2. article "an" must be used before a noun that begins with a vowel
3. How use the articles "a" and "an"
4. Use "a" + singular noun beginning with a consonant: a boy; a car; a bike; a zoo; a dog
4.1. use an + singular noun beginning with a vowel: an elephant; an egg; an apple; an idiot; an orphan
5. In some cases where "h" is pronounced, such as "historical," you can use an. However, a is more commonly used and preferred.
6. We use a/an for nouns that are not specific, when we can refer to any one of a certain kind of thing.
6.1. I want a cookie! (You want any one of the cookies he has made, not a specific cookie. So, you use "a".)
6.2. examples for articles "a" and "an"
6.3. “cookie” begins with a consonant sound, so we use a. If the word begins with a vowel sound, we use an. For example:
7. When use "a" or "an"
8. use "an" + nouns starting with silent "h": an hour
9. Called indefinite articles
10. a + singular noun beginning with a consonant sound: a user (sounds like 'yoo-zer,' i.e. begins with a consonant 'y' sound, so 'a' is used); a university; a unicycle
10.1. r
11. a + nouns starting with a pronounced "h": a horse
11.1. yur
12. The scientist had an idea. (We do not know anything about the idea, so it is not specific. The word “idea” starts with a vowel sound, so we use an.)
