English

Articles (A, An and The)

Class 2

🎯 Learning Objectives

Students will understand what articles are.
Students will learn when to use "a" (before consonant sounds).
Students will learn when to use "an" (before vowel sounds).
Students will learn when to use "the" (for specific things).
Students will use "a", "an" and "the" correctly in sentences.

📖 Let Us Begin!

We say "a ball" and "an apple". We say "a mango" and "an elephant". Why do we use "a" sometimes and "an" other times? The answer is simple! We use a before words that start with a consonant sound, and we use an before words that start with a vowel sound (a, e, i, o, u). We use the when we talk about a specific thing that everyone knows. These small words — a, an, and the — are called articles!

Illustration showing when to use A, An and The with examples

Using "A"

We use "a" before words that start with a consonant sound (not a vowel sound).

Correct	Why?
a ball	"ball" starts with b (consonant)
a mango	"mango" starts with m (consonant)
a dog	"dog" starts with d (consonant)
a roti	"roti" starts with r (consonant)
a kite	"kite" starts with k (consonant)
a pot	"pot" starts with p (consonant)
a table	"table" starts with t (consonant)
a school	"school" starts with s (consonant)

Using "An"

We use "an" before words that start with a vowel sound (a, e, i, o, u).

Correct	Why?
an apple	"apple" starts with a (vowel)
an elephant	"elephant" starts with e (vowel)
an ink pot	"ink" starts with i (vowel)
an orange	"orange" starts with o (vowel)
an umbrella	"umbrella" starts with u (vowel)
an egg	"egg" starts with e (vowel)
an owl	"owl" starts with o (vowel)
an ice cream	"ice" starts with i (vowel)

Using "The"

We use "the" when we talk about a specific thing that both the speaker and listener know about.

Sentence	Why "the"?
The sun is bright.	There is only one sun — everyone knows it.
The moon is round.	There is only one moon.
Open the door.	We are talking about a specific door.
The Ganga is a long river.	There is only one Ganga river.
The teacher is kind.	We mean our specific teacher.

Use "the" when there is only one of something (the sun, the moon) or when everyone knows which one you mean.

A, An and The in Sentences

Sentence with "a"	Sentence with "an"	Sentence with "the"
Ravi has a ball.	Meena has an apple.	The ball is red.
I see a dog.	I see an elephant.	The dog is barking.
She eats a mango.	He eats an orange.	The mango is sweet.
It is a kite.	It is an umbrella.	The kite is flying high.

📝 Key Words

Word	Meaning
Article	A small word (a, an, the) used before a naming word
A	Used before words starting with a consonant sound
An	Used before words starting with a vowel sound (a, e, i, o, u)
The	Used before a specific thing that everyone knows about
Vowel sound	The sound of a, e, i, o, u at the start of a word
Consonant sound	The sound of any letter that is not a vowel

⭐ Key Points to Remember

"A", "an" and "the" are called articles.
Use "a" before words starting with a consonant sound: a ball, a mango, a dog.
Use "an" before words starting with a vowel sound (a, e, i, o, u): an apple, an egg, an umbrella.
Use "the" for specific things: the sun, the moon, the teacher.
The vowels are: A, E, I, O, U.
Always say the word out loud to hear which sound it starts with.

Finished learning? Now test what you know!

🎯 Quick Quiz — Test Yourself!

Answer these questions right here. You get instant feedback — no paper needed!

Score: 0 / 8

1. Which article do we use before "apple"?

"Apple" starts with a vowel sound, so we use "an apple".

2. Which article do we use before "ball"?

"Ball" starts with a consonant sound, so we use "a ball".

3. We use "an" before words that begin with:

"An" is used before a vowel sound (a, e, i, o, u).

4. Which article goes before "elephant"?

"Elephant" starts with a vowel sound, so "an elephant".

5. Fill in a or an: ___ orange.

"Orange" starts with a vowel sound → an orange.

6. Fill in a or an: ___ dog.

"Dog" starts with a consonant sound → a dog.

7. Fill in a or an: ___ umbrella.

"Umbrella" starts with a vowel sound → an umbrella.

8. Fill in a or an: ___ cat.

"Cat" starts with a consonant sound → a cat.

✏️ Practice Questions

A. Fill in the Blanks (use a, an or the)

1. We use "a" before words starting with a sound.

2. We use "an" before words starting with a sound.

3. Ravi has orange. (a / an)

4. She has umbrella. (a / an)

5. sun rises in the east. (a / an / the)

B. Multiple Choice Questions

1. Which is correct?

(a) a apple(b) an apple(c) the apple tree(d) one apple

2. Which is correct?

(a) an ball(b) a ball(c) an balls(d) a balls

3. "Egg" starts with a vowel, so we say:

(a) a egg(b) an egg(c) the egg(d) one egg

4. There is only one moon. So we say:

(a) a moon(b) an moon(c) the moon(d) one moon

5. Which sentence uses "the" correctly?

(a) The cat is sleeping.(b) A sun is hot.(c) An moon is bright.(d) A earth is round.

C. Short Answer Questions

1. Write "a" or "an" before each word: __ ant, __ book, __ ink pot, __ mango, __ orange.

2. Write two sentences using "a", two using "an", and one using "the".

3. Why do we say "an elephant" and not "a elephant"?

D. True or False

1. We use "an" before the word "ball".

2. "A", "an" and "the" are called articles.

3. We say "a umbrella".

4. We use "the" for specific things like the sun.

5. "An" is used before consonant sounds.

E. Match the Following

Column A	Column B
1. a ball	a. vowel sound
2. an apple	b. only one in the sky
3. the sun	c. consonant sound
4. an umbrella	d. starts with "u" (vowel)
5. a dog	e. starts with "d" (consonant)

🎨 Fun Activity — A, An or The?

Write "a", "an" or "the" in the blank before each word or phrase.

___	Word / Phrase	___	Word / Phrase
	apple		dog
	elephant		sun (only one)
	umbrella		mango
	orange		moon (only one)
	ink pot		ball

Want to review the lesson again?

🎯 Learning Objectives

Students will understand what articles are.
Students will learn when to use "a" (before consonant sounds).
Students will learn when to use "an" (before vowel sounds).
Students will learn when to use "the" (for specific things).
Students will use "a", "an" and "the" correctly in sentences.

📖 Let Us Begin!

We say "a ball" and "an apple". We use a before consonant sounds, an before vowel sounds (a, e, i, o, u), and the for specific things everyone knows. These small words are called articles!

Using "A" (before consonant sounds)

Correct	Why?	Correct	Why?
a ball	b = consonant	a roti	r = consonant
a mango	m = consonant	a kite	k = consonant
a dog	d = consonant	a pot	p = consonant
a table	t = consonant	a school	s = consonant

Using "An" (before vowel sounds: a, e, i, o, u)

Correct	Why?	Correct	Why?
an apple	a = vowel	an orange	o = vowel
an elephant	e = vowel	an umbrella	u = vowel
an ink pot	i = vowel	an egg	e = vowel
an owl	o = vowel	an ice cream	i = vowel

Using "The" (for specific things)

Sentence	Why "the"?
The sun is bright.	Only one sun — everyone knows it.
The moon is round.	Only one moon.
Open the door.	A specific door we can see.
The Ganga is a long river.	Only one Ganga river.
The teacher is kind.	Our specific teacher.

Use "the" when there is only one of something (the sun, the moon) or when everyone knows which one you mean.

A, An and The in Sentences

With "a"	With "an"	With "the"
Ravi has a ball.	Meena has an apple.	The ball is red.
I see a dog.	I see an elephant.	The dog is barking.
She eats a mango.	He eats an orange.	The mango is sweet.

⭐ Key Points to Remember

"A", "an" and "the" are called articles.
Use "a" before consonant sounds: a ball, a mango, a dog.
Use "an" before vowel sounds: an apple, an egg, an umbrella.
Use "the" for specific things: the sun, the moon, the teacher.
The vowels are: A, E, I, O, U.
Say the word out loud to hear which sound it starts with.

✏️ Practice Questions

A. Fill in the Blanks (use a, an or the)

1. We use "a" before words starting with a sound.

2. We use "an" before words starting with a sound.

3. Ravi has orange. (a / an)

4. She has umbrella. (a / an)

5. sun rises in the east. (a / an / the)

B. Multiple Choice Questions

1. Which is correct?

(a) a apple(b) an apple(c) the apple tree(d) one apple

2. Which is correct?

(a) an ball(b) a ball(c) an balls(d) a balls

3. "Egg" starts with a vowel, so we say:

(a) a egg(b) an egg(c) the egg(d) one egg

4. There is only one moon. So we say:

(a) a moon(b) an moon(c) the moon(d) one moon

5. Which uses "the" correctly?

(a) The cat is sleeping.(b) A sun is hot.(c) An moon.(d) A earth.

C. Short Answer Questions

1. Write "a" or "an": __ ant, __ book, __ ink pot, __ mango, __ orange.

2. Write two sentences using "a", two using "an", and one using "the".

3. Why do we say "an elephant" and not "a elephant"?

D. True or False

1. We use "an" before the word "ball".

2. "A", "an" and "the" are called articles.

3. We say "a umbrella".

4. We use "the" for specific things like the sun.

5. "An" is used before consonant sounds.

E. Match the Following

Column A	Column B
1. a ball	a. vowel sound
2. an apple	b. only one in the sky
3. the sun	c. consonant sound
4. an umbrella	d. starts with "u" (vowel)
5. a dog	e. starts with "d" (consonant)

🎨 Fun Activity — A, An or The?

Write "a", "an" or "the" in the blank.

___	Word / Phrase	___	Word / Phrase
	apple		dog
	elephant		sun (only one)
	umbrella		mango
	orange		moon (only one)
	ink pot		ball

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Articles (A, An and The)

🎯 Learning Objectives

📖 Let Us Begin!

Using "A"

Using "An"

Using "The"

A, An and The in Sentences

📝 Key Words

🎯 Quick Quiz — Test Yourself!

✏️ Practice Questions

Articles (A, An and The)

Articles (A, An and The) (continued)