Educational worksheet teaching the use of "a" and "an" with illustrated examples and fill-in-the-blank sentences.

Let's solve the task step by step.

The goal is to fill in the blanks with the correct article: "a" or "an", depending on the word that follows.

Rules for using "a" and "an":

- Use "a" before words that start with a consonant sound.
- Use "an" before words that start with a vowel sound (a, e, i, o, u).

Note: It's about the sound, not just the letter. For example:
- "university" starts with a "u", but it sounds like "yoo", so we say "a university" because of the consonant sound ("y").
- "hour" starts with an "h", but it's silent, so it sounds like "our" — a vowel sound → "an hour".

---

Now let’s go through each item:

#### Left Column:
1. ___ book
- "book" starts with a b (consonant sound) → a book

2. ___ ant
- "ant" starts with a vowel sound? No, "a" is a vowel, but the word "ant" starts with the /æ/ sound (like "cat"), which is a vowel sound, but actually, we use "an" only if the *first sound* is a vowel sound.
Wait! "ant" starts with the /æ/ sound, which is a vowel sound → an ant ✔

3. ___ cat
- "cat" starts with /k/, a consonant sound → a cat

4. ___ apple
- "apple" starts with /æ/ (vowel sound) → an apple

5. ___ bow
- "bow" can be tricky. Here, it means a ribbon or decoration. The pronunciation is /boʊ/, starting with a vowel sound (/b/ is a consonant, but the sound is /boʊ/, which begins with a vowel-like sound). But actually, "bow" as in a ribbon is pronounced /baʊ/, which starts with a /b/ sound (consonant) → a bow

6. ___ girl
- "girl" starts with /g/, a consonant sound → a girl

#### Right Column:
7. ___ elephant
- "elephant" starts with /ɪ/ (as in "eh"), a vowel sound → an elephant

8. ___ igloo
- "igloo" starts with /ɪ/, a vowel sound → an igloo

9. ___ eye
- "eye" starts with /aɪ/, a vowel sound → an eye

10. ___ kite
- "kite" starts with /k/, a consonant sound → a kite

11. ___ egg
- "egg" starts with /ɛ/, a vowel sound → an egg

12. ___ octopus
- "octopus" starts with /ɒ/ or /oʊ/, a vowel sound → an octopus

---

Now the sentences at the bottom:

1. This ___ is ___ egg.
- "This" is followed by a noun. We need an article before "egg".
"egg" starts with a vowel sound → an egg
So: This is an egg.

2. This ___ ___ girl.
- "This" + article + noun.
"girl" starts with a consonant sound → a girl
So: This is a girl.

3. ___ ___ apple.
- This seems incomplete, but likely meant to be: "This is ___ apple."
"apple" starts with a vowel sound → an apple
So: This is an apple.

---

Final Answers:

#### Fill-in-the-blanks:
1. a book
2. an ant
3. a cat
4. an apple
5. a bow
6. a girl
7. an elephant
8. an igloo
9. an eye
10. a kite
11. an egg
12. an octopus

#### Sentences:
- This is an egg.
- This is a girl.
- This is an apple.

✔ All correct!

Let me know if you'd like this formatted as a printable answer sheet!