English for Kids Step by Step: Indefinite Articles Worksheets: A ... - Free Printable

The task is to determine whether to use "a" or "an" before each noun in the list. The choice depends on the sound at the beginning of the word:

- Use "a" before words that start with a consonant sound.
- Use "an" before words that start with a vowel sound.

Let's solve the problem step by step:

List of Words:

1. elephant
2. unicorn
3. car
4. acorn
5. lemon
6. teacher
7. ice cream
8. oven
9. umbrella
10. eye
11. house
12. pencil

Solution:

1. elephant - Starts with a consonant sound /ɪ/ → a elephant
2. unicorn - Starts with a vowel sound /juː/ → an unicorn
3. car - Starts with a consonant sound /k/ → a car
4. acorn - Starts with a vowel sound /ə/ → an acorn
5. lemon - Starts with a consonant sound /l/ → a lemon
6. teacher - Starts with a consonant sound /t/ → a teacher
7. ice cream - Starts with a consonant sound /aɪs/ → an ice cream
8. oven - Starts with a consonant sound /ɒ/ → an oven
9. umbrella - Starts with a consonant sound /ʌ/ → an umbrella
10. eye - Starts with a vowel sound /aɪ/ → an eye
11. house - Starts with a consonant sound /h/ → a house
12. pencil - Starts with a consonant sound /p/ → a pencil

Final Answer:

```
a elephant
an unicorn
a car
an acorn
a lemon
a teacher
an ice cream
an oven
an umbrella
an eye
a house
a pencil
```

Explanation:

- Words like "elephant," "car," "lemon," "teacher," "house," and "pencil" start with consonant sounds, so they take "a".
- Words like "unicorn," "acorn," "ice cream," "oven," "umbrella," and "eye" start with vowel sounds, so they take "an".

This rule helps in correctly using indefinite articles in English.