Determiners and articles
Use determiners (articles a/an/the and demonstratives this/that/these/those) correctly before nouns
What a learner can do afterwards
- Use 'a' before consonant sounds and 'an' before vowel sounds correctly: 'a ball', 'an apple'
- Distinguish 'this/these' (near) from 'that/those' (far) when pointing to objects
- Select the correct article (a/an/the) to complete a sentence
1 · Read
Some little words go right before a noun to tell you which one, or how many. Words like a, an, the, this, that, these, and those all do this job. They are called determiners.
Use a or an before a single noun. Listen to the very first sound of the noun. If it starts with a consonant sound, use a: a ball, a dog. If it starts with a vowel sound, use an: an apple, an owl.
Zara is looking for her cat. She finds the cat under the bed. Everyone already knows which cat she means, so Zara says the cat, not a cat. Use the when you mean one exact thing.
This and these point to something near you. That and those point to something far away. This is for one thing close by, these is for many things close by.
Pick a or an by sound, use the for one exact thing everyone knows, and use this/these for near, that/those for far.
More to read
How to Use "A" and "An" the Right Way
"A" and "an" are little words called articles. We use one of them right before a noun when we mean just one thing.
Use "a" when the next word starts with a consonant sound. For example: a pet, a door, a green onion, a cat, a funny joke.
Use "an" when the next word starts with a vowel sound, like a, e, i, o, or u. For example: an apple, an elephant, an igloo, an orange, an umbrella.
Listen to the sound, don't just look at the first letter. Say the word out loud. If it starts with a vowel sound, pick "an". If it starts with a consonant sound, pick "a".
2 · Watch
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