English 9 (B)

A vs. An

A precedes all words that begin with a consonant. For example:

• a car
• a movie
• a snake
• a lantern

The only exception to this rule is when an h is unsounded. For example:

• an honest man
• an herbal garden
• an hour

An precedes all words that begin with a vowel. For example:

• an order
• an alligator
• an elephant
• an udder

There are two exceptions to this rule: When a u makes a y sound (as in united), and when a o makes a w sound, as in one. For example:

• a utopia
• a used towel
• a one-star movie