Should I use "a" or "an" before a noun? #EnglishHelp?

Do you often get confused whether or not you should use the word a or an? It can seem tricky!

But if you follow some simple rules, you can learn how to use "a"and "an"very quickly.

Once you know the rules for when you use "a"and "an",it's also a lot easier to know when not to use them.

A and an are called the indefinite articles.You use them when you want to talk about just one thing. They both mean the same thing. The difference between the two is that you use an before a vowel sound (a, e, i, o, and u). Use a before all other sounds.

a

• a banana

• a cat

• a freezer

• a strawberry

• a unit

an

• an apple

• an elephant

• an ice cube

• an orange

• an umbrella

Notice that it depends on the sound.The "u" in unit makes a "yoo" sound, not an "uh" sound like in umbrella.

The tricky thing is also knowing when not to use an article. That depends on the noun that comes after it.

When deciding if you should use a/an or no article, you need to know if you are describing a count noun. A count noun is a type of noun that you can count. You can have one, two, three, etc. of it.

Count as many objects as you can in the picture.

You might have counted:

• two dogs

• an openbox

• two plants

• a door

These are all count nouns. They follow these two rules:

• Count nouns that are singular (one thing) use a/an.

• Count nouns that are plural (more than one thing) use no article.

Most English nouns are count nouns. However, there is a trick with some of them. Several count nouns in English are always plural.

These words include:

• pants

• glasses

• scissors

• headphones

• thanks

Therefore, these words never use a/an.

Some nouns in English can never be plural. This is because you can't count them. These are called "non-count" nouns. For example, you can't have "one water" or "two waters." It's just water.

You can't count how much water is in this picture.

Photo by Andrzej Kryszpiniuk on Unsplash

This means that you should use no article when describing it.

Try to count the rice in this picture.

Photo by Inkiipow on Unsplash

You probably can't! So when you talk about rice, don't use an article.

But there is a trick. You might notice that you could talk about the individual parts of the rice. If you want to talk about a specific amount of a non-count noun, you can add a count noun in front of it.

a/an

• A grain of rice is on the table.

• A can of gas is on the floor.

• A breath of air is in my lungs.

• A piece of food is on my plate.

no article

• Rice is on the table.

• Gas is on the floor.

• Air is in my lungs.

• Food is on my plate.

The examples we have looked at above are all physical things that you can touch. Words for things you can't touch are called abstract nouns. They include words like

• kindness

• hope

• truth

• love

• fear

• intelligence

Normally, if you're talking about the idea in general, you use no article. However, if you're talking about an example of that idea, you use a/an.

• Loyalty is important.

• My cat has a loyalty to me like a dog has to its owner.

Photo by Manja Vitolic on Unsplash

Now you've seen where you should and shouldn't use a/an.Read this short conversation between friends, and decide where you should put a/an.

• Joe: My dogs have (1) lot of energy. I think I should find somewhere they can run around.

• Jane: That’s a great idea. There’s (2) beach near my house. The open space is good for (3) exercise.

• Joe: That is a good point. I have also heard that (4) water is good for dogs' joints. I think I’ll go to the beach near your house.  

Photo by Bill Aboudi on Unsplash

Get practice noticing when you should or shouldn't use a/an. Look around your room and describe the objects in it.

Photo by Frames For Your Heart on Unsplash