Indefinite Articles: A and An: With Examples and Exercises
What are “a” and “an”?
A and an are called indefinite articles. We use them when we talk about one thing, but we don’t say which thing. We use them when we don’t know (or don’t care) which thing we mean.
Example:
- There once was a sheep. (We don’t know which sheep it was, so we say a sheep.)
We use a / an with singular nouns. It means “one”.
Examples:
- This is a table.
- It’s an orange.
- She is a teacher.
A or an?
The two indefinite articles in English are a and an. We use an to make pronunciation easier. It is difficult to say “a apple”, so we say “an apple”.
The general rule: we use a before a word beginning with a consonant sound, and an before a word beginning with a vowel sound (a, e, i, o, u).
| Use a before a consonant sound | Use an before a vowel sound |
|---|---|
| a toy | an apple |
| a book | an idea |
| a house | an operation |
Examples:
- Give me a pen.
- Give me an apple.
- There is an elephant in the zoo.
- It’s an amazing experience.
It is the sound that matters, not only the letter.
Silent “h”
We use an with nouns beginning with h if the h is not pronounced. But we use a if the h is pronounced.
Examples:
- Give me an
. (The h is not pronounced in hour.) - I want to buy a
. (The h is pronounced in hat.)
”U” like “you”
We use a, and NOT an, with nouns beginning with u when it is pronounced /juː/, like university.
Examples:
- Is there a
in this city? - I wear a
. - I have an
. (This u is pronounced /ʌ/, so we use an.)
A / an with plural nouns
We do NOT use a / an with plural nouns.
Examples:
- These are tables. (NOT:
These are a tables.) - They are teachers. (NOT:
They are a teachers.)
When to use A and AN: Indefinite Articles
A / An
Indefinite articles — a or an? Listen to the sound
