# The Articles a and an: Rules and Examples | SwaVid

The articles a and an: rules, worked examples and a quick check for Class 6 to 12 English grammar, CBSE and ICSE. Free practice on SwaVid.

Canonical: https://www.swavid.com/english-grammar/articles-and-determiners/a-and-an

Source: https://www.swavid.com/english-grammar/articles-and-determiners/a-and-an

# The articles a and an: rules and examples

## The rule, step by step

## Check yourself

## Frequently asked questions

## Keep practising

### Quick reference

### What is the rule for the articles a and an?

### What is the main idea to remember in the articles a and an?

### How do I get the articles a and an right?

### Free English grammar test

### More in Articles and Determiners

Short answer. A and an are articles. Use an before a vowel sound and a before a consonant sound. The sound of the next word decides, not the spelling.

1 . Choose a or an. Meena peeled ___ orange.

2 . Choose a or an. Dev waited for ___ hour at the stop.

Use an before a vowel sound and a before a consonant sound.

A and an are articles. Use an before a vowel sound and a before a consonant sound. The sound of the next word decides, not the spelling.

Use an before a vowel sound and a before a consonant sound.

Listen, do not look. Some words start with a letter that sounds different from how it looks. Trust your ears, not the first letter.

Your child's level and 3 topics to fix first.

All the topics in this chapter, one rule at a time.

- Say the next word aloud . Listen to how the next word begins. If it starts with a sound like a, e, i, o or u, use an. If it starts with any other sound, use a.
- Listen, do not look . Some words start with a letter that sounds different from how it looks. Trust your ears, not the first letter.
- Sound, not spelling . A and an are articles. Use an before a vowel sound and a before a consonant sound. Say the next word aloud: its first sound decides, not its first letter.
- Silent h . In some words the h is silent, so the word starts with a vowel sound and takes an.
- "Yoo" and "wun" sounds . Some words start with a vowel letter but a consonant sound: "yoo" or "wun". They take a.
- an old bicycle
- a huge elephant
- an easy sum

## Key Links

- [English grammar](https://www.swavid.com/english-grammar)
- [Articles and Determiners](https://www.swavid.com/english-grammar/articles-and-determiners)
- [Start free →](https://www.swavid.com/signup)
- [Practise 30 more questions free →](https://www.swavid.com/signup)
- [15 Free English grammar test Your child's level and 3 topics to fix first.](https://www.swavid.com/english-grammar/test)
- [More in Articles and Determiners All the topics in this chapter, one rule at a time.](https://www.swavid.com/english-grammar/articles-and-determiners)