a - an

You use a and an when you are talking about a person or thing for the first time. A and an are called the indefinite article. You only use a and an with singular count nouns. The second time you refer to the same person or thing, you use the.

She picked up a book.

The book was lying on the table.

After weeks of looking we eventually bought a house.

The house was in a small village.

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You can describe someone or something using a or an with an adjective and a noun, or with a noun and a qualifier.

His brother was a sensitive child.

He seemed a worried man.

The information was contained in an article on biology.

I chose a picture that reminded me of my own country.

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Note that you do not omit a or an in front of a noun when the noun refers to someone's profession or job. For example, you say `He is an architect'. You do not say `He is architect'.

He became a schoolteacher.

She is a model and an artist.

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◊ 'a' or 'an'?

You use a in front of words beginning with consonant sounds and an in front of words beginning with vowel sounds.

Then I saw a big car parked nearby.

...an empty house.

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You use an in front of words beginning with `h' when the `h' is not pronounced. For example, you say `an honest man'. You do not say `a honest man'.

...in less than an hour.

...an honest answer.

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An is used in front of the following words beginning with `h':

heir, heiress, heirloom, honest, honorary, honour, honourable, hour, hourly

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You use a in front of words beginning with `u' when the `u' is pronounced (like `you'). For example, you say `a unique occasion'. You do not say `an unique occasion'.

He was a University of London law student.

They could elect a union member.

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A is used in front of the following words:

ubiquitous, unanimous, unicorn, unification, uniform, uniformed, uniformity, unifying, unilateral, unilateralist, union, unique, unisex, unit, united, universal, universe, university, uranium, urinal, urinary, urine, usable, usage, use, used, useful, useless, user, usual, usually, usurper, utensil, uterus, utilitarian, utility, utopian

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You use an in front of an abbreviation when the letters are pronounced separately and the first letter begins with a vowel sound.

Benn resigned from the Government, though remaining an MP.

There has been an SOS out for you for three days.

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◊ 'a' meaning 'one'

A and an are used to mean `one' in front of some numbers and units of measurement. See entries at ↑ Numbers and fractions and ↑ Measurements.

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