Do you use the article before nouns that begin with a vowel sound and consonant sound?

You're asking about the use of articles ("a," "an," and "the") before nouns, and you're specifically interested in whether the sound of the noun's first letter matters. You're on the right track!

Here's how it works:

* "A" is used before nouns that begin with a consonant sound:

* Example: "a cat," "a book," "a university" (even though "university" starts with a vowel, the "u" sound is like a consonant)

* "An" is used before nouns that begin with a vowel sound:

* Example: "an apple," "an hour," "an umbrella"

The key is the sound, not the letter. This means that even though some words start with vowels, they might still take "a" if the initial sound is like a consonant.

Here are some examples of words that start with vowels but take "a":

* "a European" (because "European" begins with a "y" sound, which is a consonant)

* "a one-way street" (because "one" starts with a "w" sound, which is a consonant)

* "a UFO" (because "UFO" starts with a "y" sound, which is a consonant)

Let me know if you have any more questions!