His mother was _________ American though his father was __________ European.
(1) a, a
(2) a, an
(3) an, a
(4) an, an
Answers
The correct option for the blanks in the sentence is option (3) an, a.
His mother was an American though his father was a European.
Explanation
It is a rule as well as convention in English grammar that 'an' is used in front of words starting with vowel sounds; and 'a' is used with words starting with consonant sounds. There is one general rule we follow while using articles. It is explained as follows:
Articles 'a', 'an', and 'the' are used before nouns considering many rules in mind. One of the rules is the rule of consonant and vowel. While using articles we follow the 'sound rule' in mind. If the sound is vowel, we use 'an' while using indefinite article. If the sound is consonant, we shall use 'a'. Some words starting with vowel make consonant sounds. Words such as 'European', 'university', 'useful', ’unique’, 'unicorn', etc. also fall in the category of words that start with a vowel letter; but their sound is consonant. Hence we use 'a' in front of these words.
Answer:
His mother was an American though his father was a European.
Explanation:
- Here, The word "American" starts with an "A". That's why the first one is An..
- Next, Though the word "European" begins with the vowel letter 'e' but it is pronounced with the consonant sound.