a vs an
Updates to Article Attributes
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In English writing, the indefinite article 'a' or 'an' is used before a non-specific noun, as opposed to 'the' for a definite article. For instance, 'a house' does not reference one house specifically, whereas 'the house' refers to a particular house.
The article 'a' precedes a word that starts with a consonant, while 'an' precedes a word that starts with a vowel sound.
Examples
- a bone
- an arm
- an MRI scan (M is pronounced 'em')
- a ureter (the 'u' is pronounced 'you')
- a hair
- an hour (pronounced 'our'; the 'h' is silent)
-<li>an hour</li>- +<li>an hour (pronounced 'our'; the 'h' is silent)</li>
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