Articles: the, a and an
The three commonest determiners, and the sound rule for choosing a or an.
The answer
The articles are the, a and an: small determiners that tell you whether a noun is one particular thing (the) or any one of its kind (a or an).
Examples
A robin landed on the fence.
I ate an apple and a banana.
The book you lent me was brilliant.
The shows you both know which book.
We waited for an hour.
Hour starts with a vowel sound, because the h is silent.
She has a unicorn toy.
Unicorn starts with a y sound, so it takes a.
How to spot it
- Only three words are articles: the, a and an.
- The is definite: a particular one the reader knows about. A and an are indefinite: any one of a kind.
- Choose a or an by the first sound of the next word, not its first letter: an hour, an umbrella, a uniform.
The common mistake
Choosing a or an by the letter instead of the sound.
‘A hour’ should be ‘an hour’, and ‘an unicorn’ should be ‘a unicorn’. Say it aloud and listen to the first sound.
When it is taught
- First met
- Year 3
- On the pupil word list
- Not as a separate term
Year 3 teaches using a or an according to whether the next word begins with a consonant or a vowel sound (a rock, an open box). Article is not on the pupil terminology list; the glossary treats articles as the commonest determiners, and determiner is taught in Year 4.
Try a question
Write a or an in each gap.
I saw ___ owl, ___ eagle and ___ huge vulture.
Show the answer
Answer: an owl, an eagle and a huge vulture
Owl and eagle begin with vowel sounds. Huge begins with an h sound, so it takes a. The article follows the sound of the very next word, even when that word is an adjective.
Related terms
More grammar terms
Questions parents ask
Is the a determiner?
Yes. The national curriculum glossary calls the, a and an articles, the most common kind of determiner.
Why is it an hour but a horse?
The h in hour is silent, so the word starts with a vowel sound and takes an. The h in horse is sounded, so it takes a.
What do definite and indefinite mean?
The is definite: it points to one particular thing (the bus we catch). A and an are indefinite: any one of a kind (a bus).
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