Question

Fill in the blank with the most appropriate word.
Let’s have ________ ice-cream.
A) a
B) No article
C) an
D) the

Answer 1

Hint: Articles are terms that specify whether a noun is singular or plural.
There are three types of articles in English: a, an, and the. Articles are a type of adjective that are used before nouns or noun equivalents.

Complete answer:
Now let us look into the given options:
Option (A). Let’s have ice-cream – is an incorrect answer because ‘a’ is incorrectly used here because only when the next word begins with a consonant, we can use ’a’ before it. When the next word begins with a vowel (a, e, i, o, u) or a mute h, we have to use ‘an’ before it.
Option (B). Let’s have ice-cream- This is incorrect because even though in certain cases, a noun does not require the use of an article, the given sentence can be made grammatically better by using the indefinite article ‘an’ in the blank.
Option (C). Let’s have an ice-cream – is the correct answer because ‘an’ is correctly used here. When the name of a noun is unknown, the indefinite article (a, an) is used before it. Indefinite articles, like all articles, are invariable. When the next word begins with a vowel (a, e, i, o, u) or a mute h, we have to use ‘an’ before it. When the listener or reader is unsure which singular noun we are referring to, then also we use the indefinite article, a/an. In the above sentence ‘an’ should be used before ‘ice-cream’ in the blank, since the word ice-cream is a singular noun only indefinite articles can be used before it. We will use ‘an’ not ‘a’ because the noun ‘ice-cream’ starts with a vowel ‘i’.
Option (D). Let’s have the ice-cream - is an incorrect answer because ‘the’ is incorrectly used here. The word "the" is a definite article. It comes before a noun to indicate that it refers to something unique. For example- Will you go to Victoria Park? Indefinite article is also used before a proper noun. We cannot use definite articles in the blank above because “the” is used before a proper noun and may not necessarily be used before a singular noun.

Therefore the correct answer is option ‘C’.

Note: When the reader is unsure which noun we are referring to, ‘An/A' is used as an indefinite article for that thing or person. It expresses the subject's spontaneous nature. When the reader understands which thing or individual we are concerned about, we use 'the' as a definite article. It expresses the subject's unique characteristics.