a / an

a and an are called indefinite articles. They are only used with singular nouns. They can not be used with plural or uncountable nouns.

They are used to show that the noun you are talking about is not known by you and the person you are talking to.

They are not used to show that we are talking about things in general. They are not used together with other determiners, e.g. my, this.

a or an?

Using a or an depends on the first sound of the next word. You must be careful because the first letter and the first sound are sometimes different.

We use a when the next word starts with a consonant sound. e.g.

• /k/ - a cold day
• /s/ - a circle
• /f/ - a phone
• /j/ - a university

We use an when the next word starts with a vowel sound. e.g.

• /æ/ - an apple
• /ʌ/ - an umbrella
• /aʊ/ - an hour
• /ɒ/ - an honest man

Write a or an for each of the given words.

Example

1. __ dog
   a
2. __ apple
   an
3. __ interesting book
   an