📚ARTICLES: ( A / AN )

ARTICLE (A/AN)

📌CONCEPT BASIC📌

The indeterminate article (also called indefinite article) serves to indicate an individual or element of any class, species or gender without particularizing it. For example, when we say: "A thief stole my bicycle" we are not specifying a specific person but the article indicates that we refer to any person as possible responsible for the theft of my bicycle (hence the article is named "indeterminate").
📖:In English, the indeterminate articles are "a" and "an" (equivalent in Spanish to the articles "a", "an", "some", "some").

   

・BASIC RULES :

- As you may have noticed, the first deduction that we can obtain from indeterminate articles in English is that, unlike Spanish, GENDER LACK * AND NUMBER **. In English, the indeterminate article is only used ON SINGULAR (to form the plural other particles are used like "some" or "any").

- When the noun that accompanies the article begins with a consonant (or a vowel with a consonant sound), article "a" is used

      (a car = a car / a book = a book / a useful thing = a useful thing).

- When the noun that accompanies the article begins with a vowel (or a consonant with a vocal sound such as "h" that is not pronounced), it is used in article "an"

      (an apple = an apple / an office = an office / an hour = one hour)

* Male, female or neutral

** Singular or plural 

GRAMATIC APPLICATION

(APPLICATIONS)

DEPENDING ON THE PHONETIC PRONUNCIATION OF THE SUBSTANTIVE / ADJECTIVE TO WHICH IT ACCOMPANIES indeterminate articles in English to

DEPENDING ON YOUR USE IN THE PHRASE

1. As in Spanish, "a" and "an" are used to designate people, animals and objects:

- A mother = A mother / A chair / A chair / A pencil / A pencil

- It is used to designate an individual or object as a representative of a class:

- A car is faster than a bicycle / A car is faster than a bicycle

In this sense, it can also be used to refer to the category to which the object belongs:

- I've bought a Porsche / It has bought a Porsche

But its use does not always coincide in English and Spanish. Use of indeterminate articles in English and Spanish

2. To designate the professions, in Spanish the use of the indeterminate article is not required, nevertheless it is necessary to use it in English:

- I am a student = I am a student / She is an actress = She is an actress / He is a writer = He is a writer

3. The indeterminate article in English is only used with "countable" and singular nouns. The "countless" nouns require other complements that perform a partitive function.

- Cake = Cake / A piece of cake = A piece of cake / Water = water / A glass of water = A glass of water

* Learn more about countable and countless nouns.

4. It has a distributive use.

- Twice a day = Twice a day

5. It is placed in front of proper names preceded by a title, when it translates the idea of ​​"one such"

- There is a Mr. Craig from "The English Mansion" at the door / There is a Mr. Craig from "The English Mansion" at the door

6. Figure in front of expressions that indicate a certain amount of things or people: The Mansión del Inglés indeterminate articles singular plural countless www.mansioningles.com

- A lot of ... = lots of ... / A dozen = A dozen

7. In the exclamations, when it goes before a singular noun:

- What a nice tie / What a beautiful tie!


8. In front of words that indicate measures, price, etc. when they are followed in Spanish by the preposition by or behind adverbs of quantity such as, half, etc.

COMPLEMENTATION

         📹 VIDEO

so you can understand clearly I leave you a video to be able to differentiate more clearly the articles (a / an):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fx6IxKRiJeY

EXERCISES 

📚Write the indefinite article A / AN as appropriate in each case

1. The boy was riding     a  an  no article   bicycle.

2. I need     a  an  no article   information on the English course.

3. I'd like     a  an  no article   egg for my breakfast.

4. Do you take     a  an  no article   cream in your coffee?

5. Can you lend me     a  an  no article   pound?

6. She lost     a  an  no article   money on the stock exchange.

7. He has to have     a  an  no article   operation on his back.

8. She needed to have     a  an  no article   blood transfusion.

9. I took     a  an  no article   photograph of the family.

10. She likes to study     a  an  no article   grammar.

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