How do you teach a vs. an to second graders?

Teach the rule by sound, not spelling: a before a consonant sound (a dog, a uniform - note that uniform starts with a /y/ sound) and an before a vowel sound (an apple, an hour - note that hour starts with a silent h). Have students say the phrase aloud and listen for whether the next sound is a vowel or consonant. Worksheets with fill-in-the-blank sentences reinforce the rule.

Why is the article rule about sound, not spelling?

English article choice is based on the first sound of the following word, not its first letter. This means a university (not an university) because university starts with a /y/ sound, and an hour (not a hour) because hour starts with a silent h. Teaching students to listen to the sound rather than look at the letter prevents the common errors that arise from relying on spelling alone.

2nd Grade Articles Worksheets

Ages 7-8 · 1 sub-topics · Free previews · Print-ready PDFs

Free printable articles grammar & writing worksheets for 2nd grade students (Ages 7-8). Covers Articles. Aligned to Common Core standards.

Written by Adi Ackerman, Head Teacher

2nd Grade Grammar & Writing Articles Clear All

Articles▼

A, an & the - Groundhog

GradeGrades 1 & 2

TopicArticles

A, an & the - Parrot

GradeGrades 1 & 2

TopicArticles

Articles 'a' and 'an' - Elephant

GradeGrades 1 & 2

TopicArticles

Articles 'a' and 'an' - Glacier

GradeGrades 1 & 2

TopicArticles

Articles 'a' and 'an' - Octopus

GradeGrades 1 & 2

TopicArticles

Articles a, an & the - Autumn

Grade2nd Grade

TopicArticles

Articles a, an & the - Book

Grade2nd Grade

TopicArticles

Articles a, an & the - Coin

Grade2nd Grade

TopicArticles

Frequently Asked Questions

Second graders should use the three English articles correctly: a, an, and the (CCSS L.2.1). They learn that a is used before words beginning with a consonant sound, an before a vowel sound, and the for specific or previously mentioned nouns. Correct article use is a component of the formal grammar instruction expected in second grade.

More grammar & writing worksheets

Explore all of our 2nd grade grammar & writing worksheets, covering nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, and more.

Nouns Verbs Adjectives Adverbs Pronouns Sentences Capitalization Punctuation Paragraph Writing Writing Prompts Parts of Speech Reading Comprehension Homophones

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