"A" AND "AN." WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW

 "A" and "AN." What you should know:

* AN: When the first sound in a word is a vowel (a vowel sound begins the word), the article "an" is used. Example: An elephant.

* A: When the first sound in a word is a consonant (a consonant sound begins the word), the article "a" is used. Example: A lion.

In "Hausa," the first sound is /h/, a consonant sound. It takes "a." A Hausa man.

In "Honest," the first sound is /ɒ/ (the sound letter "o" gives), a vowel sound. It takes "an" because the letter "h" that begins the word is silent. An honest man.

NOTE: In determining whether to use "a" or "an," attention is paid to "sounds," not "letters." This means that the word has to be pronounced because some words begin with consonant letters but have vowel sounds as their first sounds, and vice versa.

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