Dictionary >> A vs. An Rules Examples. A vs. An Rules When to Use A. Use A if the next word starts with the sound of a consonant. examples: a tree & a word; Use A if the first letter of the next word is vowel but the first sound is a consonant. when "o" makes the same sound as w in won; when "e" makes the same sound as the y in you

A and An: Know the Difference. Both a and an are indefinite articles for singular nouns. When the next word begins with a consonant sound, you use a. You can tell when to use an instead of a if the next sound is a vowel sound. A misunderstanding of the rule is that you need to pay attention to the actual letter of the next word.

Here’s the secret to making the rule work: The rule applies to the sound of the letter beginning the word, not just the letter itself. The way we say the word will determine whether or not we use a or an. If the word begins with a vowel sound, you must use an. If it begins with a consonant sound, you must use a.

One such rule is the one concerning whether to use a or an as an indefinite article (“the word a or an used in English to refer to a person or thing that is not identified or specified”). Some people feel strongly that words like 'historic' and 'historical' should be preceded by 'an', not 'a'.

26/09/2018 · There are all sorts of grammar rules out there. But, one of the most basic is determining when you should use the very first letter of the alphabet. Do you know when to use …

An. The two indefinite articles in English are a and an. The indefinite article an is used to make pronunciation easier when reading a text aloud. The general rule is to use a when the indefinite article precedes a word beginning with a consonant sound and an when it precedes a word starting with a vowel sound.

Use ANbefore words such as "hour" which sound like they start with a vowel even if the first letter is a consonant. Also use ANbefore letters and numbers which sound like they begin with a vowel, such as "F" or "8". Remember, it is the sound not the spelling which is important.

Normally, we pronounce consonant letters with a consonant sound, and vowel letters with a vowel sound. But there are some exceptions. The rule about a or an is still the same. You just need to think about the SOUND, not the WRITING. Look at these examples: vowel LETTER but consonant SOUND. a Eu ropean country.

Here, we introduce the article THEand discuss how to choose between the indefinite articles A(AN)and the definite article THE. USE 9. Aand ANare called indefinite articles. "Indefinite" means "not specific". Use A(AN)when you are talking about …

27/07/2012 · But that isn't the rule, and it's important to avoid this rookie mistake before turning over your manuscript to agents and editors. ( Grammar rules for writers .) The real rule is this: You use the article "a" before words that start with a consonant sound and "an" before words that start with a vowel sound.