INDEFINITE ARTICLES A / An
A
The
article A is used before singular, countable nouns which begin with consonant sounds.
Articolul nehotarat A se foloseste cu substantivele numarabile care incep cu
o consoana.
Atentie ! Este vorba de pronuntie - se refera la
substantivele a caror pronuntie incepe cu o consoana.
Important este sunetul si
nu felul in care este scris cuvantul respectiv.
Exista substantive sau alt tip de
cuvinte [ adjective, de exemplu ] care incep cu o consoana dar se pronunta fara
consoana initiala:
ex. an honorable man - H nu se
pronunta, motiv pentru care se foloseste articolul nehotarat AN
an hour - H nu se pronunta, de aceea se
foloseste articolul nehotarat AN
If
there is an adjective or an adverb-adjective combination before the noun, A(AN) should agree with the first sound in
the adjective or the adverb-adjective combination.
Examples:
He is an excellent
singer / He is a singer.
She wrote an essay / She wrote a long essay.
She is an excellent dentist / She is a dentist.
Use AN before words such as "hour"
which sound like they start with a vowel even if the first letter is a
consonant.
Also
use AN before letters and numbers which sound
like they begin with a vowel, such as "F", "L", "M",,, or "8".
Remember,
it is the sound not the spelling which is important.
Examples:
I only have an hour for lunch.
Does his name begin with an "F"?
AN
The
article AN is used before singular, countable nouns which begin with vowel sounds.
Examples:
She is an actress.
He didn't get an invitation.
I saw an eagle at the zoo.
Note: You
cannot use A / AN with plural nouns
Use A before words such as
"European" or "university" which sound like they start with
a consonant even if the first letter is a vowel.
Also use A before letters and numbers which sound
like they begin with a consonant, such as "U", "J",
"1" or "9".
Remember,
it is the sound not the spelling which is important.
For
example, "1" is spelled O-N-E; however, it is pronounced
"won" like it starts with a "W".
Examples:
She is a European citizen.
That number is a "1".
In
English, some nouns are uncountable such as: information, news,
knowledge, water, sugar, air, advice, money, etc.
We do
not use A(AN) with these uncountable nouns.
If we
want to count them, there are quantifiers to be used:
ex. a
piece of information
a word of advice
a bag of money
an item of furniture
REMEMBER !
A – with consonant voiced nouns
AN – with vowel voiced nouns
Add a / an to the following:
Hour, heir, heiress, hospitable man, hospital, usual thing, union, uniform, unit, UFO, Unidentified Flying Object, European citizen, university, X-ray, egg, ice-cream, education, unicorn, year, ear, yard, yellow wall, L, W, X
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