The Indefinite Article
The indefinite article takes two forms.
It’s the word a when
it precedes a word that begins with a consonant. It’s the word an when it precedes a
word that begins with a vowel. The indefinite article indicates that a
noun refers to a general idea rather than a particular thing. For example, you
might ask your friend, “Should I bring a gift
to the party?” Your friend will understand that you are not asking about a
specific type of gift or a specific item. “I am going to bring an apple pie,” your
friend tells you. Again, the indefinite article indicates that she is not
talking about a specific apple pie. Your friend probably doesn’t even have any
pie yet. The indefinite article only appears with singular nouns. Consider the
following examples of indefinite articles used in context:
Please
hand me a book;
any book will do.
Please
hand me an autobiography;
any autobiography will do.
Exceptions: Choosing A or An
There are a few exceptions to the
general rule of using a before
words that start with consonants and an before
words that begin with vowels. The first letter of the word honor, for example, is a
consonant, but it’s unpronounced. In spite of its spelling, the word honor begins with a
vowel sound. Therefore, we use an.
Consider the example sentence below for an illustration of this concept.
My mother is a honest woman.
My
mother is an honest woman.
Similarly, when the first letter of a
word is a vowel but is pronounced with a consonant sound, use a, as in the sample
sentence below:
She is an United
States senator.
She
is a United
States senator.
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