Pic of someone diving into a pool ESL Understanding
Blues a, an, (some)



Use a
  1. before a word that begins with a consonant.
    • I'd like a (can/bottle of) coke, please.
  2. before a word that begins with 'u' when the 'u' is pronounced like the 'you' in 'youth.'
    • An inch is a unit of measurement.
  3. before most words beginning with 'h.' EXCEPTIONS: 'hour,' 'honest,' 'heir'(see below).
    • An honest person is a happy person.
Use an
  1. before a word that begins with a vowel sound.
    • I'd like an orange juice, please.
  2. before the words 'hour,' 'honest,' 'heir' where the 'h' is not pronounced (see above).
    • I will return in half an hour.
Watch out! Don't use a or an before non-count* nouns like water, milk, money, etc.

(*A non-count noun is a noun that we don't normally count. We don't normally say: "I have three moneys.")


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