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

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