Indefinite Articles - A, An

The two indefinite articles are "a" and "an". Indefinite articles are invariable. You use one or the other, depending on the first letter of the word following the article, for pronunciation reasons. Use a when the next word starts with a consonant, or before words starting in u andeu when they sound like you. Use an when the next word starts with a vowel (a,e,i,o,u) or with a mute h.

EXAMPLES

• a boy
• an apple
• a car
• a helicopter
• an elephant
• a big elephant
• an itchy sweater
• an ugly duck
• a european
• a university
• a unit
• an hour
• an honor

The indefinite article is used to refer to something for the first time or to refer to a particular member of a group or class. Some use cases and examples are given below.

Use a to refer to something for the first time.

EXAMPLES

• Would you like a drink?
• I've finally got a good job.
• An elephant and a mouse fell in love.

NAMING MEMBERS OF A GROUP

Use a with names of jobs.

EXAMPLES

• John is a doctor.
• Mary is training to be an engineer.
• He wants to be a dancer.

Use a with nationalities and religions in the singular.

EXAMPLES

• John is an Englishman.
• Kate is a Catholic.

Use a with the names of days of the week when not referring to any particular day.

EXAMPLES

• I was born on a Thursday.
• Could I come over on a Saturday sometime?

Use a to refer to an example of something.

EXAMPLES

• The mouse had a tiny nose .
• The elephant had a long trunk .
• It was a very strange car .

Use a with singular nouns after the words 'what' and 'such'.

EXAMPLES

• What a shame !
• She's such a beautiful girl .
• What a lovely day !

Use a meaning 'one', referring to a single object or person, or a single unit of measure. In these sentences using "one" instead of the indefinite article is grammatically correct. It will add emphasis to the number, and contrast with other numbers.

EXAMPLES

• I'd like an orange and two lemons please.
• I'd like one orange and two lemons please.
• The burglar took a diamond necklace and some valuable paintings.
• I can think of a hundred reasons not to come.
• I need a kilogram of sugar.
• I need one kilogram of sugar.
• You can't run a mile in 5 minutes!