Articles Worksheets - Free Printable

Let's solve this English grammar worksheet on articles "a" and "an". The rule for choosing between "a" and "an" is based on the sound that follows, not just the letter:

- 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).

Even if a word starts with a vowel letter, if it sounds like a consonant (e.g., "university"), use "a". But in this case, all the words are simple.

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✔ Let’s go through each item:

1. ______ cat
→ "Cat" starts with a consonant sound (/k/).
✔ a cat

2. ______ dog
→ "Dog" starts with a consonant sound (/d/).
✔ a dog

3. ______ nose
→ "Nose" starts with a consonant sound (/n/).
✔ a nose

4. ______ apple
→ "Apple" starts with a vowel sound (/æ/).
✔ an apple

5. ______ eagle
→ "Eagle" starts with a vowel sound (/iː/).
✔ an eagle

6. ______ girl
→ "Girl" starts with a consonant sound (/g/).
✔ a girl

7. ______ leg
→ "Leg" starts with a consonant sound (/l/).
✔ a leg

8. ______ ear
→ "Ear" starts with a vowel sound (/ɪ/).
✔ an ear

9. ______ octopus
→ "Octopus" starts with a vowel sound (/ɒ/ or /oʊ/), so we use "an".
✔ an octopus

10. ______ zebra
→ "Zebra" starts with a consonant sound (/z/).
✔ a zebra

11. ______ uncle
→ "Uncle" starts with a consonant sound (/ʌ/ – but "u" here is pronounced as /ʌ/, which is a vowel sound? Wait — actually, "uncle" starts with the /ʌ/ sound, which is a vowel sound, so we use "an".

🔍 Rule: "Uncle" begins with a vowel sound (/ʌ/), so we use "an".
✔ an uncle

12. ______ pineapple
→ "Pineapple" starts with a consonant sound (/p/).
✔ a pineapple

13. ______ eraser
→ "Eraser" starts with a vowel sound (/ɪ/).
✔ an eraser

14. ______ shirt
→ "Shirt" starts with a consonant sound (/ʃ/).
✔ a shirt

15. ______ chair
→ "Chair" starts with a consonant sound (/tʃ/).
✔ a chair

16. ______ tree
→ "Tree" starts with a consonant sound (/tr/).
✔ a tree

17. ______ ice cream
→ "Ice" starts with a vowel sound (/aɪ/).
✔ an ice cream

18. ______ man
→ "Man" starts with a consonant sound (/m/).
✔ a man

19. ______ ring
→ "Ring" starts with a consonant sound (/r/).
✔ a ring

20. ______ teacher
→ "Teacher" starts with a consonant sound (/t/).
✔ a teacher

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✔ Final Answers:

1. a cat
2. a dog
3. a nose
4. an apple
5. an eagle
6. a girl
7. a leg
8. an ear
9. an octopus
10. a zebra
11. an uncle
12. a pineapple
13. an eraser
14. a shirt
15. a chair
16. a tree
17. an ice cream
18. a man
19. a ring
20. a teacher

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📝 Summary of Key Rules:

- Use "a" before words starting with consonant sounds: *cat, dog, girl, leg, etc.*
- Use "an" before words starting with vowel sounds: *apple, eagle, ear, ice cream, uncle, eraser*.

💡 Note: "Uncle" starts with /ʌ/ (like "cup"), a vowel sound → an uncle.

This helps students understand that it's about sound, not spelling!

✔ All done! Let me know if you'd like this printed or formatted as a PDF.