A or An? That Is the Question!

Articles are words that come before a noun to help identify it as either a specific noun (e.g the mouse) or an unspecific noun (e.g. a mouse). The most common unspecific nouns are the words “a” and “an”. But how are our students to know when each one should be used?

To help students learn when they should use the article “a” and when they should use “an”, Teach Starter has created this handy educational poster. This colourful and informative poster clearly explains the rules for using “a” and “an,” complete with examples to reinforce learning. The poster contains the following explanations:

• Use “a” when the next word starts with a consonant sound, e.g. a mouse, a key, a shoe.
• Use “an” when the next word starts with a vowel sound, e.g. an elephant, an umbrella, an octopus.

This poster downloads as a full-colour or black-and-white PDF. Perfect for grammar lessons, this poster is an engaging visual aid that makes learning about articles fun and easy.

Activities to Accompany This Articles Poster

Looking for some lesson ideas to accompany this articles poster? Here are a few suggestions to get you started!

• Cloze Passage Worksheets – Design worksheets or practice exercises that require students to fill in the blanks with “a” or “an”.
• Sorting Activities – Provide the students with noun cards, then have them sort them based on whether they belong with the article “a” or “an”.
• Active Games – Label one side of the classroom “a” and the other side as “an”. Name a noun, then have the students move to the side of the room with the correct article to be used with that noun.

Download and Print This Articles Poster

Use the dropdown menu on the Download button to choose your preferred file format.

You may wish to enlarge this poster to enhance readability for display purposes.

More Resources for Teaching About Articles

Click below to access more of Teach Starter’s learning activities to use in your classroom when teaching about articles.

teaching resource

How to Make Pancakes: Article Edition - Worksheet

A procedure text for students to read about how to make pancakes with the articles removed for students to fill in.

teaching resource

A or An? - Worksheets

Teach when to use A or An as an article with a printable pack of 'A or An' Worksheets.

teaching resource

Net Trap Game: Articles - Worksheet

A risky elimination game to help students engage with their grammar skills with articles.