Articles are the shortest and the most commonly used adjectives. We use them to modify nouns. There are mainly two kinds of articles:

• Definite- THE
• Indefinite- A, AN

Indefinite Article: They are used to introduce a countable  & singular noun for the first time.

•The article ‘an’ is used before a vowel sound.

..For Example: an elephant, an angel, an hour

 

•The article "a" is used before a consonant sound

..For Example: a user, a mobile, a teacher.

 

It was a unique day.

(Unique has the consonant sound- use a)

 

The trip was an unforgettable experience.

(Unforgettable has the vowel sound- use an)

 

• Indefinite Articles are not used with uncountable nouns.

..For example: I have a water.                ( Χ )

......I have a bottle of water.  ( ✓ )

                  

Here are some more examples of indefinite articles:

You need to take a break.

She is an efficient employee.

It was a deliberate mistake.

 

• Let’s look at some common errors:

→The initial letter vs sound

.My friend is a honest man.     ( Χ )

.My friend is an honest man.   ( ✓ )

 

(Honest begins with a consonant ‘H’, however it has a vowel sound- use an)

 

The indefinite article changes according to the adjective used.

 

I have a pen. (Pen starts with a consonant sound)

I have an orange pen. (Orange starts with a vowel sound)

 

The easiest way to identify & eliminate ‘article’ related errors is to check if the following noun is countable. If it is countable, we simply pronounce & see if the first sound is a vowel or consonant sound, which helps us choose the correct article. (read more on sounds and pronunciation - link)