A and an

What's in the lesson

1. 1Warm-up
2. 2In this lesson
3. 3Reading: what's in your bag?Reading comprehension
4. 4What does it mean?Grammar exercise
5. 5Look closerGrammar exercise
6. 6a or an?Grammar rule
7. 7a or an?Grammar exercise
8. 8Which is right?Grammar exercise
9. 9One more bagGrammar exercise
10. 10Find the mistakeGrammar exercise
11. 11Say it naturallySpeaking practice
12. 12Guess the jobSpeaking practice
13. 13About youGrammar exercise
14. 14Wrap-up

Homework

1. 1Homework: a bag for a tripGrammar exercise
2. 2Homework: which is right?Grammar exercise
3. 3Homework: find the mistakeGrammar exercise
4. 4Homework: what's in my bag?Discussion

Two slides from the lesson

Warm-up

A few questions about you before we start.

1. Is your bag big or small?
2. What is one thing in your bag every day?
3. What is your job, or the job of a friend?

Grammar rule

a or an?

Listen to the first sound, not the letter

a + a consonant sound	an + a vowel sound
a dog, a pen, a house	an arm, an idea, an island
a university, a USB cable (you-), a one-dollar bill (wun-)	an hour (the h is silent), an SUV (ess-)

The next word decides

an apple, but a green apple · a car, but an old car

a and an mean one

Use a or an for one thing or one person: a phone = one phone. Not for two or more: a phone, but phones.

Jobs

Say a or an before a job: He's a pilot. She's an editor. (not She's editor)

a and an are short and weak: a sounds like "uh", and an joins the next word: an editor sounds like "uh-NED-i-ter".