COMMON CORE: THE INDEFINITE ARTICLES

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COMMON CORE: THE INDEFINITE ARTICLES

by English Within Reach

THE INDEFINITE ARTICLES : a / an

Use 'A' before a word which begins with a consonant sound.

a man
a pen
a boy
a car
a fish
a house

a movie
a star
a bike
a student
a watch
a computer

a school
a shoe
a bottle
a mouse
a tiger
a camera

a city
a teacher
a website
a dollar
a machine
a game

Use 'AN' before a word which begins with a vowel sound

an umbrella
an elephant
an actor
an emergency

an American
an automobile
an airplane
an ant

an ice-cream
an ambulance
an offer
an equipment

NB: Note that the pronunciation is what matters when choosing between a & an .
Examples:
□ an h onor / an hour ( h is silent)
□ a u niversity / a u nit ( a before the 'y' sound)

We use the indefinite articles a / an

1. to refer to something or someone for the first time in a conversation:
I've got two children – a boy and a girl. The boy is 7 and the girl 4.
2. before professions and job titles:
a nurse            a plumber            a politician           a marketing executive
3. with some expressions of quantity, amounts and frequency:
a pair of jeans            a few minutes           twice a year           50 miles an hour
4. with expressions with "What ... !":
What a great dress!           What a mess!           What a shame !