1. Use a to refer to something for the first time. Would you like a drink? I've finally got a good job. An elephant and a mouse fell in love.
2. The indefinite article is used to refer to something for the first time or to refer to a particular member of a group or class.
3. In English, the two indefinite articles are a and an. Like other articles, indefinite articles are invariable. You use one or the other, depending on the first letter of the word following the article, for pronunciation
4. Use a with nationalities and religions in the singular. EXAMPLES John is an Englishman. Kate is a Catholic.
5. Use a with the names of days of the week when not referring to any particular day. EXAMPLES I was born on a Thursday. Could I come over on a Saturday sometime?
6. NAMING MEMBERS OF A GROUP Use a with names of jobs. John is a doctor. Mary is training to be an engineer. He wants to be a dancer.
7. Use a when the next word starts with a consonant, or before words starting in u and eu when they sound like you.
8. EXAMPLES a boy a car a helicopter a big elephant a european a university a unit
9. Use a to refer to an example of something. EXAMPLES The mouse had a tiny nose . The elephant had a long trunk . It was a very strange car .
10. Use an when the next word starts with a vowel (a,e,i,o,u) or with a mute h.
11. EXAMPLES an elephant an itchy sweater an ugly duck an hour an honor
