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    • A vs. An: When to Use A or An in a Sentence - Writing Explained
      • The basic rule for using a in a sentence is Use a before words, abbreviations, acronyms, or letters that begin with a consonant sound, regardless of their spelling. For example, A dog. A fish. A university. A utopia.
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  2. Both a and an are used as articles in the English sentences, but their use use differs based on what words follow. How to Use A and An: A is used with consonant sounds. An is used with vowel sounds.

  3. Feb 15, 2022 · The only articles in English are ‘the’ and ‘a/an’. Yet, the tricky part is that we use them differently – and sometimes not at all. We call ‘the’ the definite article and ‘a/an’ the indefinite article.

  4. Aug 19, 2015 · Basically, we use a/an when we don’t need to say which thing we are talking about. We use the to talk about a specific thing: I caught a train to London. (it doesn’t matter which train) The train was late. (that particular train was late)

  5. Sep 12, 2023 · You want to use an before a word beginning with a vowel sound (umbrella, herb) and a before a word beginning with a consonant sound (crate, ukulele). It doesn’t matter whether the word starts with a vowel letter or a consonant letter. It just matters how the letter is pronounced.

  6. When do we use a and when do we use an? In speaking, we use a /ə/ before a consonant sound: a car a house a big truck a wheel a grey day. Warning: Some words that begin with a vowel letter in writing have a consonant sound: /ə ju:ˈnaɪtɪd …/ /ə ju:niˈvɜ:sɪti/ /ə wʌn …/ a united group a university a one-year-old child.

  7. The rule that many people vaguely remember is that one uses 'a' if the word that follows it begins with a consonant, and one uses 'an' if the following word begins with a vowel.

  8. Oct 2, 2022 · Words where the ‘u’ sound is pronounced like ‘you’, such as user, usual, or utilised, use ‘a’. Words where the ‘u’ sound is pronounced like ‘uh’, such as unusual, understanding, utter, use ‘an’.

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