Nouns in English can have a definite “the” article, indefinite “a”, “an” article or no article.
Types of the indefinite article:
a – is always used before a pronounced consonant: a man, a book, a teacher
an – is always used before a pronounced vowel: an apple, an architect
* Careful: – an hour is pronounced like a vowel, a uniform is pronounced like a consonant
Use (basic and some other rules):
- before a noun when we speak about it for the first time
It is a book.
There is a plane above us.
- after the verb to be when speaking about a profession or belonging to a group
She is a teacher.
He is an electrician.
I am a Catholic.
- before a noun which is preceded by an adjective
It is a nice flat.
A clever politician never promises too much.
- In the meaning of “one”
I’d like an orange (one orange, it does not matter which one).
- after WHAT in exclamations
What a surprise!
What an interesting film!
- after SUCH if we wish to stress the meaning
This is such a difficult question!
My boss is such an arrogant man!
The Indefinite article can only be used with countable singular nouns.
a bus, a book, an orange
Person, country, town, names and days and months names are without the article.
John, Sunday, March, Tokyo …
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