Words / A1

UH/ə/

Use a before a singular countable noun when it is not a particular one: a pen, a bus, a teacher. An is the same word before a vowel sound: an apple, an hour. The points to a known one. You cannot say a water — water is uncountable.

Meaning

Used before a singular noun when you mean one, but not a particular one.

Examples

• “I need a pen.”
• “She bought a ticket.”
• “There is a cat in the garden.”

Good to know

a + consonant sound. an + vowel sound. Not for uncountable nouns.

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