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One of the expressions trending in Nigeria is the NIN – National Identification Number. The way the Federal Government reintroduced it late last year was so aggressive that there was fear that, by now, many Nigerians would have ceased to be Nigerians. This happened when the government gave everyone an ultimatum to verify or get their NINs.
This is no more news as the Nigerian Communications Commission and the National Identity Card Management Commission have become pragmatic in their approach. But the commission has also done well by giving the English Class the first topic for 2021. In a statement it issued on Friday, it gave guidelines for replacing misplaced SIM cards. One of such, according to the statement, is: “That the subscriber present a NIN.”
Don’t pay too much attention to the use of ‘present’ in the expression, because you may think it should be ‘presents’. The form used, ‘present’, is also correct in the context, especially if it is taken to be a short version of ‘should present’ or ‘must present’. Where the emphasis is on whether or not it should be an NIN or a NIN.
The writers of the statement left it as ‘a NIN’ because they remember the rule that we use the indefinite article ‘a’ before a consonant and ‘an’ before a vowel. They remember that it should be a boy, a girl, a man; an egg, an office and an orange. Great. There is, however, a problem with ‘a NIN’, despite the fact that N seems to be a consonant which should thus attract ‘a’.
The correct expression is ‘an NIN’, not ‘a NIN’. We are actually discussing the statement because it is an error that millions of other people would make. The reason is that there is a general misconception about the rule that guides the combination of the indefinite articles with the words they work with. When the grammar teacher says you use ‘a’ before the consonant, he means before the consonant sound, and ‘an’ before the vowel sound. This means that, in writing, some words may look as if they start with consonants but when you pronounce them they actually begin with vowels. Now, it is what your mouth tells you that you should obey, not what your eyes see.
Let us assume that the abbreviation is NNN. Although NNN has three written consonants, each of the letters begin with vowel E when you pronounce it: eNeNeN. So, it has to be ‘an eNeNeN’, not ‘a eNeNeN!’
You need to particularly watch the landmine when you are dealing with abbreviations. Consider:
He is a NNPC official. (Wrong)
He is an NNPC official. (Correct)
The lady is a LLB holder. (Wrong)
The lady is an LLB holder.
In both cases, although the spellings of the words start with consonants, their pronunciations begin with vowels, meaning that you must use ‘an’ with them.
An European?
Another reason you should be conscious of the fact that it is the phonological consonants and vowels that determine whether or not you use a or an has to do with some words that begin with vowels on paper (written), but which begin with consonants when pronounced. If care is not taken, you will commit an error in your choice of indefinite articles with them:
The man is an European. (Wrong)
The man is a European. (Correct)
Ighalo is now an United (Manchester United) player. (Wrong)
Ighalo is now a United player. (Correct)
Although Ronaldo beat him to the Player of the Century Award, Messi is an utility player. (Wrong)
Although Ronaldo beat him to the Player of the Century Award, Messi is a utility player. (Correct)
If you are a Barcelona fan, you are not likely to like the way I framed the last example. Don’t mind me, my target is a Barca addict friend of mine, Tunde Odesola. What you should, however, note is how ‘a’ is the right article to use with European, United and utility. All the words begin with vowels, physically speaking, but when pronounced, they begin with consonant sounds:
JJYYuropean
JJYYunited
JJYYutility.
So, an NIN, not a NIN.
