A vs An Quiz (Sound Rule) | Beginner Level | 10 Questions & Answers with Explanations

 "Uniform" begins with the consonant "yu" sound, just like "university," so a is correct, not an.

Correct sentence: "He wore a uniform to the ceremony."

Memory hook: any word starting with a "yu" sound — university, uniform, union, European — takes a, never an.

"X-ray" begins with the letter X, pronounced "ex," a vowel sound, so an is correct.

Correct sentence: "The doctor ordered an X-ray to check for a fracture."

Memory hook: "X-ray" sounds like it starts with "eks" — a vowel sound — even though the letter X often feels consonant-like.

"European" begins with the consonant "yu" sound, just like "university" and "uniform," so a is correct, not an.

Correct sentence: "He completed a European tour last summer."

Memory hook: "European," like "university" and "uniform," is part of the "yu"-sound family — these words consistently trip up students who only look at spelling.

The H in "hour" is silent, so the word actually begins with the vowel sound "ow," making an correct, not a.

Correct sentence: "It took only an hour to finish the entire test."

Memory hook: "hour" sounds exactly like "our" — since "our" starts with a vowel sound, so does "hour."

This tests the core sound rule — "umbrella" begins with the vowel sound "uh," so an is correct, not a.

Correct sentence: "She bought an umbrella before the rain started."

Memory hook: say the word aloud first — "umbrella" clearly starts with a vowel sound, so your ear should confirm an immediately.

Although "university" starts with the letter U, its first sound is "yu," a consonant sound, so a is correct, not an.

Correct sentence: "He is a university student studying engineering."

Memory hook: "university" and "uniform" both start with the "yu" sound — treat them like they start with the consonant "y," not the vowel "u."

Like "hour," the H in "honest" is silent, so the word begins with the vowel sound "on," making an the correct choice.

Correct sentence: "She is an honest woman who always tells the truth."

Memory hook: group "hour" and "honest" together as the two most commonly tested silent-H words that take an.

"MBA" is an abbreviation, so you read the first letter aloud — "M" is pronounced "em," a vowel sound, so an is correct.

Correct sentence: "She has an MBA from a top business school."

Memory hook: for abbreviations, always sound out the first letter, not the full word — "em-bee-ay" starts with a vowel sound.

"NGO" is an abbreviation, and its first letter "N" is pronounced "en," a vowel sound, so an is correct.

Correct sentence: "He works with an NGO focused on child education."

Memory hook: add "NGO" to your list of abbreviations that take an — its spoken first letter is what matters, not the spelling.

"One" begins with the consonant "wu" sound, not a vowel, so a is correct despite the word starting with the vowel letter O.

Correct sentence: "She bought a one-rupee coin from an old collector."

Memory hook: "one" sounds like it starts with "w" — say it aloud and you'll hear "wun," a consonant sound.