Some words are long, some are small, but even if they are small words, they play an important role in the English language. These small words are called articles. The words a and an are articles. These words are always used with nouns. These are special kinds of adjectives. They give information about nouns.

Read the story .

​ Out for a Picnic​

​ One Saturday morning, my family and I went on a picnic. We have lots of packed food to eat. We drove to a beautiful park. We saw a tree near the lake. We chose to stay under the big tree and we sat on a blanket. We saw a boy flying a kite and a girl riding on a bike. We also saw a vendor selling balloons. Mother bought me a red balloon. It was really a nice day. We had a wonderful time.

Answer the questions orally.

​1. What did the family do one Saturday morning?

​ A. had a picnic B. went to the mall

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​2. What did they bring?

​ A. food B. clothes

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​3. Where did they sit on?

​ A. on a blanket B. on the rocks

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​4. What did they see in the sky?

​ A. kite B. plane

​5. Who is riding on a bike?

​ A. a boy B. a girl

What's New

​A and an are articles. These words are always used with nouns.

​If the nouns begin with consonant sound, use a.

​Examples: a boy

​ a tiger

​ a bicycle

​If the nouns begin with a vowel sound, use an.

​ Example: an orange

​ an inkpot

​ an octopus