Indefinite Articles: A and An: A1 Exercises

Every answer with the reason behind it. Read the explanation for the ones you got right as well — that is where you find out whether you were right for the right reason.

Multiple choice questions — answers

1. She works in ___ hospital in the city centre. → a

Hospital begins with the consonant sound /h/, so it takes a.

2. I waited for ___ hour outside the station. → an

The h in hour is silent, so the first sound is a vowel and the article is an.

3. He is studying at ___ university in Scotland. → a

University begins with the sound yoo, which counts as a consonant sound, so it takes a.

4. My mother is ___ architect. → an

Architect begins with a vowel sound, and English always needs an article before a job title.

5. Which sentence is correct? → She is a nurse.

Jobs after be always take a or an in English, even where other languages drop the article.

6. We go swimming twice ___ week. → a

A means per in expressions of rate: twice a week, fifty pence a kilo.

7. There's ___ old bicycle in the garage. → an

Old begins with a vowel sound, and the article agrees with the word that follows it directly.

8. He gave me ___ honest answer. → an

The h in honest is silent, so the word begins with a vowel sound.

9. I need ___ information about the timetable. → some

Information is uncountable and can never take a or an — it takes some instead.

10. She bought ___ umbrella and ___ raincoat. → an / a

Umbrella begins with a vowel sound and raincoat with a consonant sound.

11. It takes ___ hour and ___ half to get there. → an / a

Hour has a silent h so it takes an; half is pronounced with /h/ so it takes a.

12. Which phrase is correct? → a European city

European begins with the sound yoo, which is a consonant sound in English.

13. My uncle is ___ engineer at a car factory. → an

Engineer begins with a vowel sound, so the article is an.

14. I saw ___ fox in the garden. ___ fox was eating something. → a / The

First mention takes a; after that, both speakers know which one, so it becomes the.

15. He earns about thirty euros ___ hour. → an

A or an means per in rate expressions, and hour takes an.

16. Which sentence is correct? → She has beautiful long hair.

Hair in this sense is uncountable, so it takes no article at all.

17. There was ___ MP on the radio this morning. → an

MP is said em-pee, which begins with a vowel sound, so the article is an.

18. Would you like ___ apple or ___ banana? → an / a

Apple starts with a vowel sound and banana with a consonant sound.

19. What ___ beautiful day! → a

What plus a singular noun always takes a or an in an exclamation. Day begins with a consonant sound.

20. He plays in ___ band at the weekend. → a

Band begins with a consonant sound, so the article is a.

Fill-in-the-blank questions — answers

1. My father is ___ electrician. → an

Electrician begins with a vowel sound, so the article is an.

2. She lives in ___ small village near the coast. → a

Small begins with a consonant sound, and the article agrees with the word directly after it.

3. We waited nearly ___ hour for the bus. → an

The h in hour is silent, so the word begins with a vowel sound.

4. He is ___ university student in Glasgow. → a

University begins with the sound yoo, which counts as a consonant sound.

5. I take the train twice ___ month. → a

A means per in expressions of rate.

6. There is ___ old church at the end of the street. → an

Old begins with a vowel sound.

7. That was ___ honest thing to say. → an

Honest has a silent h, so its first sound is a vowel.

8. She wants to be ___ doctor when she finishes school. → a

Doctor begins with a consonant sound, and jobs always need an article in English.

9. Can I have ___ orange juice, please? → an

Orange begins with a vowel sound.

10. He works as ___ nurse in the children's ward. → a

Nurse begins with a consonant sound, and a job after as needs an article.

11. We spent ___ hour and a half in the queue. → an

Hour begins with a vowel sound because the h is silent.

12. There is ___ interesting article in today's paper. → an

Interesting begins with a vowel sound.

13. My sister has ___ new job in Amsterdam. → a

New begins with a consonant sound.

14. It costs about two pounds ___ kilo. → a

A means per in rate and price expressions.

15. He is ___ honourable man, whatever people say. → an

The h in honourable is silent, so the first sound is a vowel.

16. She gave me ___ excellent piece of advice. → an

Excellent begins with a vowel sound.

17. I need ___ umbrella — it's starting to rain. → an

Umbrella begins with a vowel sound.

18. What ___ terrible film that was! → a

What plus a singular noun takes an article, and terrible begins with a consonant sound.

19. There was ___ X-ray machine in the next room. → an

X is said eks, which begins with a vowel sound.

20. He bought ___ one-way ticket to Lisbon. → a

One is pronounced wun, which begins with a consonant sound.

Sentence structure: word ordering — answers

1. Say what a woman does for a living and where. → She is a teacher at our school.

Say what a woman does for a living and where.

2. Say how long you were kept waiting, using a silent-h noun. → I waited for an hour.

Say how long you were kept waiting, using a silent-h noun.

3. Describe a man's profession and workplace. → He is an engineer at a car factory.

Describe a man's profession and workplace.

4. Describe one building at a street junction. → There is a bank on the corner.

Describe one building at a street junction.

5. Describe how often your group exercises. → We go swimming twice a week.

Describe how often your group exercises.

6. Describe a purchase beginning with a vowel sound. → She bought an umbrella yesterday.

Describe a purchase beginning with a vowel sound.

7. Describe a male relative's studies. → My brother is a university student.

Describe a male relative's studies.

8. Describe a truthful reply, using a silent-h adjective. → He gave me an honest answer.

Describe a truthful reply, using a silent-h adjective.

9. Order a drink politely in a café. → I would like an orange juice.

Order a drink politely in a café.

10. Describe a decoration in a room. → There was an old map on the wall.

Describe a decoration in a room.

11. Describe a woman's job using the word as. → She works as a nurse.

Describe a woman's job using the word as.

12. Make an exclamation about the weather. → What a beautiful morning!

Make an exclamation about the weather.

13. Give a price by weight at a market. → It costs three euros a kilo.

Give a price by weight at a market.

14. Praise a man's skill in the kitchen. → He is an excellent cook.

Praise a man's skill in the kitchen.

15. Report seeing an animal for the first time. → I saw a fox in the garden.

Report seeing an animal for the first time.

16. Describe a woman's profession and city. → She is an architect in Barcelona.

Describe a woman's profession and city.

17. Say what your household must buy. → We need a new washing machine.

Say what your household must buy.

18. Report a mishap, using a vowel-sound noun. → He had an accident on his bicycle.

Report a mishap, using a vowel-sound noun.

19. Give directions to a shop. → There is a pharmacy next to the bakery.

Give directions to a shop.

20. Describe a woman's daily reading habit. → She reads for an hour every evening.

Describe a woman's daily reading habit.