Question

grammar: using a and an or ø
a and an are called indefinite articles. we use articles with nouns.
there are two types of nouns in english: count and non - count. count nouns can be counted.
they have a singular form (phone, person) and a plural form (phones, people). non - count nouns
are not countable. they have only one form (money, information).
a singular count noun cannot stand alone. we use an article or another word before it, such as
the, this, or a possessive adjective (my, your, his, etc.). use:

• a or an before a singular count noun when its meaning is general (not specific)

we want to buy a house in the future.

• a before a singular count noun that begins with a consonant sound

a book / a dream / a horse / a uniform

• an before a singular count noun that begins with a vowel sound

an animal / an engineer / an honor / an uncle
when there is an adjective before a singular count noun, use the beginning sound of the
adjective, not the noun, to choose a or an.
✓ our friends attend an excellent school.
x our friends attend a excellent school.
we do not use a or an before plural count nouns or non - count nouns.
✓ computers are part of everyones life. (ø article)
x a computers are part of everyones life.
for more information on using a or an and a list of common non - count nouns, see the writers
handbook.
activity 14 | choosing a, an, or ø
write each noun or noun phrase in the correct column.
accidents, computers, daily activity, extra pencil, happy memory, hour, information, money, object, solution, umbrella, university
a
an
ø

Explanation:

"A" is used before singular - count nouns starting with a consonant sound, "an" before those starting with a vowel sound, and no article (Ø) before plural - count nouns or non - count nouns.

• "extra pencil" and "happy memory" start with consonant sounds, so they take "a".
• "hour" starts with a vowel sound, and "umbrella" starts with a vowel sound, so they take "an".
• "accidents", "computers" are plural count nouns, and "information", "money" are non - count nouns, so they take Ø. "object" and "university" start with consonant sounds, so they take "a".

Answer:

A: extra pencil, happy memory, object, university
An: hour, umbrella
Ø: accidents, computers, information, money