02 Indefinite articles Flashcards
a boy an apple a car a helicopter an elephant a big elephant an itchy sweater an ugly duck a european a university a unit an hour an honor
Use a when the next word starts with a consonant, or before words starting in u and eu when they sound like you. Use an when the next word starts with a vowel (a,e,i,o,u) or with a mute h.
Would you like a drink?
I’ve finally got a good job.
An elephant and a mouse fell in love.
Use a to refer to something for the first time.
John is a doctor.
Mary is training to be an engineer.
He wants to be a dancer.
Use a with names of jobs.
John is an Englishman.
Kate is a Catholic.
Use a with nationalities and religions in the singular.
I was born on a Thursday.
Could I come over on a Saturday sometime?
Use a with the names of days of the week when not referring to any particular day.
The mouse had a tiny nose .
The elephant had a long trunk .
It was a very strange car .
Use a to refer to an example of something.
What a shame !
She’s such a beautiful girl .
What a lovely day !
Use a with singular nouns after the words ‘what’ and ‘such’.
I’d like an orange and two lemons, please.
The burglar took a diamond necklace and some valuable paintings.
I can think of a hundred reasons not to come.
I need a kilogram of sugar.
You can’t run a mile in 5 minutes!
Use a meaning ‘one’, referring to a single object or person, or a single unit of measure.
I’d like one orange and two lemons, please.
I need one kilogram of sugar.
In these sentences using “one” instead of the indefinite article is grammatically correct. It will add emphasis to the number, and contrast with other numbers.
The stereo has a tape deck.
The stereo has one tape deck.
(You can record on it.)
You can’t use two tapes.
One shop was open, but the others were closed.
One expert says one thing, and another says something different.
We use one for one of a larger number. It often contrasts with other.
One of the shops was open.
We use one in the of-pattern.
One morning something very strange happened.
One day my genius will be recognized.
We use one in adverb phrases with morning, day, time etc.
