What is an article?
Basically, articles are either definite or indefinite. They combine to a noun to indicate the type of reference being made by the noun.
·The definite article is the.
·The indefinite article is a / an.
The indefinite article a or an:
The article a / an is used when we don't specify the things or people we are talking about:
I met a friend.
·I work in a factory in New York.
· I borrowed a pencil from a passenger sitting next to me.
The indefinite article a is used before a consonant sound:
· a dog.
· a pilot
· a teacher.
· a university
NOTE:
Although 'university' starts with the vowel 'u', it is not pronounced as such. It is pronounced as a consonant sound /ju:.niv3:.si.ti/
The indefinite article an is used before a vowel sound:
· an engineer.
· an elephant.
· an athlete