A An
A vs an by vowel/consonant sound; a university, an hour.
A An
Articles A and An
What you'll learn
- A and an are indefinite articles — one of many, not a specific one.
- Use an before a vowel sound; a before a consonant sound.
- Listen to the first sound, not just the first letter.
- Use only with singular countable nouns.
Key concepts
Level 1 — Sound rule
| First sound | Article | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Consonant | a | a book, a dog, a uniform (yoo-) |
| Vowel | an | an apple, an egg, an hour (silent h) |
Level 2 — Tricky words
- a one-rupee coin, a European tour (yoo sound)
- an MBA student, an honest person, an umbrella
Level 3 — Meaning
A/an = any one, not specific: A boy came to the door (we don't know which boy).
Level 4 — Indian context
An auto-rickshaw stopped near the school gate. Ravi bought a mango from the cart.
NCERT anchor: CBSE Class 4 English grammar; Marigold 4 — indefinite articles before singular countable nouns
Worked example
Choose: ___ umbrella is useful in the monsoon.
Step 1 — umbrella starts with vowel sound /ʌ/.
Step 2 — Use **an**.
Answer: **An umbrella** is useful in the monsoon.
a or an: ___ honest shopkeeper in our bazaar
Step 1 — **honest** — silent h, vowel sound.
Step 2 — Use **an**.
Answer: **An honest** shopkeeper in our bazaar
Common mistakes
| Mistake | Why it happens | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| a hour | Looking at letter h not sound | an hour (silent h) |
| an university | Ignoring yoo- consonant sound | a university |
| a books | Article with plural | Books — no a/an with plural |
| an cat | Vowel letter but consonant sound | a cat |
Quick check
- a or an: elephant, cat, ice-cream, house
- Why an hour but a house?
- Fill: She bought ___ orange.
- Stretch: Write a sentence using a, an, and the correctly about a trip to an Indian market.
Revision tip: Read aloud — if the first sound is a,e,i,o,u say an; otherwise a.
Open the Practice tab for graded questions on Articles A and An.
Key Takeaways (TL;DR)
- What you'll learn
- Key concepts
- Worked example
- Common mistakes
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