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A, An, The

The document summarizes the usage of indefinite and definite articles - "a/an" and "the" - in English. It explains that "a/an" are used with singular countable nouns when referring to something for the first time or as one of many. "The" is used for things already mentioned or uniquely identifiable from the context. Some key uses of "the" are with family names in plural, places of interest like zoos and schools, days of the week, months, and things described with "of" phrases. The document ends with a practice exercise on filling articles in blanks.

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Rosa Merichal
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132 views2 pages

A, An, The

The document summarizes the usage of indefinite and definite articles - "a/an" and "the" - in English. It explains that "a/an" are used with singular countable nouns when referring to something for the first time or as one of many. "The" is used for things already mentioned or uniquely identifiable from the context. Some key uses of "the" are with family names in plural, places of interest like zoos and schools, days of the week, months, and things described with "of" phrases. The document ends with a practice exercise on filling articles in blanks.

Uploaded by

Rosa Merichal
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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INDEFINITE AND DEFINITE ARTICLES

“A, AN, THE”


INDEFINITE ARTICLES “A, AN”
Jobs
When we say what people's jobs are, we usually use a/an.

He's an architect.
She's a scientist.
My grandmother was a teacher.

Singular nouns
- We use a/an when we talk about something for the first time, or something that is part of a group or
type.

I saw a good film yesterday.


Do you want a drink?
- We use a when the word that follows it begins with a consonant sound. We use an when it's followed
by a vowel sound. This makes pronunciation easier.

She has a university degree.


It took me an hour to get home.

Common expressions
We have English 4 times a week.
I go on holidays twice a year.
Our car can do 220km an hour.
Tomatoes are $2 a kilo.

He is an American

We need half a pound of sugar.


This is quite a good story.

DEFINITE ARTICLE “THE”


- We use the – the definite article – when the listener already knows which thing we are talking about

because it was mentioned before or because there's only one of them.

I'm going to take the dog for a walk.


Have you seen the car key?
They go to the school next to the bridge.
- We use the when it is the second time we talk about it.
I have got a dog. The dog is called Toby.
Particular groups of things
When we talk about a particular group of things, we use the.

We went to the zoo and saw the kangaroos. (These are the particular kangaroos in that zoo – not
kangaroos in general.)

Family names in the plural


The Smiths live in Chicago. (vs. Peter and John live in London)

Public buildings, institutions, means of transport


The school that Mandy goes to is old. (vs. Mandy doesn’t like school)

Names of countries in the plural, mountain ranges, regions, groups of


islands…
The United States, the Alps, the west of Australia, the British Isles… (vs. Germany, Cairo, Mount

Whitney…)

Of-Phrases, oceans, rivers


The Statue of Liberty, the Mediterranean, the Nile… (Parks, streets & lakes: Central Park, Loch Ness,

Oxford Street)

Days of the week (definite), months


I always remember the Monday when I had an accident. (vs. The weekend is over on Monday morning);

The August of 2001 was hot and dry (vs. July and August are the most popular months for holiday)

Things in general
When we talk about things in general, we normally use a plural or uncountable noun with no article.

Birds eat worms.


Water freezes at 0°C.
Children need a lot of sleep.

TIME TO PRACTISE:
Fill in the gaps with an, a or the when necessary. Choose “x” when the article is not
necessary.
1. I like ___ blue T-shirt over there better than ___ red one.
2. Their car does 150 miles ___ hour.
3. Where is___ USB drive I lent you last week?
4. Do you still live in___ Paris?
5. Carol’s father works as ___ firefighter.
6. What do you usually have for___breakfast?
7. Ben has___terrible headache.
8. Is your mother working in___old office building over there?

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