Grammar · Lesson 3

Articles a / an

Use a or an when you mean one person or thing. Listen to the first sound of the next word to choose the article.

≈ 35–45 minone thingfirst sound8 interactive tasks

NoticeCompare a book and an apple.

DiscoverListen to the first sound.

BuildChoose, correct, and order chunks.

UseName and describe real objects.

Notice before the rule

Listen and compare

a book · a teacher · an apple · an email

What does every phrase mean: one thing or many things?
Say a book and an apple slowly. Which phrase has the extra n sound?
Look at the sound after the article. What do apple and email have in common?

Discovery check: what sounds natural?

Tap each gap, then choose a or an

1 phone

2 office

3 student

4 address

The core meaning

A and an mean the same thing. Use them with one countable person or thing. Countable means you can say one pen, two pens or one doctor, two doctors.

Meaning	Example	Why?
introduce one thing	I need a pen.	any one pen
introduce one person	A client is here.	one client, first mention
say what it is	This is an umbrella.	classify the object
say someone’s role	She is an engineer.	classify her job

Meaning check

Can we say a books? No. A / an means one, so the noun is singular.
Can we say I am teacher? In standard English, no. A singular job normally needs a / an: I am a teacher.
Does I need a phone identify one particular phone? Not yet. It introduces any one phone.
Do we say a water when we mean water in general? Normally, no. This lesson focuses on people and things we can count. In a cafe, a water can mean one glass or bottle, but that special countable meaning comes later.

Choose with your ears

Use a before a consonant sound: a book, a car, a teacher.

Use an before a vowel sound: an apple, an office, an idea.

The Thinking Method shortcut is simple: do not ask, “What is the first letter?” Ask, “What sound do I hear first?”

Sound can be different from spelling

an hour: the h is silent, so the first sound is /aʊ/.
a university: the word begins with the consonant “y” sound in you, “you-niversity.”
At A0, master the common pattern first. These examples show why listening is more reliable than looking.

Sound natural: connect the article to the noun

A and an are small words. Do not pause after them. Say the complete noun chunk together.

phrase	say it as one chunk
a meeting	a-MEETing
an office	an-OFFice
an old computer	an-old comPUter

In ordinary speech, a is very short, like “uh.” The n in an helps connect to the next vowel sound: an-apple. Stress the article only when “one” is the important contrast: I need A ticket, not two.

Tutor-read listening check

Look away from the script. Your tutor says one word or noun phrase. Say the complete chunk with a or an, then repeat it without a pause.

Drill 1: hear the first sound

Choose by sound, then read every phrase aloud

1She is accountant.

2I need new password.

3It is important email.

4We have meeting today.

5He is honest person.

6She studies at university.

Build complete noun chunks

English likes a complete chunk: article + description + noun.

a job → a new job
an apartment → an expensive apartment

The article listens to the word immediately after it. Compare a car with an old car.

Drill 2: build the sentence

Sofia is an engineer. Build the sentence about her job.

Drill 3: add a description

Build the complete noun chunk

Notice and repair errors

Drill 4: find the incomplete chunk

Tap the noun that needs an article before it.

Drill 5: choose the wrong word

Tap the word that needs to change.

Drill 6: retrieval without choices

Say the full phrase first. Reveal only after you answer.

1 one + orange

an orange

2 one + useful app

a useful app: useful begins with the consonant “y” sound.

3 one + old computer

an old computer: the article listens to old.

4 job: architect

I am an architect.

Play and practice

Games and a short reading that recycle this lesson. Use them as a warm-up, a fast finisher, or homework. Each one checks itself.

Read

My first day at the hotel

Read once for meaning. Then read again and do the tasks below.

Message to a friend59 wordsAbout 1 min

Hi Sam! Today is my first day at a new job. I am an assistant at a small hotel. I have an office near the front desk. It is an old room, but it is nice.

My manager is a friendly woman. Lunch is an hour long. I need a uniform and an email address. See you soon! Lina

Find it

Tap the 9 words a and an.

Check your understanding

1. Where does Lina work?

2. What is true about Lina’s office?

3. What does Lina need?

Sort it

a or an?

Say each word with a or an aloud. Listen to the first sound. Then tap the word and tap its box.

Word search

Find the an words

Every answer begins with a vowel sound, so it takes an. Find the word for each clue. Words run across or down. Tap the first letter, then the last.

sixty minutes → ?
a red or green fruit → ?
you open it in the rain → ?
a message you send from a computer → ?
a room where people work at desks → ?
a new thought or plan → ?
a street name and a house number → ?
a person who designs bridges and machines → ?

Unscramble

Build sentences with a and an

Tap the words in order to build the sentence. Tap a placed word to send it back.

1. Say her job.
2. Ask for one new thing.
3. Describe one message.
4. Describe one machine.

Use it in real life

Desk scan: Find five singular objects near you. Say a full phrase for each: a phone, an old notebook, a cup.

Work and people: Complete true or invented sentences: I am a/an..., My friend is a/an..., I need a/an....

Information gap: Your teacher silently chooses an object. Ask, Is it a phone? Is it an eraser? Continue until you identify it.

Fast fluency round: Your teacher says a noun. Immediately say the complete chunk. Use: email, client, office, meeting, hour, university, idea, problem.

Success check

Name at least three singular people or things with a complete a / an + noun chunk.
Choose the article from the first sound of the next word, including before an adjective.
Connect the article to the next word without a long pause.
Ask and answer at least one Is it a/an...? question.

Reflect

Explain the choice

Complete this sentence aloud: “I use a before ______. I use an before ______. I listen to the first ______, not only the first ______.”

Then give one example that is true about your life.

Final quiz: can you choose by sound?

1. I have ___ meeting at 2:00.

2. She is ___ English teacher.

3. We waited for ___ hour.

4. He works at ___ university.

5. That is ___ interesting idea.

6. Which phrase means one new computer?

Next use: tomorrow, return to the five-minute retrieval check before you reread the rule.

Next-day retrieval

Come back tomorrow. Choose from memory, then say every complete noun chunk aloud.

Choose from memory

Tap each gap, then choose a or an

1I received urgent message.

2This is useful tool.

3We have meeting at ten.

Repair from memory

My sister is engineer.

Say it without notes

Say each answer before you reveal it.

1 one + old laptop

an old laptop: the article listens to old.

2 one + new apartment

a new apartment: the article listens to new.

Thirty-second response: describe one person and two things in your life. Use at least one a phrase and one an phrase, then explain one choice by first sound.