Which word should replace the underlined word? “I ate [a] orange for lunch.”

Use Standard Grammar, Usage, and Spelling to Edit · TELPAS Grade 2 writing. The correct answer, and the reasoning behind it.

Reporting category 2: find and fix an error in a short text. On the real test some of these are typed answers or sentence rewrites. Here they are multiple choice so they can be checked.

The question

Choose the best answer.

Read the sentence. The underlined word has an error. I ate [a] orange for lunch. Which word should replace the underlined word?

• Aen
• Bon
• CanCorrect answer
• Dand

Why “an” is correct

Use "an" before a word that starts with a vowel sound (a, e, i, o, u), and "a" before other sounds. Orange starts with the vowel sound o, so it should be "an orange." Saying both versions aloud helps students hear which one is easier to say.

Why the other answers are wrong

• en — En is not an English word. The word that goes before a vowel sound is an.
• on — On tells where something is (on the table). It cannot go before orange here.
• and — And joins two things together. "I ate and orange" does not make sense.

Practice more of this

More writing practice for Grade 2, or see the TELPAS practice test for 2nd grade.