Linguistic Pet Peeves

I have noticed lately the use of "an" before a vowel or vowel sound has been used incorrectly. Example: I went to an university for an interview.I've noticed it a lot lately in printed books and correspondence. I was starting to wonder if they had changed the rules.

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Newspaper style that drops the comma before the final "and" in a list. That comma is there in order to make sure you realize that the "and" is the terminator of the list, not a conjunction between two items that function as a single unit in a list: "Bring bread and water, salt and pepper, and fork and knife."

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Thank you, thank you, and thank you!Now that individuals in the workforce have PC's, people write any way they want.
I'm a secretary by trade.Don't forget the apostophe after acronyms (PCs should be PC's), numbers (two 4's), letters, and words discussed as words (too many and's) when showing plurality.Phone numbers have a hypen between the number groups not a period.The prefix "non" does not need a hypen after it every time it is used. Use a hypen when the root word begins with a capital letter.The non-Christian explained in a nonagressive manner that noncompliance with the rules can also aggravate non-EvC administrators.

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A gentle answer turns away wrath, But a harsh word stirs up anger.

Wow the "World Book Desk Reference Set Grammar and Style Guide (1985)" has the apostrophe the way I showed you. No wonder people can't type it the same. What year is the MLA?How about your for you're.

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A gentle answer turns away wrath, But a harsh word stirs up anger.

Sounds like I need to get a new style guide and see if they made up their mind.

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A gentle answer turns away wrath, But a harsh word stirs up anger.

The rule I was taught is that "an" is used before a vowel or vowel sound and "a" before a consonant or consonant sound.In the case of "h" we have the following:
an hour - because of the vowel sound
a historical, house, horse etc. - because of the consonant.They should have used an "a" before university because it has a "y" sound, which is usually a consonant.

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For example, "I have a hypothesis" vs. "I have an hypothesis" or "It's a historical fact" vs. "It's an historical fact."

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You have a hypothesis and a historical fact.

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A gentle answer turns away wrath, But a harsh word stirs up anger.

Redundant AcronymsRrhain,
I also looked at new style guides and found that the use of apostophes differs depending on the guide. Looks like we pick a preference and be consistent. So I guess I quit complaining and just keep the person consistent.

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A gentle answer turns away wrath, But a harsh word stirs up anger.

Using the word "of" instead of "have."He should of said. Wrong
He should have said. RightMost people say should've when they speak, which sounds like "should of."

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A gentle answer turns away wrath, But a harsh word stirs up anger.

Welcome! I was stationed in New Orleans for a few years in the late 70's and I remember well some of the oddities. Being from the midwest, it took a while for me to adjust.My first experience was when I ordered a sandwich and they wanted to know if I wanted it dressed or undressed. Big adjustment.

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A gentle answer turns away wrath, But a harsh word stirs up anger.

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"Like" for "s/he said" is another obvious one.

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Around here it is "goes" for said.She goes instead of she said.My Dad used to tell me (when he was breaking me of that awful habit) that cows go moo and cats go meow, but people say...

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A gentle answer turns away wrath, But a harsh word stirs up anger.