Articles are small words we put before naming words, such as dog, apple, or book. The articles are a, an, and the.
When to use “a”
Use a before one thing when you are talking about it for the first time. It usually comes before a word that starts with a consonant sound.
- a cat
- a ball
- a toy
When to use “an”
Use an before one thing when the next word starts with a vowel sound. The vowel letters are a, e, i, o, and u.
- an apple
- an egg
- an umbrella
When to use “the”
Use the when you mean a particular thing—one that you and the person listening know about.
For example: I see a dog. The dog is brown. First, it is a dog because it is new. Then, it is the dog because we know which dog you mean.
Easy way to remember
- A or an: one thing, not yet picked out.
- The: a particular thing we know about.
- Choose a or an by listening to the first sound of the next word.
Try it: “I ate ___ banana and ___ orange.” The answer is: a banana and an orange.