A or An? Using Articles Correctly

About This Resource

A free Grade 3 ESL grammar worksheet pack on the articles a and an: a before consonant sounds, an before vowel sounds, tricky words such as hour and unicorn, and using a and an with adjectives. Includes a timed lesson plan, worksheet, editable Word version and answer key.

Overview

Children learn that we use a before a word that starts with a consonant sound (a dog, a big apple) and an before a word that starts with a vowel sound (an egg, an orange). They practise with nouns and with adjectives in front of nouns, then meet a few tricky words where the sound matters more than the letter: an hour, a unicorn, a uniform. They sort, choose, correct and write sentences.

Resource Details

Subject: ESL
Topic: Articles A and An
Category: Grammar
File Type: PDF
File Size: 239.7 KB
Published: 30 Oct 2026
Downloads: 0

Download

Free download — no account required.

Teaching this in class? Try our free Random Name Picker & Timer.

Looking for something different? Request a Resource.

Grade 3 ESL (ages 8–9), A1–A2 35 minutes Grammar listening for sounds reading sentence writing

Student Task

Hold up an apple and a banana and say "an apple" and "a banana". Ask children what they notice.
Teach the rule and the tricky words in the lesson plan, then do activities 1 and 2 together.
Children complete activities 3 to 5; answers are in the answer key.

Classroom Use

A or an corners: say a noun and children run to the a corner or the an corner.
Mystery bag: a child pulls an object from a bag and says "It's a … / It's an …".
Adjective switch: say "an apple", then add an adjective ("a red apple") and ask why the article changed.

Differentiation

Support: focus only on nouns that start with a, e, i, o and u versus other letters. Challenge: explain the tricky words hour, unicorn and uniform.

Answer Key & Assessment

Activities 1 to 4 check the rule (answer key included). Activity 5 checks a and an in sentences.

Learning Objectives

Use a before words that start with a consonant sound.
Use an before words that start with a vowel sound.
Choose a or an when an adjective comes before the noun.

Teacher Tips

Tell children to listen, not just look. Say the word aloud: if it starts with a vowel sound, use an.

What's Included

6-page printable PDF lesson pack: teacher lesson plan with timings, materials and differentiation
Key vocabulary list (4 words with meanings and examples)
Student worksheet (5 activities)
Editable Word version of the worksheet
Complete answer key (also as a separate PDF)