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Choosing A or An
LANGUAGEUse the correct form of the indefinite article — 'a' before words beginning with a consonant sound and 'an' before words beginning with a vowel sound (e.g., a rock, an open box, an hour, a unicorn)
Mastery Evidence
- Choose 'a' or 'an' correctly before nouns beginning with consonant or vowel sounds (e.g., 'a ball', 'an egg', 'an umbrella')
- Apply the rule to tricky words where spelling and sound differ (e.g., 'an hour' because /h/ is silent, 'a uniform' because /juː/ starts with a consonant sound)
- Correct errors in a/an usage in given sentences (e.g., change 'a orange' to 'an orange')
Assessment Prompt
“When [child] writes, do they automatically choose "a" before a word that starts with a consonant sound and "an" before a vowel sound — like "a cat" but "an apple" or "an hour"?”
Curriculum Standards1 alignment
Eng.App2.Y3.Word.2The national curriculum in EnglandUse of a or an
Use of the forms a or an according to whether the next word begins with a consonant or a vowel [for example, a rock, an open box]
English · Key Stage 2
Prerequisites2
- Determiners and articleshardAges 6—7
- Basic Nouns & VerbssoftAges 5—6
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