(a/an):
(a) is used before a word beginning with a consonant:
a man a book a pen a pencil
(an) is used before a word beginning with a vowel:
an umbrella an apple an egg
Notice:
hour or honest takes (an) because the (h) is mute.
university takes (a) because the (u) is a vowel with a consonant sound.
(a/an)
-Are used before a singular countable noun when it is mentioned for the first time.
EX:I want to buy a car .
EX:He bought an umbrella.
- Are used before a sigular countable noun which is used as an example of a class of things.
EX:A car must be insured.( a car means all cars)
EX:A child loves toys.(a child means all children)
-Are used before jobs and proffessions.
EX:I would like to be a doctor.
EX:He would like to be an actor
-Are used with the expressions of quantity:
a lot of a couple of
-Are used before numbers:
a hundred a million a thousand
-Before an adjective which is followed by a singular noun.
EX:I saw a beautiful girl.
EX:What a wonderful beach!
Notice:
-We ommit (a/an) before plural nouns:
EX;I read books.Not a books.
-We ommit them before uncountable nouns:
EX:I ate cheese.Not a cheese.
-We also ommit them before names of meals:
EX:We have breakfast at 7 o'clock.But If it is preceded by an adjective,we use (a/an)
EX:She cooked a wonderful dinner.