Fill in the blanks with the correct option. He bought ___ umbrella and ___…
2026
Fill in the blanks with the correct option.
He bought ___ umbrella and ___ raincoat before the trip.
Answer: D. an, a — ConceptThe indefinite article is selected by the sound that begins the following word, not merely by its written first letter. Use “an” before a vowel sound…
- A.
a, an
- B.
an, an
- C.
a, a
- D.
an, a
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Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: D
Concept
The indefinite article is selected by the sound that begins the following word, not merely by its written first letter.
Use “an” before a vowel sound and “a” before a consonant sound. Pronunciation therefore controls the choice.
Application
umbrella begins with the vowel sound /ʌ/, so the first blank takes “an”.
raincoat begins with the consonant sound /r/, so the second blank takes “a”.
Contrast
“a, an” reverses both sound-based choices.
“an, an” applies the vowel-sound article before raincoat, whose initial sound is /r/.
“a, a” places the consonant-sound article before umbrella, whose initial sound is /ʌ/.
Cross-check
Read the phrase aloud: “an umbrella and a raincoat.” Each article agrees with the initial sound of the following word.
Result
The completed sentence is: He bought an umbrella and a raincoat before the trip.