When do you use an and nor a?

Answer 1

You use "a" before all nouns or adjectives unless the noun or adjective sounds like it starts with a vowel; some examples: A flower

An apple

A hippo

An hour Some things that also may cause confusion; when using initial letter: He lives in an LA suburb is preferred to He lives in a LA suburb; this is because LA is pronounced "el a", so it sounds like a vowel.

Answer 2

use "a" before consonants and "an" before vowels.


Article a is used before consonant SOUNDS and form an is used before vowel SOUND, not necessarily a vowel.
a boy, a goat, a unit, a university, a one dollar note
an egg, an apple, an hour, an honest man

Answer 3

Whether to use 'a' or 'an' is fairly easy to determine.

If the word following the article begins with a vowel sound (normally the letters A, E, I, O, or U),
use the word 'an'.
If it begins with a consonant sound,
use the word 'a'.

* Note that this refers to a vowel sound not a vowel. Some words beginning with U and other vowels may not sound like a vowel (e.g.

uniform sounds like a consonant Y in you). Sometimes a consonant

H is silent or unstressed and sounds like a vowel (e.g.

hour, honest). The development of the 'an" came about from the awkward sound of 'a' followed by another vowel sound.

Examples:
I saw a lion.
I saw an elephant.

He always wears a uniform to a union meeting.
As an heir, he wanted an honest accounting.