Articles: a, an and the

Articles are the little words ⟦a⟧, ⟦an⟧ and ⟦the⟧ that come before a noun. ⟦A⟧ and ⟦an⟧ mean one of many (any one); ⟦the⟧ means a particular one that we both know about. Choosing between ⟦a⟧ and ⟦an⟧ depends on the first sound of the next word, not the first letter.

Key facts

  • Use ⟦a⟧ before a consonant sound: ⟦a dog⟧, ⟦a book⟧, ⟦a university⟧ (it starts with a ⟦y⟧ sound).
  • Use ⟦an⟧ before a vowel sound: ⟦an apple⟧, ⟦an egg⟧, ⟦an hour⟧ (the ⟦h⟧ is silent).
  • Use ⟦a⟧ or ⟦an⟧ the first time you mention something; use ⟦the⟧ when you mention it again: ⟦I saw a cat. The cat was black.⟧
  • Use ⟦the⟧ when there is only one: ⟦the sun⟧, ⟦the moon⟧, ⟦the sea⟧.
  • Use no article for sports, meals, most names of people and cities, and things in general: ⟦She plays tennis.⟧ ⟦Cairo is busy.⟧ ⟦I like music.⟧

Worked examples

Example 1

Choose ⟦a⟧ or ⟦an⟧: ⟦I ate ___ orange.⟧

  1. Say the next word: ⟦orange⟧. It starts with the sound ⟦o⟧, a vowel sound.
  2. Before a vowel sound we use ⟦an⟧: ⟦an orange⟧.
  3. ⟦I ate an orange.⟧

Answer: ⟦an⟧: ⟦I ate an orange.⟧

Example 2

Choose ⟦a⟧ or ⟦an⟧: ⟦She waited for ___ hour.⟧

  1. ⟦Hour⟧ is spelt with ⟦h⟧, but the ⟦h⟧ is silent: we say ⟦our⟧.
  2. So the first sound is a vowel sound and we use ⟦an⟧.
  3. ⟦She waited for an hour.⟧

Answer: ⟦an⟧: ⟦She waited for an hour.⟧

Example 3

Fill the gaps: ⟦I bought ___ new bag. ___ bag is blue.⟧

  1. The first time, the bag is new to the listener: any bag, so ⟦a⟧ (⟦new⟧ starts with a consonant sound).
  2. The second time, we both know which bag: ⟦the⟧. It starts the sentence, so it has a capital letter.
  3. ⟦I bought a new bag. The bag is blue.⟧

Answer: ⟦I bought a new bag. The bag is blue.⟧

Example 4

Correct the mistake: ⟦My brother plays the football every day.⟧

  1. ⟦Football⟧ is a sport. We use no article with sports.
  2. Take out ⟦the⟧: ⟦My brother plays football every day.⟧

Answer: ⟦My brother plays football every day.⟧