Jack the Ripper's identity finally uncovered?
- Thread starter TipTop
- Start date
The mind boggles.
Soldato
quoted from Lynch's guide to grammar and style, my emphasis on the important bit:
'One tricky case comes up from time to time: is it "a historic occasion" or "an historic occasion"? Some speakers favor the latter — more British than American speakers, but you'll find them in both places — using an on longish words (three or more syllables) beginning with h, where the first syllable isn't accented. They'd say, for instance, "a hístory textbook" (accent on the first syllable) but "an históric event." (Likewise "a hábit" but "an habítual offender," "a hýpothetical question" but "an hypóthesis.") Still, most guides prefer a before any h that's sounded: "a historic occasion," "a hysterical joke," "a habitual offender" — but "an honor" and "an hour" because those h's aren't sounded. [Entry revised 21 April 2006; revised again 10 December 2006.]'
Whatever sounds natural usually is correct.
'One tricky case comes up from time to time: is it "a historic occasion" or "an historic occasion"? Some speakers favor the latter — more British than American speakers, but you'll find them in both places — using an on longish words (three or more syllables) beginning with h, where the first syllable isn't accented. They'd say, for instance, "a hístory textbook" (accent on the first syllable) but "an históric event." (Likewise "a hábit" but "an habítual offender," "a hýpothetical question" but "an hypóthesis.") Still, most guides prefer a before any h that's sounded: "a historic occasion," "a hysterical joke," "a habitual offender" — but "an honor" and "an hour" because those h's aren't sounded. [Entry revised 21 April 2006; revised again 10 December 2006.]'
Whatever sounds natural usually is correct.
SamuraiTortoise
S
SamuraiTortoise
I thought it had basically been proven to be more than one person. It was media headline grabbing that actually stitched similar murders at the time together and created a "serial killer" to sell papers. One of the Jack the Ripper letters received by the police was even proven by modern day handwriting experts to be that of one of the newpaper heads. This was all in a documentary on a few months ago. I guess things have moved on a bit since the making of it?
Caporegime
Soldato
- Joined
- 12 May 2005
- Posts
- 12,631
That's twice I have got this reply to one of my comments today...
I R Mindboggler!
You boggler of the mind.
