Using A, An, and The
in American English
©2014 TEXAS CHRISTIAN UNIVERSITY, W.L. ADAMS CENTER FOR WRITING
What is an article?
2
An “article” signals the word that follows is a noun.
In American English, articles are a, an, and the.
The articles a and an signal that the noun following is
only one of a general class of items.
Examples:
The boy looked around for a bathroom.
Who would like to eat an apple?
Swiss scientists conducted an experiment.
A database yields helpful information about accidents.
When do I use a?
3
Use a before “count” nouns that begin with
consonants. (b, c, d, f, g, h, j, k, l, m, n, p, q, r, s, t, v,
w, x, y, z). Also use a when an adjective begins with a
consonant.
a flower
a pink flower
a belief
a religious belief
a centrifuge
a solar-powered centrifuge
a gene
a genetic assay
a mirror
a broken mirror
When do I use an?
4
 Use an before “count” nouns beginning with vowels (a, e, i, o, & u).
We attended an opera at the Met in New York.
He worked as an assistant to the professor.
An average of his grades indicated that he passed the course.
 Use an before adjectives that begin with vowels.
She sang in an operatic style.
We painted an interior wall blue.
We rescued an abandoned kitten.
What about adjectives?
5
 Use a if an adjective preceding a noun begins with a
consonant :
a flower
a belief
a centrifuge
a gene
a mirror
a pink flower
a religious belief
a solar-powered centrifuge
a genetic assay
a broken mirror
Practice: Which words begin with consonants?
6
wedding
uncle
Chromosome
dance
book
Leyden jar
test
phone
radio
river
aunt
nose
shoe
e-mail
flea
sheep
table
dog
tomato
driver’s license
experiment
fork
eclipse
office
interest
umbrella
visa
answers: Which words begin with consonants?
7
wedding
uncle
Chromosome
dance
book
Leyden jar
test
phone
radio
river
aunt
nose
shoe
e-mail
flea
sheep
table
dog
tomato
driver’s license
experiment
fork
eclipse
office
interest
umbrella
visa
Test
8
Which words require the article a? Which require
an?
wedding
uncle
Chromosome
dance
book
Leyden jar
test
phone
radio
river
aunt
nose
shoe
e-mail
flea
sheep
table
dog
tomato
driver’s license
experiment
fork
eclipse
office
interest
umbrella
visa
Test
9
Which words require the article a?
Which require an?
a wedding
an uncle
a chromosome
a dance
a book
a Leyden jar
a test
a phone
a radio
a river
an aunt
a nose
a shoe
an e-mail
a flea
a sheep
a table
a dog
a tomato
a driver’s license
an experiment
a fork
an eclipse
an office
an interest
an umbrella
a visa
Test: Vowels
10
Which of these words begin with vowels?
orange
coat
eye
baby
infant
overcoat
bus
operation
eagle
elevator
uncle
apple
blanket
child
phone
Petri dish
open
income
passport
exit
alternating
wedding
city
race
Test: Vowels
11
Which of these words begin with vowels?
orange
coat
eye
baby
infant
overcoat
bus
operation
eagle
elevator
uncle
apple
blanket
child
phone
Petri dish
open
income
passport
exit
alternating
wedding
city
race
Practice: adjectives change article requirements
12
A mirror
A cake
A mistake
A prisoner
A question
A visa
an oval mirror
an elegant cake
an obvious mistake
an escaped prisoner
an easy question
an exit visa
How adjectives change article requirements
13
An egg
An echo
An orange
An obi
An overcoat
An atlas
An agent
An iron
An accent
a painted egg
a faraway echo
a peeled orange
a red obi
a black overcoat
a world atlas
a customs agent
a hot iron
a French accent
Practice 1: Using A and An
14
Choose which article is correct to use before each of
the following nouns:
sensor
electromagnetic sensor
automobile
car
object
sharp object
ion
charged ion
variable
independent variable
current
alternating current
orangutan
mature orangutan
engine
combustion engine
Practice Using A and And (Correct Responses)
15
Choose which article is correct to use before each of
the following nouns:
a sensor
an electromagnetic sensor
an automobile
a car
an object
a sharp object
an ion
a charged ion
a variable
an independent variable
a current
an alternating current
an orangutan
a mature orangutan
an engine
a combustion engine
Practice: Would You Use A or An?
16
banana
engine
sailboat
upgrade
replacement
lanyard
sensor
representative
overripe banana
diesel engine
inflatable sailboat
significant upgrade
inefficient replacement
elastic lanyard
photoelectric sensor
elected representative
Correct Responses: Using A and An
17
a banana
an engine
a sailboat
an upgrade
a replacement
a lanyard
a sensor
a representative
an overripe banana
a diesel engine
an inflatable sailboat
a significant upgrade
an inefficient replacement
an elastic lanyard
a photoelectric sensor
an elected representative
Test: Would You Use A or An?
18
color
mark
explanation
exam
test
pan
apartment
emergency
poem
identity
pipe
ramp
cashier
agreement
bright color
awful color
accent mark
scratch mark
simple explanation
long explanation
essay exam
easy exam
simple test
extensive test
aluminum pan
large pan
available apartment
garden apartment
dental emergency
emergency room
anthology of poems
poem anthology
mistaken identity
stolen identity
exhaust pipe
steel pipe
access ramp
closed ramp
available cashier
terms-of-service agreement
Test: A or An? (Correct Responses)
19
a color
a mark
an explanation
an exam
a test
a pan
an apartment
an emergency
a poem
an identity
a pipe
a ramp
a cashier
an agreement
a bright color
an awful color
an accent mark
a scratch mark
a simple explanation
a long explanation
an essay exam
an easy exam
a simple test
an extensive test
an aluminum pan
a large pan
an available apartment
a garden apartment
a dental emergency
an emergency room
an anthology of poems
a published anthology
a mistaken identity
a stolen identity
an exhaust pipe
a steel pipe
an access ramp
a closed ramp
an available cashier
a terms-of-service agreement
No Articles Necessary
20
No articles are necessary for proper nouns that are
names of cities, streets, nations, continents,
mountains, parks, or lakes:
The flight to New York arrived an hour late.
A number of restaurants and shops operate on Berry Street in Fort Worth.
Sri Lanka is a tropical country of great importance to botanists.
Asia is an increasing consideration in global marketing strategies.
We took many photos of Mount Fuji on our trip last summer.
Niagara Falls is a popular honeymoon destination for Americans.
If you go to Austin for the weekend, you must visit Lake Travis, which is a
beautiful attraction.
Practice Exercise
21
Provide articles a, an or the where appropriate in these
sentences:
New Guinea was once area of Greater Australia with most advance
technology.
Photoelectric sensor is requirement of contract.
Explanation for increase in sales could be bankruptcy of competing
company.
Student in class is also laboratory assistant.
Study measured positive correlation between sodium intake and elevated
blood pressure.
Correct Responses
22
Provide articles a, an or the where appropriate in these sentences:
New Guinea was once the area of Greater Australia with the most advanced technology.
A photoelectric sensor is a requirement of the contract.
The photoelectric sensor is a requirement of the contract.
The explanation for an increase in sales could be the bankruptcy of the competing
company.
An explanation for the increase in sales could be the bankruptcy of a competing
company.
A student in the class is also a laboratory assistant.
A student in the class is also the laboratory assistant.
A study proved the positive correlation between sodium intake and elevated blood
pressure.
The study proved a positive correlation between sodium intake and elevated blood
pressure.
Articles before verbs
23
 Some verbs can become nouns if you place an article in
front of them:
to drive
to study
to offer
to benefit
to coordinate
to rescue
to release
to snack
to influence
a drive
a study
an offer
a benefit
a coordinate
a rescue
a release
a snack
an influence
the drive
the study
the offer
the benefit
the coordinate
the rescue
the release
the snack
the influence
Would You Use A, An, or The?
24
 ___story of ___family before ___revolution is always interesting.
 ___story of ___Mendoza family begins before ___Mexican Revolution.
 ___respiratory system is ___group of internal organs required for ___process
of ___breathing.
 ___We studied ___respiratory system in the humpback whale.
 ___mammal has ___mouth, ___nose, and lungs.
 We dissected ___mouth, ___nose, and ___lungs of ___ specimen.
 How do you calculate ___hypotenuse of ___right triangle?
 We miscalculated ___hypotenuse of __right triangle in that problem.
 I usually miscalculate ___hypotenuse of ___right triangle in geometry
problems.
Correct Responses: A, An, or The?
25
 _The_ story of _a_ family before _a_ revolution is always interesting.
 __The_story of __the_Mendoza family begins before _The_ Mexican Revolution.
 _A__respiratory system is _a_ group of internal organs required for _the_ process
of breathing.
 ___We studied _the_respiratory system in the humpback whale.
 _A__mammal has _a__mouth, __a_nose, and lungs.
 We dissected __the_mouth, _the__nose, and _the_ lungs of _a__ specimen.
 How do you calculate _the_hypotenuse of _a_right triangle?
 We miscalculated _the__hypotenuse of _the_right triangle in that problem.
 I usually miscalculate _the__hypotenuse of _a__ right triangle in geometry
problems.
Practice: A, An, & The
26
Provide the missing articles:
 Popular intelligence test in psychology is Stanford-Binet.
 Figure 4.25 shows relation between cerebral cortex and
lateralization of function in brains of mice.
 Inherited gene is responsible for producing particular trait.
 Regular exercise is necessary for health.
 Regular exercise schedule is necessary for healthy lifestyle.
 Jonas Salk developed first vaccination for polio.
Correct Responses
27
 A popular intelligence test in psychology is the Stanford-Binet.
 Figure 4.25 shows the relation between the cerebral cortex and the




lateralization of function in the brains of mice.
An inherited gene is responsible for producing a particular trait.
Regular exercise is necessary for health.
A regular exercise schedule is necessary for a healthy lifestyle.
Jonas Salk developed the first vaccination for polio.
FINAL TEST: A, An, and The
28
Write ten sentences, using the nouns in the sentences below.
If you would like to bring your sentences to the Writing Center in Reed Hall, and
go over them with a tutor, make an appointment on our website:
http://wrt.tcu.edu .
United States
children
song
dress
acrobat
Matterhorn
engineering major
information
orchid
old song
customer
entertainer
Fibonacci number
hour
bread
football
to visit
ticket
poster
accelerant
hourly wage