Grammar L.no.

5 – USE OF A/AN

A is used before a word beginning with a consonant sound.

An is used before a word beginning with a vowel sound or with a silent h.

Examples:

Use of ‘a’ Use of ‘an’

a banana an apple

a hen an egg

a pen an ink-pot

a cow an ox

a man an umbrella

a hand an hour

a head an honest man

A/An is used before a singular countable noun.

A/An is not used before a plural noun.

Examples:

A cow is an animal Cows are animals.

An owl is a bird. Owls are birds.

A/An is not used with uncountable nouns.

Examples:

Trees give us wood.

Milk is good for health

There was water in the jug.

She gave me food.

EXERCISE:

I. Write a or an before the following:

a bird a thirsty bird an angry bird

an hour a good hour a free hour

a table an old table a big table

an umbrella a wet umbrella an orange umbrella

II. Rewrite the following in the plural:

Example: An inkpot is made of glass.

Inkpots are made of glass.

1. A dog is an animal

Ans: - Dogs are animals.

2. An eye has a lid.

Ans: - Eyes have lids.

3. A rose is red.

Ans: - Roses are red.

4. A soldier is brave.

Ans: - Soldiers are brave.

5. An ornament is made of gold.

Ans: - Ornaments are made of gold.

6. A sword is made of steel.

Ans: - Swords are made of steel.

7. A writer is an honest man.

Ans: - Writers are honest men.

8. An orange is good to eat.

Ans: - Oranges are good to eat.

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