Choosing between the indefinite articles a and an is determined by the sound of the following word. If the word begins with a consonant sound you would use a, such as 'a dog' and 'a balloon,' as well as 'a one' and 'a unicorn.' If the word begins with a vowel sound, use an, such as in 'an honorable man,' and with spoken acronyms like 'an FBI agent.'

Answer (1 of 53): The indefinite article: _a_ is used before consonant sounds _a bus_, _a cat_, _a dog_. The indefinite article: _an_ is used before vowel sounds _an apple_, _an elephant_, _an insect_, _an umbrella_, _an orange_. Abbreviations said …

While the general rule of thumb is that a precedes words that begin with a consonant and an precedes words that begin with a vowel, this is not necessarily always the case. In fact, there are some words that begin with a vowel that are preceded by a.

The A or An Dictionary. A reference guide for when to use A and when to use An before every word.

When to Say. a. or. an. The indefinite article is a or an. But how do we know when to say a and when to say an? The rule is really very simple. It depends on the SOUND at the start of the following word. (It does not depend on the way we WRITE the following word, it …

27/07/2012 · Incorrect: This is an universal technique. Of course, "a" goes before words that begin with a consonant if they have that consonant sound, just as "an" goes before words that begin with a vowel if they have that vowel sound. In a way, this is a poetic rule, because it's all about sound. *****. pinterest-pin-it.