interested in corporate management,
> entrepreneurial enterprises, or non-profit
> leadership, as MBA students, you'll find
> experienced, top-level business professionals
> eager to lend you their support.

So if they invented it and said "a MBA" they'd be right? I guess Harvard should be allowed to rewrite the rules of grammar.
 
For all of you that are really wondering, the appropriate article to use to modify an acronym is the one that you would use in common speech. There is a broad range of grammar and writing style guides that describe this, but here's the quickest one that I could find on google:

http://www.colorado.edu/Publications/styleguide/abbrev.html#articles


So, to reiterate a post that I made earlier regarding the proper usage of the noun-phrase for "MBA," the writer or speaker has two options:

(1) "an MBA" (pronounced "an Em-Bee-Ay")
(2) "a MBA" (pronounced "a mibba")


That's right...mibba.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at Monday, July 2, 2007 at 07:28PM by numi.
 
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