Choose appropriate option to complete the following sentence:
Vikram wrote _________ letter to his university yesterday but he forgot to post it.
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 3
The correct answer is Option (3) → a
Complete sentence: Vikram wrote a letter to his university yesterday but he forgot to post it. "Letter" is singular, begins with the sound "l", and it is not a letter the reader already knows about.
| Option | When to use | Example |
|---|---|---|
| (1) many | Many is used with plural nouns ("many letters"). "Letter" is singular. | There are many books on the shelf. |
| (2) an | An goes before a vowel sound. "Letter" begins with a consonant sound. | He ate an apple. |
| (3) a (answer) | A is used before a noun that:
| She bought a new pen yesterday. |
| (4) the | The is used for a particular thing already known. The letter is mentioned for the first time here, so "the" does not fit. It would fit only if a letter had been spoken of earlier. | The letter I wrote last week has finally reached him. |
Contrast: a goes before a consonant sound and an before a vowel sound, for something mentioned for the first time. The is for something already known.