Sometimes I see the article "an" before words starting with h. Is such usage correct?
by 
Doggie S
ANSWERS: 6
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i've always wondered that as well.
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The school rule is that an must be used before words beginning with h in which the h is silent, such as honourable. http://www.worldwidewords.org/qa/qa-anh1.htm
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Per educational standards it is ok. For the most part though, when written out "a" is used instead. I imagine the before H usage came about in spoken word, where sometimes you must be able to understand another clearly, so saying "an" before a silent H makes it clear.
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Yes, because in words like "honored" the H is more or less silent. A honored guest just sounds wrong, so you say "an honored guest."
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If the letter H is silent you use an, otherwise you use a simple a. It is an honour to answer you. It is a historical fact.
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It is the highbrow academic thing to do. Sometimes I do it, sometimes I don't. Think of it like this: "It's AN honor." Similarly, if you say "a historical" it might sound like you're saying ahistorical, which isn't the same thing. You can safely say "a house" because the H sound is hard and no one will mistake your meaning. I don't know what the actual rule is, though.
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