Articles Exercises (A, An, The)
Do more with this exercise
Articles: a, an and the
Use a or an for one thing. Use the when we know which thing. Listen to the sound to choose a or an.
- A + consonant sound:
- Use a before a consonant sound: a book, a cat, a house. University starts with a 'you' sound, so: a university.
- An + vowel sound:
- Use an before a vowel sound: an apple, an egg, an orange. In hour, the h is silent, so: an hour.
- A/an: one thing, first time:
- Use a or an for one thing, and when you talk about it for the first time: It is a dog.
- The: we know which:
- Use the when we know which thing: It is a dog. The dog is black. Also use the when there is only one: the sun, the sky.
- Jobs:
- Use a or an with a job: She is a doctor. He is an English teacher.
- No article:
- Do not use a or an with plural nouns. Use no article for things in general (Dogs are good friends) and, usually, with names of people, cities and countries (Maria is from Peru). But some countries take the: the USA, the UK.
Examples
It is a dog. The dog is black.
First time: a. The second time, we know which dog: the.
It is an apple.
Apple starts with a vowel sound, so we use an.
An hour is sixty minutes.
In hour, the h is silent. The first sound is a vowel sound, so we use an.
She is a university student.
University starts with a 'you' sound. It is a consonant sound, so we use a.
He is a doctor.
Use a or an with a job.
Dogs are good friends.
Dogs here means all dogs, so we use no article.
Practice exercises
Choose the Correct Article
Choose the correct word for each sentence.
1.It is ___ egg.
2.She is ___ university student.
3.We are ___ hour late.
4.___ sun is very hot today.
5.It is a cat. ___ cat is black and white.
6.___ are good friends.
Fill in the Blank
Write the correct article. The words in brackets show your choices.
Put the Words in Order
Click the words in the correct order to build the sentence.
13. Build the sentence:
14. Build the sentence:
15. Build the sentence:
16. Build the sentence:
True or False
Decide if each statement is true or false.
17.'An hour' is correct, because 'hour' starts with a vowel sound.
18.'An university' is correct English.
19.'She is doctor.' is correct English.
20.'A' and 'an' are only for one thing.
21.'The Maria is a student.' is correct English.
A, An and The: Articles for Beginners
English has three articles: a, an and the. A and an mean one. They go before a singular noun: a book, an apple. The can go before a singular or a plural noun: the book, the books.
To choose a or an, listen to the first sound of the next word, not the first letter. Before a vowel sound, use an: an egg, an orange, an hour (the h is silent). Before a consonant sound, use a: a cat, a house, a university (it starts with a 'you' sound). The next word is not always the noun: an apple, but a big apple.
Use a or an when a thing is new in the conversation, and the when it is not new: It is a dog. The dog is black. Use the for things that are only one, like the sun and the sky. And use a or an with jobs: She is a nurse. He is an English teacher.
Sometimes there is no article. Plural nouns for things in general take no article: Dogs are good friends. Names of people, cities and countries usually take no article: Maria is from Peru (but: the USA, the UK). Many learners say 'The dogs are good friends' here, but The dogs means some dogs that we know, not all dogs.
Frequently asked questions
When do I use a and when do I use an?
Listen to the sound, not the letter. Use an before a vowel sound: an apple, an egg, an hour. Use a before a consonant sound: a book, a house, a university.
Why is it 'an hour' but 'a house'?
In hour, the h is silent, so the word starts with a vowel sound. In house, you say the h, so it starts with a consonant sound.
What is the difference between a and the?
Use a or an for one thing when it is new for the listener: It is a dog. Use the when you both know which one: The dog is black. Also use the when there is only one, like the sun.
Do I need a or an with jobs?
Yes. Say She is a doctor and He is an English teacher, not She is doctor. Some languages have no article here, so this is a very common mistake.
When do I use no article?
Use no article with plural nouns for things in general: Dogs are good friends. Usually, use no article with names of people, cities and countries: Maria is from Lima. But some countries take the: the USA, the UK.
Answer key
1. It is ___ egg.
Answer: an
Egg starts with a vowel sound, so we use an.
2. She is ___ university student.
Answer: a
University starts with a 'you' sound. It is a consonant sound, so we use a.
3. We are ___ hour late.
Answer: an
In hour, the h is silent, so the first sound is a vowel sound: an hour.
4. ___ sun is very hot today.
Answer: The
There is only one sun, so we use the.
5. It is a cat. ___ cat is black and white.
Answer: The
The cat is not new now. We know which cat, so we use the.
6. ___ are good friends.
Answer: Dogs
A and an are only for one thing. Dogs here means all dogs, so we use no article.
7. It is ___ orange.
Answer: an
Orange starts with a vowel sound, so we use an.
8. He is ___ English teacher.
Answer: an
Look at the next word: English starts with a vowel sound, so we use an.
9. It is ___ house.
Answer: a
In house, we say the h. It is a consonant sound, so we use a. In hour, the h is silent.
10. It is ___ big apple.
Answer: a
Look at the next word, not the noun: big starts with a consonant sound, so we use a.
11. It is a box. ___ box is red.
Answer: The
The box is not new now. We know which box, so we use the.
12. ___ sky is blue today.
Answer: The
There is only one sky, so we use the.
13. apple / it / . / an / is
Answer: It is an apple.
Apple starts with a vowel sound, so we use an. An comes before the noun.
14. a / nurse / she / . / is
Answer: She is a nurse.
Use a or an with a job: She is a nurse.
15. hot / sun / . / very / the / is
Answer: The sun is very hot.
There is only one sun, so we use the.
16. friends / are / good / . / dogs
Answer: Dogs are good friends.
Dogs here means all dogs, so we use no article.
17. 'An hour' is correct, because 'hour' starts with a vowel sound.
Answer: True
In hour, the h is silent. The first sound is a vowel sound, so we use an.
18. 'An university' is correct English.
Answer: False
University starts with a 'you' sound, a consonant sound. We say a university.
19. 'She is doctor.' is correct English.
Answer: False
Use a or an with a job: She is a doctor.
20. 'A' and 'an' are only for one thing.
Answer: True
A and an mean one. Do not use them with plural nouns: books, not a books.
21. 'The Maria is a student.' is correct English.
Answer: False
Do not use the with names of people: Maria is a student.