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A and An
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Articles
A & AN
There are three articles in the English language - a, an, & the. They are divided into two subgroups - definite & indefinite.Indefinite Articles
A & An are articles that combine with singular nouns that you can count and indicate a general noun. For example,
| a dog | an ostrich |
| a spoon | an apple |
A is used when the word starts with a consonant sound.
| a book | a tiara | a unicorn |
| B makes a buh sound | T makes a tih sound | U makes a yuh sound |
An is used when the word starts with a vowel sound (a, e, i, o, or u).
| an arrow | an eagle | an honor |
| A makes an ah sound | E makes an ee sound | “HO” makes an ah sound because the H is silent |
QUICK TIP!
Just because the word starts with a consonant or vowel does not mean you know which article to use. Be sure to think about the sound the word makes when you say it, and use that to choose which you need - a or an.
Definite Article
The is used to indicate a specific noun and can be used for both singular and plural nouns no matter what sound they start with. For example,
| the dog | the book | the eagle |
| the dogs | the books | the eagles |
If you know specifically to which noun you’re referring, then use a definite article because you definitely know.
