Use a or an for one thing or one person. Use an before a vowel sound, and use a or an to say what something is and what somebody does for a living.
A a = one
A man has a bag over his shoulder: he has got a bag. A woman is standing by the road with her arm up: she is waiting for a bus. The sun is out and the sky is blue: it is a lovely day.
a means one thing or one person. With a singular noun such as bank, car or question, English needs a in front of it. It cannot stand alone.
- My sister works in a shop. (not in shop)
- Can I make a suggestion? (not make suggestion)
- We haven't got a garden.
- There's a man outside the door.
B an before a vowel sound
Use an, not a, before a, e, i, o, u.
What matters is the sound, not the letter. The h in hour is silent, so it is an hour. University and European begin with a y sound, so they take a.
another (an + other) is written as one word.
- Would you like an orange or a pear?
- I need a towel and an umbrella.
- We watched an old film on the telly.
- The train was an hour late.
- My brother goes to a university in Scotland.
- Is Norway a European country?
- Could I have another biscuit?
C Saying what something is, and what people do
Use a/an to say what a thing or a person is.
Use a/an for jobs as well. A woman in a white coat leans over a patient and says, "I'm a dentist." She does not say I'm dentist.
- The robin is a bird.
- Snooker is a game.
- Leeds is a city in Yorkshire.
- An ant is an insect. It's a very small insect.
- My gran is a very kind woman.
- "What's your job?" "I'm a nurse."
- "What does Jamie do?" "He's an electrician."
- Would you like to be a vet?
- Elgar was a composer.
- Turner was a famous painter.
- Is your brother a student?
Exercises
65.1 Write a or an.
an empty box
an empty box
door
a door
house
a house
orange
an orange
big orange
a big orange
umbrella
an umbrella
uniform
a uniform
honest answer
an honest answer
easy question
an easy question
65.2 What are these things? Choose from the box. Use a or an.
birdflowerfruitgamemountainmusical instrumentplanetrivertoolvegetable
A robin is a bird.
A robin is a bird.
A parsnip is .
A parsnip is a vegetable.
Chess is .
Chess is a game.
A spanner is .
A spanner is a tool.
Ben Nevis is .
Ben Nevis is a mountain.
Mars is .
Mars is a planet.
A plum is .
A plum is a fruit.
The Thames is .
The Thames is a river.
A daisy is .
A daisy is a flower.
A violin is .
A violin is a musical instrument.
65.3 What are their jobs? Choose from the box and finish the sentences. The last one is about you.
electricianhairdressernursephotographerplumbertaxi driverwaiter
A woman is cutting a man's hair in a salon.
She's a hairdresser.
She's a hairdresser.
A man in a cafe is carrying two plates of food to a table.
He's .
He's a waiter.
A woman with a large camera is taking pictures of a bride and groom.
She .
She's a photographer.
A man is driving a black cab with a passenger in the back.
.
He's a taxi driver.
A man is fixing the wires in a fuse box.
.
He's an electrician.
A woman in a uniform is taking a patient's temperature in a hospital ward.
.
She's a nurse.
A man is lying under a kitchen sink with a wrench, and water is dripping on his face.
.
He's a plumber.
And you? I'm .
And you? I'm a student.
65.4 Finish each sentence with a word from the box. Use a or an.
engineerforeign languagehorsehospitalold farmhousequestiontiewedding
Can I ask you ... ?
Can I ask you a question?
Can I ask you a question?
My mum works in ...
My mum works in a hospital.
Dan never wears ...
Dan never wears a tie.
Zara would like to learn ...
Zara would like to learn a foreign language.
I can't ride ...
I can't ride a horse.
Our neighbours live in ...
Our neighbours live in an old farmhouse.
My cousin is ...
My cousin is an engineer.
On Saturday we're going to ...
On Saturday we're going to a wedding.