This exercise is testing your understanding of
indefinite articles — specifically, when to use
“a” versus
“an”.
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📝 Rule Reminder:
- Use
“a” before words that begin with a
consonant sound.
- Use
“an” before words that begin with a
vowel sound (a, e, i, o, u — *sound*, not spelling).
> 💡 Important: It’s about the
sound, not the letter! For example:
> - “a university” → “university” starts with a *y* sound (consonant sound) → use
a
> - “an hour” → “hour” starts with a silent ‘h’, so it sounds like “our” → vowel sound → use
an
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Let’s go through each sentence and fill in the correct article:
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1) Bring me
a clean towel.
→ “clean” starts with /k/ → consonant sound →
a
2) I accidentally dropped
an egg on the floor.
→ “egg” starts with /e/ → vowel sound →
an
3) My dad planted
an elm tree in our front yard.
→ “elm” starts with /e/ → vowel sound →
an
4) We just bought
a brand new car last night.
→ “brand” starts with /b/ → consonant sound →
a
5) I heard that there was
a planet made entirely of diamonds!
→ “planet” starts with /p/ → consonant sound →
a
6) My sister has
a real bad cough.
→ “real” starts with /r/ → consonant sound →
a
*(Note: “a real bad cough” is colloquial; grammatically, “a really bad cough” would be more correct, but we’re only filling the article here.)*
7) Last night we went to
an old haunted house.
→ “old” starts with /o/ → vowel sound →
an
8) I bought
a new sweater at the mall yesterday.
→ “new” starts with /n/ → consonant sound →
a
9) My Uncle Floyd bought me
an ugly sweater as a joke.
→ “ugly” starts with /ʌ/ → vowel sound →
an
10) I saw
an eagle yesterday at the zoo.
→ “eagle” starts with /e/ → vowel sound →
an
11) My older sister wrote
an essay last night that was ten pages long!
→ “essay” starts with /e/ → vowel sound →
an
12) My class took
an easy test yesterday.
→ “easy” starts with /i/ → vowel sound →
an
13) I saw
a crazy video on Youtube last night.
→ “crazy” starts with /k/ → consonant sound →
a
14) I had to get
a new plate when I went to the buffet.
→ “new” starts with /n/ → consonant sound →
a
15) I forgot to take out the trash, but it was
an honest mistake.
→ “honest” starts with a silent ‘h’ → sounds like “onest” → vowel sound →
an
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✔ Final Answers:
1)
a
2)
an
3)
an
4)
a
5)
a
6)
a
7)
an
8)
a
9)
an
10)
an
11)
an
12)
an
13)
a
14)
a
15)
an
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🎯 Tip for Success:
When unsure, say the word out loud. If it starts with a vowel *sound*, use
an. If it starts with a consonant *sound*, use
a.
You’ve got this! 😊
Parent Tip: Review the logic above to help your child master the concept of a vs an worksheet.
