Indefinite Articles: a and an
"A" and "an" signal that the noun modified is indefinite, referring to any member of a group. For example:- "My daughter really wants a dog for Christmas." This refers to any dog. We don't know which dog because we haven't found the dog yet.
- “A cow has horns”
- "When I was at the zoo, I saw an elephant!" Here, we're talking about a single, non-specific thing, in this case an elephant. There are probably several
Remember, using a or an depends on the sound that begins the next word. So...
- a + singular noun beginning with a consonant: a boy; a car; a bike; a zoo; a dog
- an + singular noun beginning with a vowel: an elephant; an egg; an apple; an idiot; an orphan
- a + singular noun beginning with a consonant sound: a user (sounds like 'yoo-zer,' i.e. begins with a consonant 'y' sound, so 'a' is used); a university; a unicycle an European country, a one-way ticket
- In some cases where "h" is pronounced, such as "historical," us an:
Remember, too, that in English, the indefinite articles are used to indicate membership in a group: or professions
- I am a teacher. (I am a member of a large group known as teachers.)
- Seiko is a practicing Buddhist. (Seiko is a member of the group of people known as Buddhists.)
Definite Article: the
The definite article is used before singular and plural nouns when the noun is specific or particular.- "The dog that bit me ran away."
Count and Noncountable Nouns
The can be used with noncountable nouns, or the article can be omitted entirely.
"I love to sail over the water" (some specific body of water) or "I love to sail over water" (any water).
"He spilled the milk all over the floor" (some specific milk, perhaps the milk you bought earlier that day) or "He spilled milk all over the floor" (any milk).
Use of the with common places
We use the with
Restaurants, Hotels Museums Theatres cinemasThe Hilton The ScienceMuseum,The National Theatre The Odeon
We don´t use the with the +name of place+airport,station,university,castle but we use the...... ofMunich airport,Westminster abbey,Victoria Station,Edinburg Castle,CambridgeUniversity The zoo of London
We don´t use the with the words,school,university,church, bed, hospital,prison home work if I am referring to the as a student prisoner etc
I go to school by car, my mother drives me
My mother is going to the school because she has to talk to my teacher
She is n hospital she has to be operated
He works in the hospital as a janitor
Omission of Articles
Some common types of nouns that don't take an article are:Names of languages and nationalities:Chinese, English, Spanish, Russian
Names of sports: volleyball, hockey, baseball
Names of academic subjects: mathematics, biology, history, computer science
Names of meals She never has breakfast dinner is ready
President,king ,Queen,Pope when the name of the person is mentioned
Queen Elizabeth II will visit Australia next year
Geographical use of the
There are some specific rules for using the with geographical nouns.
Do not use the before:
names of most countries/territories: Italy, Mexico, Bolivia; however, theNetherlands, theDominican Republic, theUnited Statesnames of cities, towns, or states:Seoul, Manitoba, Miami
names of streets,roads or Squares:Washington Blvd., Main St.
names of lakes and bays:Lake Titicaca, Lake Erie except with a group of lakes like the Great Lakes
names of mountains:Mount Everest, Mount Fuji except with ranges of mountains like the Andes or the Rockies or unusual names like the Matterhorn
names of continents (Asia, Europe)
names of islands (Easter Island, Maui, Key West) except with island chains like the Aleutians, the Hebrides, or the Canary Islands thePhilippines,
WE use the before:
names of rivers, oceans and seas,canals,Channels: the Nile, the Pacific ,theSuez Canal ,the English Channelpoints on the globe: the Equator, the North Pole
geographical areas: the Middle East, the West
deserts, forests, gulfs, and peninsulas: the Sahara, the Persian Gulf, the Black Forest, the Iberian Peninsula
1 Fill inthe blanks with the suitable article a, the or x
1. ….. love is more important than ...... money.
2. I couldn't hear him because of...... noise of the jet
3. He heard ...... strange noise behind the wall.
4. What kind of ...... music do you listen to?
5. I think .... guitar is the best instrument to play.
6. I think it's made of ...... wood.
7. Would you like ...... cup of tea?
8. I'm studying ...... English language.
9. I don't use ...... salt when I'm cooking.
10. It's ...... half past seven.
11. What is...... name of this country?
12. Can you tell me ...... time? .
2 Fill inthe blanks with the suitable article a, the or x
1. ______Swedish is a difficult language to learn.2. ______general's army attacked the city at night.
3. I like to play ______basketball.
4. My parents gave me ______basketball for my birthday.
5. She is ______prettiest girl in the school
6. I have ______idea! Let's go bowling.
7. I have borrowed ______money from her before.
8. My first apartment was on ______Orange Street.
9. ______dress she is wearing is blue.
10. He is ______real gentleman.
3 Complete with “a”, “an” , “the” or “-“ if no article is needed.
1.Paris is ……….capital of France. I’d like to visit it one day.
2.Bruce is the only boy at school who can speak …….. Chinese.
3.My grandmother has been playing ……….tennis since she was 12.
4.Alice loves walking in ………rain. She likes rainy days rather than sunny ones.
5.Ted is listening to ……..news on ……..radio. He looks worried.
6.Peter is blind and has got …….guide dog that goes with him everywhere. ……..dog is a collie. He couldn’t live without it.
7.When we were in Madrid we stayed at …….Ritz, which is ….very expensive hotel.
8.Stella drove ……….children to ………town centre last Monday.
9.It’s very hot today and Ben has turned on ……..fan to get some fresh air.
10.Granny always makes ……dinner on Thanksgiving Day. She is …..excellent cook.
11.Anna’s cat is sitting on ……..window ledge looking at ……..moon.
12.Yesterday John and Larry went to ……zoo.
13.Kent goes to …....bed late when he has …..…exam.
14.David always has ………breakfast in ……kitchen.
15....... little boy fell off...... bicycle.
16. ...... children like...... sweets.
17.. I have lost...... book I took outof...... library.
18....... cats love...... fish.
19.Smoking...... cigarettes is unhealthy.
20. Mr and Mrs Jones go to...... churchon...... Sunday.
21.They go to...... church round...... corner.
22....... students read...... books.
23....... student was reading...... book you gave him.
24....... world is coming to an end on...... Friday.
25.He goes to...... work while Mrs Jonesstays at...... home.
26....... children go to...... school.
27. Mr Jones goes to...... office while MrsJones stays at...... home.
28. They live in...... house on...... corner of...... street.
29. ...... children go to...... schoolover there.
30....... dogs are not allowed in...... park.
31....... Amazon flows from...... Andes to ...... Atlantic.
32....... Queen will speak on...... Christmas Day.
33. Mary wants to learn...... Frenchbefore she goes to...... Continent.
34. In Paris, we stayed at...... George V hotel, ate at...... Maxim’s, and visited...... Louvre
35....... Smiths were supposed to cometo...... lunch we gave at...... Ritz,
but ...... Mrs Smith phoned to say they had to take...... young one to...... hospital