“A” and “An” for Kids

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Updated on: Educator Review By: Michelle Connolly

Table of Contents

A and An

There are 26 letters in the English Alphabet, they are classified into two parts: consonants and vowels. Vowel letters are “a, e, i, o, u” and sometimes y. The other letters in the alphabet are called consonants.

A / An
A / An

We use articles (a /an) before singular nouns:

  • We put “a” to singular nouns beginning with a consonant such as: a car, a girl, a bike, a zoo, a dog, etc.
  • We put “an” to singular nouns beginning with a vowel such as :an elephant, an egg, an apple, an igloo, an umbrella, etc.
  • We put “a” to singular nouns beginning with a consonant sound such as : a user ( when the first letter “ u “ sounds like ‘yoo’, so ‘a’ is used) a university, a uniform, etc.
  • We put “an” to nouns starting with silent “h”: an hour
  • We put “a” to nouns starting with a pronounced “h” such as: a horse.

A and An: Usage

Vowels for Kids
Vowels for Kids

Vowels are “a, e, i, o, u” and sometimes y.

A vowel is a speech sound where the mouth is open and the tongue doesn’t touch the top of the mouth, the teeth, etc. so that the flow of air is not limited. A vowel is a sound made by blowing air out of the mouth without closing your mouth or teeth. We use ‘an’ before a noun that begins with a vowel.

– Let’s take some examples:

  • an ant
  • an egg
  • an ice cream
  • an owl
  • an umbrella

Consonants are the other Letters in the Alphabet

A consonant is a sound that is produced by blocking air from flowing out of the mouth with the teeth, tongue, lips or palate. Consonants may come alone or in clusters but have to be connected to a vowel to form a syllable. We Use ‘a’ before nouns that begin with a consonant.

Consonant Letters for Kids
Consonant Letters for Kids

-Let’s take some examples:

  • a tree
  • a bag
  • a cat
  • a mat
  • a hen

We use a and an with singular nouns. We use a before a consonant sound and an before a vowel sound. We use “a” or “an” not by the spelling but by the sound of the word.

  • If the word begins with a consonant sound, we use a, and if it begins with a vowel sound, we use an.

For Example:

  • a universal
  • a European
  • a unicorn
  • a university
  • a uniform
  • an hour
  • an honest
a and an for Kids
a and an for Kids

A and An Exercises

Complete the following with A / An:

  • ..a..man
  • ..a..hat
  • ..a..lamp
  • ..a..teacher
  • ..a..cat
  • ..a..book
  • ..an..hour
  • ..an..Egyptian
  • ..a..plane
  • ..a..pencil
  • ..an..eraser
  • ..an..octopus
  • ..an.. apple
  • ..an..egg
  • ..an..island
  • ..an..article
  • ..an..umbrella
  • ..an..hour
  • ..a..hamburger
  • ..a..hall
  • ..a..hat
  • ..a..dog
  • ..a..rabbit
  • ..a..Euro
  • ..a..unicycle
  • ..a..union,
  • ..a..unique
  • ..a..united
  • ..a..university
  • ..a..user
  • ..a..unicorn
  • ..an.. honesty
  • ..a…board
  • ..an..owl
  • ..an..umbrella
  • ..an..hour
  • ..an..honor
  • ..an..heir
  • ..an..heirloom
  • ..a..hacksaw
  • ..a..horse
  • ..a..house
  • ..an..umbrella
  • ..an..igloo
  • ..an..ant
  • ..an..egg
  • ..an..ice cream

Choose ( a – an ) :

1- This is ( a – an ) elephant.

2- That is ( a – an ) poster.

3- This is ( a – an ) apple.

4- It is ( a – an ) pencil.

5- That is ( a – an ) board.

6- It is ( a – an ) diamond.

7- That is ( a – an ) box.

8- This is ( a – an ) dog.

9- That is ( a – an ) marker.

10- It is ( a – an ) wastebasket.

11- It is  ( a – an ) globe.

12- That is ( a – an ) crayon.

13- It is ( a – an ) orange.

14- It is ( a – an ) ant.

15- It is ( a – an ) eye.

16- It is ( a – an ) notebook.

17- It is ( a – an ) eraser.

18- It is ( a – an ) pen.

19- It is ( a – an ) doll.

20- It is ( a – an ) book.

21- This is ( a – an ) cat.

22- This is ( a – an ) article.

23- This is ( a – an ) rabbit.

24- This is ( a – an ) egg.

25- This is ( a – an ) island.

26- This is ( a – an ) horse.

27- It is ( a – an ) ice cream.

28- It is ( a – an ) house.

29- It is ( a – an ) plane.

30- It is ( a – an ) octopus.

Answers to A and An words:

1- an    2- a    3- an    4- a     5- a    6- a    7- a    8- a    9- a    10- a   11- a    12- a     13- an   

14- an     15- an    16- a    17- an    18- a    19- a    20- a   21- a   22- an     23- a     24- an

25- an    26- a     27- an     28- a    29- a     30- an

Complete with A / An:

1- This is…………..door.

2- That is…………finger.

3- This is……………knee.

4- It is………………church

5- That is …………..insect.

6- It is………………tractor.

7- That is……………girl.

8- This is……………dress.

9- That is…………color.

10- It is …………..letter.

11- It is……………school.

12- That is………ear.

13- It is ………….flag.

14- It is…………..curtain.

15- It is …………..umbrella.

16- It is …………..newspaper.

17- This is………….woman.

18- It is…………..rubber.

19- This is………….tape.

20- This is………….record.

21- This is………….flower.

22- This is………….dog.

23- It is…………… book.

24- It is……………pen.

25- It is……………eraser.

26- It is……………ruler.

27- She is ………. nurse.

28- He is ……………engineer.

29- He is ……….. doctor.

30- It is ………. bird.

Answers to A and An words: 

1- a     2- a    3- a     4- a     5- an     6- a     7- a     8-  a      9- a     10- a      11- a       12- an   13- a

14- a    15- an    16- a     17- a     18- a      19- a       20- a     21- a      22- a        23- a       24- a

25- an     26- a      27- a      28- an       29- a        30- a

A and An LearningMole

A and An Sentences

Let’s Read the Sentences Together:

1- She is a nurse.

2- My father is a doctor.

3- I have a brother.

4- She is a great woman.

5- Mariam is a good student.

6- This is a table.

7- It’s a frog.

8- This is a sharpener.

9- This is an umbrella.

10- He has a ball.

11- She is eating an apple.

12- I have a banana.

13- A cow is a useful animal.

14- She doesn’t own a car.

15- I saw a bear at the zoo.

16- Mazen is a good student.

17- I have only an hour for lunch.

18- He is an excellent engineer.

19- So owns a car.

20- She is an actor.

21- I saw an Englishman.

22- I’m an engineer.

23- Sara saw an eagle in the window.

24- Dina read a book.

25- A man drove the car too fast.

26- Lily bought an umbrella.

27- Mohmed ate an orange.

28- Mina wants an ice cream cone.

29- I went to a restaurant.

30- Let’s play a game.

Let’s Remember:

There are 26 letters in the English Alphabet, they are classified into two parts: consonants and vowels.

We use articles ( a / an ) before singular nouns. We use ‘an’ before a noun that begins with a vowel and use “a” with the other letters in the alphabet, which are called consonants.

  • A cat.
  • An igloo.
  • A doll.
  • An ice cream

A and An: Frequently Asked Questions

1.What are examples of words that take “an”?

The article ‘an’ is used when it comes before a word that begins with a vowel.

  • Umbrella: She needs an umbrella.
  • Apple: Tom has an apple.
  • Elephant: I saw an elephant at the zoo.
  • Egg: I love to eat an egg with toast
  • Aeroplane: Sarah is going on an aeroplane.
  • Honest: Joe made an honest mistake

2.What are examples of words that take “a”?

The article ‘a’ is used when it comes before a word that begins with a consonant.

  • Dog: A dog chased his ball.
  • Coat: Sarah put on a coat when it began raining.
  • Spoon: The boy used a spoon to eat his soup.
  • Zebra: The children saw a zebra.
  • Big: The mother cut a big slice of cake
  • Cow: A cow jumped over the moon.

3.Does “a” or “an” go before a word beginning with the letter “h”?

Use “an” before a silent or unsounded “h.” Because the “h” cannot be heard, the sound that follows the article is a vowel, meaning “an” is used. For example;

  • Honour: It was an honour to see the King.
  • Hour: The train journey took an hour.
  • Heir: The Queen announced an heir to the throne.

However not all “h” words take “an”. When the “h” is heard in a word, “a” is used. For example;

  • Hill: The boy’s house lived on a hill.
  • Hat: The women wore a hat to work.
  • Ham: Sally wanted a ham sandwich.

4.Does “a” or “an” go before a word beginning with the letter “u”?

When “u” makes a long “u” sound or sounds the same as the “y” in “you,” then a is used. For example;

Union: They created a union
Uniform: The children had to wear a uniform in school.
Unicorn: The girl has a unicorn teddy.

Not every “u” word takes “a”, some words beginning with “u” take “an”. Words that have short “u” sounds take “an”. For example;

  • Udder: The cow had an udder.
  • Uncle: Joe had an uncle called Bob.
  • Umpire: An umpire watched the football match.

5.Does a and an go before a word beginning with the letter “x”?

Words beginning with “x” can begin with either “a” or “an”, depending on how they sound.
Some words beginning with ‘x’ begin with the vowel sound ‘e’, you can also hear the “x” sound when saying these words. We use ‘an’ in front of these words. For example, X-ray: ‘The girl had to have an X-ray when she broke her leg.”

However, some “x” words have a consonant sound, such as “z”. We use article ‘a’ for these “x” words. For example, Xylophone: The boy played a xylophone in the school band.’

6.Does a and an go before a word beginning with the letter “e”?

Similar to “x”, words beginning with “e” can begin with either “a” or “an”, depending on how they sound.
Some words beginning with ‘e’ begin with the vowel sound ‘e’ or consonant sound “l”. We use ‘an’ in front of these words. For example;

  • Elephant: John wants to see an elephant.
  • Email: Tina sent an email to her friend.

However, some “e” words have a “you” sound. We use article ‘a’ for these “e” words. For example;

  • Euro: The man needed a euro.
  • Eulogy: The priest said a eulogy.

7.What are a and an known as?

A and an are known as indefinite articles. The indefinite articles, a and an are used when a noun is non-specific or more general. Both a and an indicate that a noun refers to something in general rather than a specific object. A definite article would be “the” as it is talking about a specific object.

For example, if there were a few umbrellas in a basket you may say “Can you pass me an umbrella, please”. You use “an” because you aren’t talking about a specific umbrella. If there was only one umbrella in the basket you may ask someone “Can you pass me the umbrella, please” You use “the” because you are talking about a specific object as there is only one umbrella in the basket.

8.What is a noun?

A noun is a person, place or thing. A person may be “a teacher”, “a doctor” or “ an engineer”. A place may be “ a hotel”, “a bedroom” or “ a school”. A thing may be “ a door”, “a phone” or “an umbrella”. If a place or person has a specific name then the articles “a” and “an” are not used. Instead you would just say “Jim”, Mr. Duffy” or “Paris”. However, for some geographically places you will use the article “the”, such as “the Bahamas”, “the Pacific Ocean” and “the Amazon”.

9.Do Plural nouns take the articles a and an?

The indefinite articles a and an are used before singular nouns only and cannot be used for plural nouns. When using a plural noun, a and an are replaced by either the definite article “the”, by an amount such as “many” or “two” or else no article is used at all. For example, let’s take the word “car”. The singular would be written as “a car”. To put the word “car” into a plural sentence may look like the following; “There are two cars in the parking lot” or “Look at all the cars in the parking lot.”

10.Does the sound or letter of the word decide what article is used?

It is important to remember that you must listen to the sound of the word to figure out which article to use before it, as some words that start with a consonant can sound like they begin with a vowel. For example, the word “hourglass” begins with a h, which is a consonant, therefore you may think “a” goes before it. However, the “h” in hourglass cannot be heard when spoken, this means “an” is used instead.

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