An article in English grammar is a word that is used before a noun to tell us more about a noun and hence articles are considered adjectives.
Articles are of two types:
Articles are of two types:
- Definite articles
- Indefinite articles.
- A
- An
- The.
Indefinite articles
- A
- an
Rules for using indefinite articles
There are certain rules for using the indefinite article. These are:Rules for using A
- It is used for the nouns that start with a consonant (other than vowels a e i o u). Example a book, a basket, a house etc.
- It is also used for nouns that start with a vowel (a e i o u) but the first letter (vowel) is a silent letter and the pronouncation starts with a consonant sound. Example a university (here though u is a vowel yet the first letter of the word sounds like a consonant y hence article a is used and not an.
Rules for using An
- An is used for nouns that start with a vowel. For example an apple, an orange, an umbrella etc.
- It is also used for nouns that start with a consonant but the first letter (consonant) is a silent letter and it sounds like a vowel. For example an hour (his a consonant but it is a silent letter and it is pronounced as a, a vowel)