What is the grammatical reason for it being "an headquarters" instead of "a headquarters"?

Answer 1

It's the same as an Hotel

Answer 2

Historically, it may have been pronounced (like 'hotel') without an H. This often happens with European words that migrated. The vowel rule of 'an' therefore applies. Technically, you could write it with an 'a' and not be pulled up, but 'an' is also correct.

Hotel is an interesting word because people now SAY 'a Hotel' in the South and 'an 'Otel' up north.

Answer 3

If you are missing the apostrophe for the word headquarter's to make it a possessive it would be a headquarters. If you are talking about more than one headquarter, a plural form , you use an because a denotes a singular.

Answer 4

Whether or not you pronounce the aitch, in the English language, aitch at the beginning of a word is treated as if it were a vowel, like it or lump it. Therefore, it is always "AN hxxxxx"

Answer 5

I believe either "a" or "an" is correct. Odd, though, that it seems to vary from word to word - "an hole in the ground" seems to sound and look wrong,

"Wh -" at the beginning of a word is pronounced as "h" - would the course of pop music have been different if there had been "An whole lot of shakin' goin' on"?

All part of the rich illogicality of English, I suppose.

Answer 6

"an" is used before a word that starts (or sounds like it starts) in a vowel

"A" is used before words that start (or sound like they start) in a consonant

SO, even though "H" is a consonant, it is often silent so the vowel is the first sound of the word. Therefore, "an" is used.

Just for the record, I pronounce the "H" so I use "a"

Answer 7

Starts with an H

Answer 8

I really don't know why people says "I are" instead "i am"; i think Timbaland sang I ArE* because a lot of people say that.

Answer 9

'h' often behaves like a vowel and therefore an before a vowel rule applies here

Answer 10

an headquarters is a particular headquarters whereas
a headquarters is any headquarters