A--/--An
by Jonathan Umanzor
1. Examples: He is a teacher. She doesn't own a car. I saw a bear at the zoo.
2. Examples: He is an actor. She didn't get an invitation. I saw an eagle at the zoo.
3. The article A is used before singular, countable nouns which begin with consonant sounds.
4. Remember that A(AN) means "one" or "a single". You cannot use A(AN) with plural nouns. Examples: I saw a bears in Yellowstone National Park. Not Correct I saw bears in Yellowstone National Park. Correct
5. A + consonant sound If the following word starts with a consonant sound, then we say a: a cat a game of golf a human emotion a Peruvian a very nice lady
6. An + vowel sound If the following word starts with a vowel sound, then we say an: an apple an easy job an interesting film an old man an umbrella
7. Normally, we pronounce consonant letters with a consonant sound, and vowel letters with a vowel sound. But there are some exceptions. The rule about a or an is still the same. You just need to think about the sound, not the writing.
8. The article AN is used before singular, countable nouns which begin with vowel sounds.
