Quick Tips: Using Articles A/An
Using Indefinite Articles
Articles are an essential part of the English Language but are an often forgotten part of the sentence.
They are words that define a noun as something specific or unspecific.
Let’s look at the sentence below:
After long day, I look forward to warm cup of tea.
Without the article, the sentence doesn’t really make sense. So let’s add an indefinite article (A or An):
I look forward to a warm cup of tea after a long day.
Using an indefinite article tells us that the noun is about a general idea rather than a specific one, it comes in two forms: A and An.
A is used before words that begin with a consonant.
Let’s look at this example: I will bring a flask of coffee to the office.
In this example, you are not bringing a specific flask of coffee to the office, just a flask full of coffee.
You might own the flask but there is nothing specific about the flask that the person you are speaking to needs to know.
An is used before words that begin with a vowel.
Let’s look at this example: I’m going to buy an apple from the shop.
In this example, you are pointing out that you are going to buy an apple but not a specific apple.
You have used an because apple starts with a vowel, unlike flask in the previous example.
A quick guide to the Indefinite Articles
“A” is used in front of singular countable nouns. I.E. a person, animal or thing which are not specific when the word after it starts with a consonant.
Example:
A dog, a bus, a teacher, a girl
A bus went by while I was walking to school.
“An” is used in front of singular countable nouns. I.E. a person, animal or thing which are not specific when the word after it starts with a vowel.
Example:
An apple, an orange, an elephant, an ostrich
An elephant trampled through the trees.
Try it yourself
Articles: a / an . Grammar exercises – indefinite articles (agendaweb.org)
