Complete the following sentence with correct articles. _____ pencil is no…
2026
Complete the following sentence with correct articles. _____ pencil is no good. You need ________ pen to write neatly.
Answer: D. A / a — Concept — the indefinite article introduces a singular countable noun as a non-specific member of its class — any one pencil, any one pen. English picks…
- A.
An / a
- B.
A / an
- C.
Those / a
- D.
A / a
Attempted by 37 students.
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: D
Concept — the indefinite article introduces a singular countable noun as a non-specific member of its class — any one pencil, any one pen. English picks between its two forms by the SOUND that opens the following word, never by its spelling: the consonant-sound form is ‘a’ and the vowel-sound form is ‘an’.
Sound that opens the next word | Indefinite article |
|---|---|
Consonant sound (/p/, /b/, /t/, /j/ …) | a — a chair, a bag, a uniform (/juː/) |
Vowel sound (/æ/, /e/, /ɪ/, /ɒ/, /ʌ/ …) | an — an eraser, an ink pot, an hour (silent h) |
Application — how the rule fills each blank of this sentence:
The first blank stands before the singular countable noun ‘pencil’, which opens with the consonant sound /p/, so the consonant-sound form ‘a’ fills it; because the blank begins the sentence it is capitalised as ‘A’.
The second blank stands before the singular countable noun ‘pen’, which also opens with the consonant sound /p/, so the same consonant-sound form ‘a’ fills it.
Both blanks take the same form, giving: ‘A pencil is no good. You need a pen to write neatly.’
Cross-check — why the other determiners on offer cannot fill these blanks:
‘an’ is reserved for a vowel sound (an eraser, an hour), and neither ‘pencil’ nor ‘pen’ opens with a vowel sound, so no blank here can take it.
‘those’ is a plural demonstrative: it needs a plural noun and it points at specific items already known to the listener, while this sentence uses the singular ‘pencil’ and introduces it for the first time.
The sentence is therefore completed as: A pencil is no good. You need a pen to write neatly.