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a / an / some


a and an

a and an are called indefinite articles. They are only used with singular nouns.

some

You must use some with plural or uncountable nouns. (e.g. friends, children, water, money)

a, an and some 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.

Some is most common in positive sentences. It can also be used in questions that encourage the answer 'Yes'. In other questions, any is normally used.

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, an or some for each of the given words.

Example

  1. I have __ dog.
    a
  2. Would you like __ apple?
    an
  3. I'm going to the city with __ friends.
    some

Questions

  1. This is ____ hard test.
    • a
  2. I live in ____ house near the city.
    • a
  3. There are ____ Italian students in my class.
    • some
  4. I gave them ____ honest answer.
    • an
  5. Can I have ____ water, please?
    • some
  6. I wish I had ____ umbrella.
    • an
  7. I want to buy ____ U.S. flag.
    • a
  8. I forget. Do you spell phone with a ‘P’ or ____ ‘F’?
    • an
  9. I’m staying in ____ hotel.
    • a
  10. I want to buy ____ American flag.
    • an
  11. Can I have ____ glass of water, please?
    • a
  12. I need to buy ____ orange juice.
    • some
  13. She works in ____ university.
    • a
  14. This is ____ easy test.
    • an
  15. Would you like to eat ____ watermelon?
    • some
  16. There is ____ Italian student in my class.
    • an
  17. Would you like ____ apple?
    • an
  18. Would you like ____ apple juice?
    • some
  19. I saw ____ movie last week.
    • a
  20. My friend is ____ doctor.
    • a