Question

He is _____ European

• A. an
• B. a
• C. the
• D. none of these

Answer 1

Answer:

B. a

• Although "European" begins with a vowel letter (E), the word actually starts with a consonant sound (like "yoor-o-pee-an"). In English, we use "a" before words that begin with a consonant sound, not just consonant letters.

• This is why we say:

  • "a European" (sounds like "a yoor-o-pee-an")

  • "a university" (sounds like "a yoon-i-ver-si-ty")

  • "a one-time offer" (sounds like "a wun-time offer")

• But we use "an" before words that begin with vowel sounds:

  • "an elephant"

  • "an hour" (the 'h' is silent)

  • "an umbrella"

• So the correct article to use in "He is _ European" is "a".