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Grammar and game systems
I was typing out a post and I realized something strange. I have fairly decent grammar, but it's mostly based on how things "sound" to me - I rarely know the underlying rules.
So maybe someone can explain this to me: I want to buy an Xbox 360 I want to buy a 360 I want to buy an Xbox I want to buy a Playstation 3 I want to buy a Nintendo Wii All of those seem to be correct - why does Xbox (and only Xbox) require an "an?" |
open MS word, type in it and ask little paperclip dude :) I did but it won't let me copy/paste.
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XBox is pronounced with a vowel at the start (ex-box). Words that start with a vowel sound == "An". Words that start with a consonant sound == "A"
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All your base are belong to us?
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↑ ↑ ↓ ↓ ← → ← → B and an A?
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Somewhat off-topic, did anyone here know that Wii is meant to be alone (not a Wii, just Wii) and in the beginning of the sentence (not "this game will be on the Wii" but "Wii will have this game"). Here's how Nintendo put it specifically to other companies:
Wii: Nintendo’s upcoming home video game console. It is simply Wii, not Nintendo Wii. It is pronounced “we,” indicating its all-inclusive nature. The name works best at the beginning of declarative statements. For clarity, it is best to avoid passive verbs and prepositions. |
Originally Posted by Jeremy517
XBox is pronounced with a vowel at the start (ex-box). Words that start with a vowel sound == "An". Words that start with a consonant sound == "A"
An Xbox An X-Ray An hour A xylophone A xenophobe |
Originally Posted by pinata242
Yup. Simple as that.
An Xbox An X-Ray An hour A xylophone A xenophobe If you want to read something interesting (and somewhat on topic), this is from the LEGO website Help us to protect our brand name: ● The LEGO brand name should always be written in capital letters. ● LEGO must never be used as a generic term or in the plural or as a possessive pronoun, e.g. “LEGO’s”. ● When the LEGO brand name is used as part of a noun, it must never appear on its own. It should always be accompanied by a noun. For example, LEGO set, LEGO products, LEGO Group, LEGO play materials, LEGO bricks, LEGO universe, etc. ● The first time the LEGO trademark appears it should be accompanied by the registration symbol ®. Thank you for helping us! link |
That LEGO stuff was pretty interesting. I would always type it Lego, the whole 4 times I've used the word, so it's good to know for the future. -eink-
<b>milo</b> are you into LEGO's or did you just happen to stumble upon that? |
Trapdoor to the Rancor.
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I did a little research of my own on this too, so thanks for the replies! Makes sense, but it's weird that it's based on what a word SOUNDS like. I can't think of too many other rules that use that. Anyway...
As to the "Wii" rules - sorry, I'm not going to say something like "Wii is what I will be playing tonight." |
This is why English is considered one of the hardest languages in the world to master--its a bastard language with inconsistent spelling, phonetics and usage.
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Originally Posted by boredsilly
That LEGO stuff was pretty interesting. I would always type it Lego, the whole 4 times I've used the word, so it's good to know for the future. -eink-
<b>milo</b> are you into LEGO's or did you just happen to stumble upon that? I've always loved LEGO® bricks (;)) and I've built stuff here and there as an adult, but I'm not a hardcore modeller, no. I think I was looking at some detailed adult-built projects once and the site mentioned that legal disclaimer. This discussion reminded me of it, so I just went to their homesite and found it in their legal section. |
Originally Posted by Save Ferris
This is why English is considered one of the hardest languages in the world to master--its a bastard language with inconsistent spelling, phonetics and usage.
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Originally Posted by Draven
I did a little research of my own on this too, so thanks for the replies! Makes sense, but it's weird that it's based on what a word SOUNDS like. I can't think of too many other rules that use that.
It's sort of like in French, where you don't pronounce the end of certain words unless they are followed by vowels (e.g., <i>vous avez</i>). |
a/an is a sound rule, not a spelling one.
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