文档介绍：1 Articles and one, a little/a few, this, that
1 a/an (the indefinite article)
The form a is used before a word beginning with a consonant, or a vowel with a consonant sound:
a man a hat a university a European
a one-way street
The form an is used before words beginning with a vowel (a, e, i, o, u) or words beginning with a mute h:
an apple an island an uncle
an egg an onion an hour
or individual letters spoken with a vowel sound:
an L-plate an MP an SOS an 'x' a/an is the same for all genders:
a man a woman an actor an actress a table
2 Use of a/an a/an is used:
A Before a singular noun which is countable (. of which there is more than one) when it is mentioned for the
first time and represents no particular person or thing:
/ need a visa. They live in a flat. He bought an ice-cream.
B Before a singular countable noun which is used as an example of a class of things:
A car must be insured =
All cars/Any car must be insured.
A child needs love =
All children need/Any child needs love.
C With a plement. This includes names of professions:
It was an earthquake. She'll be a dancer. He is an actor.
D In certain expressions of quantity: a lot of a couple
a great many a dozen (but one dozen is also possible)
a great deal of
E With certain numbers
a hundred a thousand (See 349 ) Before half when half follows a whole number
ll/2 kilos = one and a half kilos or a kilo and a half But 1/2 kg = half a kilo (no a before half), though a + half +
noun is sometimes possible
a half holiday a half portion a half share With 1/3 1/4, 1/5 etc a is usual a third, a quarter etc , but one is
also possible (See 350 )
F In expressions of price, speed, ratio etc
5p a kilo £1 a metre sixty kilometres an hour
lOp a dozen four times a day (Here a/an = per )
G In exclamations before singular, countable nouns
Such a long queue' What a pretty girl' But Such long queues' What pretty girls' (Plural nouns, so no
article See 3 )