Sentences using A and An

In this lesson, you are gonna learn how to make sentences using “a” and “an”

“A” and “An” are indefinite articles. An article is a word used to modify a noun, which is a person, place, object, or idea.

We only use a and an with singular countable nouns.

These are some examples of sentences with the indefinite articles A and AN

  • I have a dog and a cat
  • That was an excellent strategy
  • There is a University where you live
  • She is an intelligent girl
  • There is a man outside the house
  • I am going to buy a house in an hour
  • She is a teacher.
  • She doesn’t own a car.
  • I saw a bear at the zoo.
  • She lived in an island for many years

Let’s learn how to make sentences using “a” and “an” correctly



Video about the Indefinite Articles in English

This is a video that explains how to use the Indefinite articles in English


How to Use A and An

We use the word a  when this precedes a word that begins with a consonant, for example:

I have a hat
I want to buy a red hat
He is gonna make a decision
She wants to buy a new computer
Please, Give me a piece of cake
She has to make a cake for the party
I have to get a good job, my family depends on it

We use the word  an when it precedes a word that begins with a vowel, for example

I have an interesting story to tell you
That’s an old car
I need to work for an hour before we go to dinner.
She is gonna bring a small gift to Priscilla
She has to make an important decision
My mother is an honest woman
It is an honor to be on your team
I want to eat an apple
I have to go to an important place tonight

A and An + Pronunciation

Sometimes with words that begin with h, the h sound is not pronounced. Unfortunately there is no rule about when the h is silent.

an + nouns starting with silent “h”:

  • an hour
  • an honest man
  • an honor

a + nouns starting with a pronounced “h“:

  • a horse
  • a human emotion
  • a historic day
  • a hero

Pay attention to how a and an is used with these words:

  • a European country
  • a university
  • a one-conference
  • a United States citizen
  • an FBI Agent
  • a U‑turn.

These are some examples of sentence using the vocabulary presented in this part of the lesson.

  • I would like to visit an European country
  • He is an FBI agent
  • A university in Norway is promoting recycling
  • It was an honor to meet such a wonderful people
  • He is an honest man, he would never do that
  • She is not a united states citizen
  • I saw a horse when I was coming from the supermarket
  • I will meet you here within an hour
  • Today is a historic day

Don’t use A and And in these cases

We don’t use a/an before uncountable nouns:

  • I could have a rice
  • We just made a pasta

Manuel Campos, English Professor

Manuel Campos

I am Jose Manuel, English professor and creator of EnglishPost.org, a blog whose mission is to share lessons for those who want to learn and improve their English