Learn how to use A, An, and The correctly
Articles are small words we put before nouns. In English, there are three articles: a, an, and the. They help us talk about things clearly.
Use a when the next word starts with a consonant sound (b, c, d, f, g, h, j, k, l, m, n, p, q, r, s, t, v, w, x, y, z).
Use a when you talk about something for the first time, or when it could be any one of many.
➤ I have a cat. | She eats a banana. | He is a doctor.
Use an when the next word starts with a vowel sound (a, e, i, o, u). Same rule as "a" but for vowel sounds.
➤ I eat an apple. | She is an engineer. | It is an old car.
Use the when you talk about a specific thing — something both people know about. Use it when you mention something a second time, or when there is only one.
➤ I have a cat. The cat is black. | The sun is big. | Please close the door.
| Article | When to use | Example |
|---|---|---|
| a | Before consonant sounds / any one thing | a book, a house, a university* |
| an | Before vowel sounds / any one thing | an egg, an umbrella, an hour* |
| the | Specific thing / both people know it | the book on my desk, the moon |
* "university" starts with a /j/ sound → a university. "hour" starts with a silent h → an hour.
Read each sentence. Is it True or False?
1. We use "an" before words that start with a vowel sound, like an egg or an orange.
2. We use "the" when we talk about something for the very first time and we don't know which one.
3. "I see a dog" — This is correct. We use "a" because it is any dog, not a specific one.
4. "Please open the window" — We use "the" because both people know which window we mean.
5. "She is a engineer" — This sentence is correct.
6. We use "a" before words like book, car, and pen.
7. There is only one sun, so we say "the sun".
8. "I want a umbrella" — This sentence is correct.
Choose the correct article for each sentence.
1. I eat ___ egg every morning.
2. Please close ___ door. It is cold!
3. She has ___ dog. ___ dog is very big.
4. Tom is ___ teacher.
5. Look at ___ moon tonight! It is beautiful.
6. I live in ___ old house.
7. Can I have ___ apple, please?
8. We watched ___ film last night. ___ film was very funny.
Match each sentence to the correct rule. Choose from the dropdown.
Choose the correct article from the dropdown to complete each sentence.
Click the words in the correct order to make a sentence.
Click a phrase, then click the correct column to sort it. Each phrase uses A, AN, or THE.
Choose the correct article to complete the conversation.
Different types of questions. Read carefully and answer each one.
Here are all your exercise scores. Complete each exercise to see your results.