These questions ask you to choose between a and an before one non-specific countable thing. The reliable clue is the sound you hear at the beginning of the next word, even when its spelling points in another direction.
Make the choice by ear
Say the next word naturally and isolate its first sound. Use an if speech begins with a vowel sound, and a if speech begins with a consonant sound. Do this before looking at the initial letter. A silent consonant does not count as a sound, while a written vowel may represent an opening consonant sound. For initials and abbreviations, use the way people actually say them: pronounce the first letter name when the abbreviation is read letter by letter, or pronounce the opening sound of the whole word when it is read as a word.
| What you hear first | Form to use |
|---|---|
| A vowel sound, including one exposed by a silent initial consonant | Use an. |
| A consonant sound, including a y-sound or w-sound behind an initial vowel letter | Use a. |
| An abbreviation read as separate letters | Say the first letter name and classify its opening sound. |
| An abbreviation read as a word | Classify the opening sound of that spoken word. |
Keep article choice and reference choice separate. First decide whether the meaning calls for an indefinite article before one countable thing. Only then use pronunciation to choose a or an. A familiar-looking noun does not automatically take the, and a singular countable noun in this use cannot normally be left without an article.
The traps
| Temptation | How to reject it |
|---|---|
| Choosing an whenever the written word begins with a vowel letter | Some initial vowel letters begin with a consonant sound in speech. Say the word and let that sound control the article. |
| Choosing an because the spelling begins with a vowel even though speech opens with a w-sound | The opening w-sound is a consonant sound, regardless of the vowel letter visible on the page. |
| Choosing a merely because the next word is written with h | Check whether the h is pronounced. If it is silent, the following vowel sound is the true beginning and requires an. |
| Treating a capital letter or abbreviation as though its written shape were decisive | Capital letters still have spoken forms. Read the expression aloud and classify the sound that actually comes first. |
| Switching to the or leaving a gap because the noun sounds unusual | Unusual spelling does not change whether one new, non-specific countable thing needs an indefinite article. Settle that meaning first, then choose a or an by sound. |
Try it
The Glasgow train was held up by signal failures, and we stood on the platform for ___ hour and a half.
- a
- an
- the
- (no article)
After five years in retail management, Priya decided to do ___ MBA at a business school in Manchester.
- a
- an
- the
- (no article)
Several lorry drivers insisted that they had seen ___ UFO hovering above the motorway that night.
- a
- an
- the
- (no article)