Articles: A / An
por Rafael Oliveira
1. It’s important to note that not all nouns that begin with a consonant begin with the consonant sound. Always trust the sound, not the letter when applying the a vs. an rule. Remember, it’s about pronunciation. Consider the examples below:
1.1. Example:
1.1.1. Incorrert: A hourglass
1.1.2. Correct: An hourglass
1.1.3. Incorrect: A honor
1.1.4. Correct: An honor
2. Example
3. A consonant that makes a vowel sound. In these cases, the indefinite article "a" should be used:
3.1. Examples:
3.1.1. Incorrect: An university
3.1.2. Correct: A university
3.1.3. Incorrect: An one-eyed pirate
3.1.4. Correct: A one*eyed pirate
4. The two indefinite articles in English are "a" and "an". The indefinite article "an" is used to make pronunciation easier when reading a text aloud. The general rule is to use "a" when the indefinite article precedes a word beginning with a consonant sound and "an" when it precedes a word starting with a vowel sound.
5. Indefinite articles are used when we are referring to an unspecified thing or quantity. We use them when we don’t know (or don’t care) which thing we’re talking about.
5.1. Use (A) when the indefinite article comes before a word beginning with a consonant sound
5.2. Use (AN) when the indefinite article comes before a word beginning with a vowel sound
5.3. Exceptions
6. How to Use the Indefinite Articles A vs. An
7. (A) is used before a word (singular) begining with a consonant or a vowel consonant sound. Consonant letters in the English alphabet are B,C,D,F,G,H,J,K,L,M,N,P,Q,R,S,T,W,X,Y,Z.
7.1. Examples:
7.1.1. A pen
7.1.2. A book
7.1.3. A cup
7.1.4. A desk
7.1.5. A girl
7.1.6. A dog
7.1.7. A table
8. (AN) is used before a word begining with a vowel sound. Vowel letters in the English alphabet are A,E,I,O,U
8.1. Examples:
8.1.1. An apple
8.1.2. An elephant
8.1.3. An orange
8.1.4. An umbrella
8.1.5. An artist
8.1.6. An operation