B2 – Indefinite Articles a/an
Indefinite and Definite Articles – Pronunciation of articles
When to choose a or an
We choose either a or an depending on the pronunciation of the next word. We use a before consonant sounds, and an before vowel sounds. Remember, it’s the sound of the word after a or an which is important, not the spelling, so we say:
• ‘a university’ /ə juː.nɪˈvɜː.sɪ.ti/ but (even though it also starts with U)
- ‘an umbrella’ /ən ˌʌmˈbrɛ.lə/
Some more (strange) examples:
-
- a European country
- a uniform
- an hour
- an honest man
Choose a or an. You will have only 2 minutes and 30 seconds to answer the whole exercise.
