The Use of "A" and "AN"

                                    PROPER USE OF ARTICLES IN ENGLISH

Hello friends. Nice to know you are still here with me. I hope you will pardon me for my long absence. I still want to announce that my appearance, for now, would still not be often. I hope to resume fully, very soon, with exciting posts. Please bear with me.

Today, I will like to discuss a topic I have titled "Proper Use of Articles in English." The word ‘article’ may not be strange to many, I know, but I will still explain briefly what it really mean. When we say article, we mean some kinds of adjectives that modify nouns and even other adjectives. There are three major types of articles in English. They are: “a”, “an” and “the”. These are categorized into two groups:
1. Definite Article, which includes “the”
2. Indefinite Article, which includes “a” and “an”.

Linguists also call the above mentioned articles ‘determiners’.

I understand that many speakers of English language find it very difficult to properly use the articles. Today, I will begin with the indefinite articles. This is because they pose more problems than the definite article.

I will show you some basic tips and rules you need to follow in order to use the indefinite articles correctly in sentences.

The Use of “a” and “an”

When “a” and “an” are used before any noun, it means the noun is indefinite. That is, there is no reference to any particular noun. For examples:
1. Have you seen a dog?
2. I need an orange.
As we can see from the examples above, the speaker does not refer to any known or particular dog neither does he refer to any particular orange.

Now, how do we correctly use them (“a” and “an”)?

• “A” is used with a singular count noun that begins with a consonant sound. Examples:
1. A goat.
2. A car.
3. A teacher.
It is however possible to use “a” with a noun that begins with a vowel letter but pronounced as a consonant. Examples:
1. A European poet.
2. A university don.
3. A user of telephone.
Note: Proper nouns do not necessarily need any article. So, it will be wrong grammatically if you say ‘A John is here’. It is equally wrong when you say ‘The John is here’ when there is no prior knowledge about John . Alternatively, you may say ‘One Mr. John is here’. You may also say ‘The Johns are here’ when referring to two families bearing John.

• “An” is used with a singular count noun that begins with a vowel sound
Examples:
1. An elephant.
2. An umbrella.
3. An institution.

Note the following:

A. This rule equally applies when acronyms beginning with vowel letters and those beginning with consonant letters are involved.
Examples:
1. Mr Lamorde was an INEC boss.
2. An MSc is required for the position (though the letter “m” here is consonant, it is pronounced as a vowel, hence the use of “an”).

B. When an adjective comes in between an article and the noun it qualifies, the choice of either “a” or “an” is determined by the initial sound of the adjective (but not the noun).
Examples:
1. A boiled egg.
2. An independent nation.

C. “A”/ “an” could be used with an uncountable noun only if the noun is preceded by a quantifying phrase. Examples of quantifying phrases are: ‘a basin of’, ‘a glass of’, ‘a bag of’, ‘a cube of’, ‘an ocean of’ etc.
Examples:
1. A cup of water is enough for me.
2. She bought three bags of rice from the market.
3. An ocean of water is big.
• “An” can equally be used with a noun beginning with a silent ‘h’.
Examples:
1. An hour.
2. An honourable man.
3. An heir apparent.

I believe you have learnt something today. Thanks for your patience. Please keep on checking this page for more educative posts. Make sure you serve God faithfully and desist from every form of unrighteousness. Please enjoy your day. I am Godwin Owojecho. Bye for now.