← Back to the activity

Year 4 English — Articles by sound and sense

Choose between a and an by the sound that follows, and use the when you mean a particular one.

Name: ________________________

  1. 1.I bought a mango. ____ mango was sweeter than any I had eaten.

    • a) A
    • b) Some
    • c) The
    • d) An

  2. 2.Which one is correct?

    • a) an egg
    • b) a egg
    • c) an eggs
    • d) a eggs

  3. 3.Write "a" or "an": My grandfather is ____ honest man.

  4. 4.Why does "university" take "a" and not "an"?

    • a) because it begins with a y sound, not a vowel sound
    • b) because it begins with a consonant letter
    • c) because it is a long word
    • d) because it names a place

  5. 5.Pair each sentence beginning with the ending that finishes it sensibly.

    • For lunch I ate
    • On the way home she bought
    • At the gate he waited
    • Last winter they visited
    • an orange
    • a museum
    • an hour
    • a notebook

  6. 6.Write "a" or "an": We waited for ____ hour at the station.

  7. 7.Write "a" or "an": She studies at ____ university near her home.

  8. 8.Which sentence uses "the" correctly?

    • a) She opened a window that I had just described.
    • b) A sun is very bright today.
    • c) I want the pencil, any pencil will do.
    • d) Hand me the pencil you are holding.

Answer key — Year 4 English — Articles by sound and sense

  1. 1. c) The
  2. 2. a) an egg
  3. 3. an
  4. 4. a) because it begins with a y sound, not a vowel sound
  5. 5. For lunch I ate → an orange; On the way home she bought → a notebook; At the gate he waited → an hour; Last winter they visited → a museum
  6. 6. an
  7. 7. a
  8. 8. d) Hand me the pencil you are holding.