>>62225298Since you do not know how to use a indefinite article and yet insist to correct people. From Purdue U....
How do you know when to use the indefinite articles?
The choice of article is actually based upon the phonetic (sound) quality of the first letter in a word, not on the orthographic (written) representation of the letter. If the first letter makes a vowel-type sound, you use "an"; if the first letter would make a consonant-type sound, you use "a." However, you may follow these basic rules when deciding to use "a" or "an," remembering that there are some exceptions to the rules.
"A" goes before words that begin with consonants.
a cat
a dog
a purple onion
a buffalo
a big apple
"An" goes before words that begin with vowels:
an apricot
an egg
an Indian
an orbit
an uprising
Exceptions
Use "an" before unsounded "h." Because the "h" hasn't any phonetic representation and has no audible sound, the sound that follows the article is a vowel; consequently, "an" is used.
an honorable peace
an honest error
When "u" makes the same sound as the "y" in "you," or "o" makes the same sound as "w" in "won," then a is used. The word-initial "y" sound ("unicorn") is actually a glide [j] phonetically, which has consonantal properties; consequently, it is treated as a consonant, requiring "a."
a union
a united front
a unicorn
a used napkin
a U.S. ship
a one-legged man
