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A vs An - Worksheets, Questions and Revision

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KS2 · Grammar

Y3.7 A vs An

Calculators not allowed · about 40 minutes
Total Marks
Name: _______________________________    Date: ____ / ____ / ______
Answer ALL questions. Show all your working.
1
Circle the correct word, a or an, to go before each noun below.
(a)___ apple(1)
  • a
  • an
(b)___ dog(1)
  • a
  • an
(c)___ umbrella(1)
  • a
  • an
(d)___ cat(1)
  • a
  • an
(e)___ elephant(1)
  • a
  • an
(f)___ box(1)
  • a
  • an
2
These words start with the letter u, but the u makes a 'yoo' sound, like the y in yes. Circle the correct word, a or an, for each one.
(a)___ university(1)
  • a
  • an
(b)___ uniform(1)
  • a
  • an
(c)___ European trip(1)
  • a
  • an
(d)___ unicorn(1)
  • a
  • an
3
In each word below, the letter h is silent, so the word begins with a vowel sound. Circle the correct word, a or an, for each one.
(a)___ hour(1)
  • a
  • an
(b)___ honest answer(1)
  • a
  • an
(c)___ honour(1)
  • a
  • an
(d)___ heir to the throne(1)
  • a
  • an
4
Some short words made from initial letters (like UFO) are said as separate letters. Circle the correct word, a or an, by listening to how the first letter is said out loud, not how it is spelled.
(a)There have been three sightings of ___ UFO above the town this month.(1)
  • a
  • an
(b)___ MP visited our school to talk about the environment.(1)
  • A
  • An
(c)The sailors sent ___ SOS message before the storm grew worse.(1)
  • a
  • an
5
Complete the table below. Tick the correct column for each word to show whether it should be used with a or an. Some words are straightforward; some are the tricky exceptions from earlier in this pack.
Wordaan
dog
elephant
umbrella
university
hour
tiger
UFO
ant
(8)
6
Fill each gap with a or an.
(a)Mia packed ___ apple for her lunch.(1)
(b)The teacher gave every child ___ worksheet to complete.(1)
(c)There was ___ owl hooting in the old oak tree.(1)
(d)Tariq found ___ shiny coin buried in the sand.(1)
(e)At the end of the day, they saw ___ incredible sunset over the trees.(1)
7
Remember: a or an agrees with the very next word, whatever that word is. Fill each gap, then look carefully at which word the article is actually sitting next to.
(a)Explorers discovered ___ ancient temple hidden in the jungle.(1)
(b)She found ___ tiny insect crawling on the branch.(1)
(c)He wore ___ old, torn hat during the storm.(1)
(d)They built ___ huge, wobbly den from fallen branches.(1)
8
Fill each numbered gap in the passage below with a or an.

On Monday, Year 3 visited (1) ___ old Roman museum in the city centre. Inside, they saw (2) ___ enormous shield, (3) ___ rusty coin and (4) ___ iron sword behind the glass. The guide explained that (5) ___ Roman soldier would have carried (6) ___ heavy pack on long marches.
(6)
9
Fill each gap with a or an.
(a)My sister starts ___ university course in September.(1)
(b)Grandad forgot ___ umbrella and got soaked in the rain.(1)
(c)We watched ___ hour-long documentary about volcanoes.(1)
(d)The nurse looked carefully at ___ X-ray of my arm.(1)
10
Fill each gap with a or an. Each sentence also uses a conjunction to join its ideas.
(a)Although it was only ___ short walk, the puppy was exhausted.(1)
(b)Priya took ___ umbrella because the sky looked grey.(1)
(c)When ___ enormous wave crashed over the rocks, everyone jumped back.(1)
11
Tick the sentence in each pair that uses the correct article.
(a)Which sentence is correct?(1)
  • A) She is a honest friend.
  • B) She is an honest friend.
(b)Which sentence is correct?(1)
  • A) He bought a umbrella.
  • B) He bought an umbrella.
(c)Which sentence is correct?(1)
  • A) It was a unique gift.
  • B) It was an unique gift.
12
Each sentence below has one article mistake. Find the mistake and write the sentence out correctly.
(a)I saw a owl in the garden last night.(1)
(b)She gave me an banana from the fruit bowl.(1)
(c)He is studying to become an nurse.(1)
(d)It took a hour to finish the puzzle.(1)
(e)They live in an small flat above the shop.(1)
13
The paragraph below contains five article mistakes (some sentences have no mistake at all). Find and correct all five.

Last Friday, Class 3 went on a trip to an wildlife park. As soon as they arrived, Jack spotted a owl sitting silently in a tree. Later, the group watched a zookeeper feed an baby giraffe some leaves. Everyone laughed when a excitable monkey stole a hat from a visitor's head, and an loud parrot squawked nearby. By the end of the day, the children agreed it had been an unforgettable adventure.
(5)
14
Find and correct the article mistake in each sentence below, then explain your correction using the words sound and letter.
(a)Grandma waited a hour for the bus.(2)
(b)The astronaut wore an uniform for the mission.(2)
15
Some of the sentences below are already correct; some contain an article mistake. Tick the three sentences that are ALREADY correct.

A) I would like an sandwich, please.
B) That was an amazing goal!
C) We need a extra chair for the table.
D) He is an honest man.
E) She bought a orange umbrella.
F) It was a useful lesson today.
  • A) I would like an sandwich, please.
  • B) That was an amazing goal!
  • C) We need a extra chair for the table.
  • D) He is an honest man.
  • E) She bought a orange umbrella.
  • F) It was a useful lesson today.
16
Rewrite each sentence, correcting the article mistake and adding a suitable adjective before the noun to make an expanded noun phrase.
(a)We saw a iguana at the reptile house.(2)
(b)They found an fossil buried in the cliff.(2)
17
Write your own sentence for each word below, using a or an correctly.
Word bank: astronaut | unicorn | hour | umbrella
(a)astronaut(1)
(b)unicorn(1)
(c)hour(1)
(d)umbrella(1)
18
Write your own sentences to show that the article depends on the sound of the word right after it, not on the noun.
(a)Write a sentence with an adjective that begins with a vowel sound placed before a noun that begins with a consonant sound (for example: an old dog).(2)
(b)Write a sentence with an adjective that begins with a consonant sound placed before a noun that begins with a vowel sound (for example: a big elephant).(2)
19
Write a short paragraph of three or four sentences about a day trip of your own choosing (real or imagined). Use at least one a and at least one an correctly, and include at least one tricky exception (a silent h word, a 'yoo' sound word, or an initialism such as UFO or MP).
(4)
20
Explain, in your own words, the rule for choosing between a and an. Use two examples of your own (not copied from this pack) to show that the rule depends on the sound of the next word, not just its first letter.
(3)
Mark scheme · Y3.7 A vs An

Question 1

Question 2

Question 3

Question 4

Question 5

Question 6

Question 7

Question 8

Question 9

Question 10

Question 11

Question 12

Question 13

Question 14

Question 15

Question 16

Question 17

Question 18

Question 19

Question 20

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Question 1

6 marks
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Question 2

4 marks
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Question 3

4 marks
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Question 4

3 marks
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Question 5

8 marks
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Question 6

5 marks
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Question 7

4 marks
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Question 8

6 marks
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Question 9

4 marks
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Question 10

3 marks
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Question 11

3 marks
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Question 12

5 marks
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Question 13

5 marks
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Question 14

4 marks
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Question 15

3 marks
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Question 16

4 marks
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Question 17

4 marks
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Question 18

4 marks
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Question 19

4 marks
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Question 20

3 marks
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