English

Articles (A and An)

Class 2

🎯 Learning Objectives

Students will understand what articles are.
Students will learn when to use "a" (before consonant sounds).
Students will learn when to use "an" (before vowel sounds).
Students will use "a" and "an" correctly in sentences.

📖 Let Us Begin!

We say "a ball" and "an apple". We say "a mango" and "an elephant". Why do we use "a" sometimes and "an" other times? The answer is simple! We use a before words that start with a consonant sound, and we use an before words that start with a vowel sound (a, e, i, o, u). These small words — a and an — are called articles!

Using "A"

We use "a" before words that start with a consonant sound (not a vowel sound).

Correct	Why?
a ball	"ball" starts with b (consonant)
a mango	"mango" starts with m (consonant)
a dog	"dog" starts with d (consonant)
a roti	"roti" starts with r (consonant)
a kite	"kite" starts with k (consonant)
a pot	"pot" starts with p (consonant)

Using "An"

We use "an" before words that start with a vowel sound (a, e, i, o, u).

Correct	Why?
an apple	"apple" starts with a (vowel)
an elephant	"elephant" starts with e (vowel)
an ink pot	"ink" starts with i (vowel)
an orange	"orange" starts with o (vowel)
an umbrella	"umbrella" starts with u (vowel)
an egg	"egg" starts with e (vowel)

A and An in Sentences

Sentence with "a"	Sentence with "an"
Ravi has a ball.	Meena has an apple.
I see a dog.	I see an elephant.
She eats a mango.	He eats an orange.
It is a kite.	It is an umbrella.

📝 Key Words

Word	Meaning
Article	A small word (a, an) used before a naming word
A	Used before words starting with a consonant sound
An	Used before words starting with a vowel sound (a, e, i, o, u)
Vowel sound	The sound of a, e, i, o, u at the start of a word
Consonant sound	The sound of any letter that is not a vowel

⭐ Key Points to Remember

"A" and "an" are called articles.
Use "a" before words starting with a consonant sound: a ball, a mango, a dog.
Use "an" before words starting with a vowel sound (a, e, i, o, u): an apple, an egg, an umbrella.
The vowels are: A, E, I, O, U.
Always say the word out loud to hear which sound it starts with.

✏️ Practice Questions

A. Fill in the Blanks

1. We use "a" before words starting with a sound.

2. We use "an" before words starting with a sound.

3. Ravi has orange. (a / an)

4. She has umbrella. (a / an)

5. I see elephant in the zoo. (a / an)

B. Multiple Choice Questions

1. Which is correct?

(a) a apple(b) an apple(c) the apple(d) one apple

2. Which is correct?

(a) an ball(b) a ball(c) an balls(d) a balls

3. "Egg" starts with a vowel, so we say:

(a) a egg(b) an egg(c) the egg(d) one egg

C. Short Answer Questions

1. Write "a" or "an" before each word: __ ant, __ book, __ ink pot, __ mango, __ orange.

2. Write two sentences using "a" and two sentences using "an".

3. Why do we say "an elephant" and not "a elephant"?

🎨 Fun Activity -- A or An?

Write "a" or "an" in the blank before each word.

___	Word	___	Word
	apple		dog
	elephant		kite
	umbrella		mango
	orange		roti
	ink pot		ball

Want to use this as a worksheet? Switch to the A4 printable view.

Learning Objectives

Students will understand what articles are.
Students will learn when to use "a" (before consonant sounds).
Students will learn when to use "an" (before vowel sounds).
Students will use "a" and "an" correctly in sentences.

Let Us Begin!

We say "a ball" and "an apple". We use a before words that start with a consonant sound, and we use an before words that start with a vowel sound (a, e, i, o, u). These small words are called articles!

Using "A" (before consonant sounds)

Use "a" before words starting with a consonant (not a vowel).

Correct	Why?	Correct	Why?
a ball	b = consonant	a roti	r = consonant
a mango	m = consonant	a kite	k = consonant
a dog	d = consonant	a pot	p = consonant

Using "An" (before vowel sounds: a, e, i, o, u)

Use "an" before words starting with a vowel (a, e, i, o, u).

Correct	Why?	Correct	Why?
an apple	a = vowel	an orange	o = vowel
an elephant	e = vowel	an umbrella	u = vowel
an ink pot	i = vowel	an egg	e = vowel

Key Words

Word	Meaning
Article	A small word (a, an) used before a naming word
A	Used before words starting with a consonant sound
An	Used before words starting with a vowel sound (a, e, i, o, u)
Vowel sound	The sound of a, e, i, o, u at the start of a word
Consonant sound	The sound of any letter that is not a vowel

Key Points to Remember

"A" and "an" are called articles.
Use "a" before words starting with a consonant sound: a ball, a mango, a dog.
Use "an" before words starting with a vowel sound (a, e, i, o, u): an apple, an egg, an umbrella.
The vowels are: A, E, I, O, U.
Always say the word out loud to hear which sound it starts with.

Examples

Example 1: Using "a"

"Ravi has a ball." (ball starts with b -- consonant)

"Meena eats a mango." (mango starts with m -- consonant)

Example 2: Using "an"

"Sita has an apple." (apple starts with a -- vowel)

"Arjun sees an elephant." (elephant starts with e -- vowel)

Practice Questions

A. Fill in the Blanks

We use "a" before words starting with a sound.
We use "an" before words starting with a sound.
Ravi has orange. (a / an)
She has umbrella. (a / an)
I see elephant in the zoo. (a / an)

B. Multiple Choice Questions

Which is correct?
(a) a apple(b) an apple(c) the apple(d) one apple
Which is correct?
(a) an ball(b) a ball(c) an balls(d) a balls
"Egg" starts with a vowel, so we say:
(a) a egg(b) an egg(c) the egg(d) one egg

C. Short Answer Questions

Write "a" or "an" before each word: __ ant, __ book, __ ink pot, __ mango, __ orange.
Write two sentences using "a" and two sentences using "an".
Why do we say "an elephant" and not "a elephant"?

Fun Activity -- A or An?