ARTICLES

 Articles are word that define a noun as specific or unspecific.

 For axample:
 We enjoyed the cup of coffee Aunt Suzy served.
→ The article ‘the’ refers to the specific cup of coffee that was served.
 Everyone enjoys a cup of coffee on a cold evening.
→ The article ‘a’ creates a general idea of any cup of coffee – unspecific.

1) Indefinite Articles

 A and an are used for singular countable nouns / general things

 We use a for words beginning with a consonant sound
(b, c, d, f, g... or a vowel that sounds like a consonant).

Examples:

 a captain a ship a university a user a pen

 a hornbill a torch a uniform a unicorn a book

2) Definite Articles

 We use an for words starting with a vowel (a, e, i, o, u) or a silent h sound.

Examples:

 an apron an iron an umbrella an heir an egg an oyster

 an hour an honour an elephant an apple

 The definite article the is used for singular and plural nouns.

 We use the to:

- refer to a particular person or thing

Examples:

(a) That was the car which was involved in an accident.

(b) Where is the brown bag?

- refer to someone or something a second time

Examples:

(a) Geetha swept the floor. The floor is dusty.

(b) Yesterday, she bought a bag. The bag is made of crocodile skin.

- refer to something which is the only one of its kind

Examples:
-

(a) The moon rotates round the earth.

(b) The stars are twinkling in the night sky.
- refer to names of rivers, seas, oceans, mountain ranges, deserts, and certain countries
Examples:
(a) The ship sank in the Atlantic Ocean.
(b) The Amazon river is in South America.

- Refer to a tittles
(a)The Prime Minister

- Refer to the names of cinemas, theatres, museums, ships, newspapers, magazines

(a)the Golden Screen Cinemas

 No articles are needed before:

- names of states, towns, and most countries (unless used as adjectives)

Examples:
(a) She lives in Johor Bahru.
(b) The singer is holding a concert in France.

- names of meals (unless referring to a particular meal)

Examples:
(a) I had some cereal for breakfast this morning.
(b) What will you have for tea?

- names of games (unless used as adjectives) and illnesses

Examples:
(a) Do you like to play online games?
(b) The girls are playing netball.
(c) My father is recovering from chicken pox.
(d) She had measles when she was ten.

✅ When to Use No Article (Ø)

1. With Most Proper Nouns

 Names of people, towns, cities, most countries, languages, and days.

 ✅ I live in Malaysia.
 ✅ She speaks French.
 ✅ We met Ali yesterday.

🔺 But: Use "the" with countries that are plural or descriptive:

 ✅ The Netherlands, The Philippines, The United Kingdom

2. With Meals (unless specific)

 ✅ We had lunch together.

 ✅ They always eat dinner at 7.
✅ The lunch was delicious. (Correct if you're referring to a specific meal, e.g., a party lunch.)

3. With Most Sports and Games

 ✅ He plays football.
 ✅ Do you like chess?

4. With Abstract Ideas / Uncountable Nouns (in general)

 ✅ Love is important.
 ✅ Education changes lives.
 ✅ She gave me information about the job.

🔺 Use "the" when referring to something specific:

 ✅ The love he showed was amazing.
 ✅ The information you gave me was helpful.

5. With Plural Countable Nouns (in general)

 ✅ Cars are expensive.

 ✅ Children need care.
🔺 Use "the" when referring to specific ones:
 ✅ The cars in this lot are new.

6. With Places (used in a general sense)

 ✅ She goes to school every day.

 ✅ He is in prison for theft.
 ✅ I’m going to bed now.
🔺 Use "the" when you're not using the place for its typical purpose:
 ✅ Her mother went to the school to meet the teacher.
 ✅ The tourists visited the prison.

⚠️ Tips to Remember
 Ask yourself: Am I talking about this thing in general or something specific?
o General: No article
o Specific: Use the
 If the noun is uncountable or plural and you're speaking generally → no article
EXERCISE 1

Part A: Fill in the Blanks with a, an, or the

1. She bought ___ umbrella yesterday.

2. I saw ___ elephant at the zoo.
3. We are going to ___ beach this weekend.
4. He is ___ honest man.
5. Do you have ___ pencil I can use?
6. That is ___ most beautiful painting I’ve ever seen.
7. I need ___ apple for my snack.
8. We visited ___ Eiffel Tower on our trip to Paris.
9. She is ___ doctor.
10. He wants to buy ___ unicorn toy.

Part B: Choose the Correct Answer

11. He had ___ sandwich for lunch.

a) a b) an c) the
12. We watched a movie about ___ moon landing.
a) a b) an c) the
13. There is ___ owl in the tree.
a) a b) an c) the
14. She wants to play ___ netball after school.
a) a b) the c) (no article)
15. I read ___ interesting book yesterday.
a) a b) an c) the

Part C: Correct the Mistake (if any)

16. I saw a eagle flying in the sky.

17. She had the breakfast at 8 a.m.
18. They visited a Amazon River.
19. He bought an uniform for school.
20. We went to the Singapore last year.
EXERCISE 2

Part A: Fill in the blanks with a, an, the, or leave it blank (Ø)

1. I saw ___ bird sitting on ___ tree.

2. She wants to buy ___ orange and ___ apple.
3. We visited ___ Louvre Museum in Paris.
4. My brother is ___ engineer.
5. ___ Mount Everest is the highest mountain in the world.
6. We usually have ___ dinner at 7 o’clock.
7. They adopted ___ dog from the shelter.
8. Can you close ___ window, please?
9. I would like to play ___ volleyball this weekend.
10. He is reading ___ interesting book about science.

Part B: Choose the correct article (a, an, the, or Ø)

11. She is ___ honest person.

a) a b) an c) the d) Ø
12. We saw ___ moon clearly last night.
a) a b) an c) the d) Ø
13. He drank ___ cup of tea before going to work.
a) a b) an c) the d) Ø
14. I am going to ___ supermarket to buy some milk.
a) a b) an c) the d) Ø
15. They stayed in ___ hotel by the beach.
a) a b) an c) the d) Ø

Part C: Rewrite the sentence correctly

16. She wants to be an university lecturer.

17. He climbed a Mount Kilimanjaro last year.
18. We watched the football at school yesterday.
19. I have the breakfast with my family every day.
20. They visited an Eiffel Tower during their trip.
EXERCISE 3

PART A

Fill in the blanks with a, an, or the:

1. This is ___ first clue to ___ word puzzle.

2. There is ___ interesting book on ___ table. Is it yours?
3. Many students use ___ Internet to do research for their assignments.
4. My brother bought a house in ___ outskirts of Kuala Lumpur.
5. Wow! ___ dress is stunning and fits you nicely.
6. I’d like to have ___ apple juice and a sandwich, please.
7. There is a book store in Shah Alam which has ___ book you want.
8. Hanif showed me a funny cat video from ___ Internet.
9. Mother forgot that she had ___ appointment with ___ dentist this morning.
10. My family and I went to ___ park for a picnic last weekend.

PART B

Read the passage below and fill the blank with a, an , the, or -

It was (1) ___ best birthday ever for me. I woke up and smelt (2) ___ delicious aroma from
breakfast prepared by my mum. I went to (3) ___ kitchen and my parents gave me (4) ___ big
bear hug. On (5) ___ dining table, (6) ___ plate of pancakes drizzled with honey and (7) ___ mug
of coffee were waiting for me to feast on. After that, my parents surprised me with wonderful
presents. I opened them and found (8) ___ amazing book from my favourite author, and (9) ___
gold necklace they knew I had been wishing for. Later that day, my friends surprised me with
(10) ___ balloons and chocolates.

PART C

Read the passage below. There are errors in the use of articles. Correct the errors and rewrite the passage.

Ice cream is an frozen dessert made from a milk, a cream, a sugar and other ingredients. It
comes in a many flavours, such as the chocolates vanilla, a strawberry and the more. People
enjoy an ice cream for its sweet taste, creamy texture and cooling effect. Ice cream is the
popular treat for all the ages, but it should be eaten in a moderation to avoid health problems.
ANSWERS

EXERCISE 1

Part A

1)an umbrella 2)an elephant 3) the beach 4)an honest 5)a pencil

6)the most 7)an apple 8) the Eiffle 9)a doctor 10)a unicorn

Part B

11)a sandwich 12)the moon 13)an owl 14)no article 15)an interesting

Part C

16)an eagle 17)had breakfast 18)the Amazon 19) a uniform 20)to singapore

EXERCISE 2

PART A

1) I saw a bird sitting on a tree. (General mention of a bird and a tree — use a.)

2) She wants to buy an orange and an apple. ( Both start with vowel sounds → use an.)

3) We visited the Louvre Museum in Paris. ( Specific place — use the.)

4) My brother is an engineer. (“Engineer” starts with a vowel sound → use an.)

5) Ø Mount Everest is the highest mountain in the world. ( We usually say Mount Everest (without "the"), though
the Everest region is fine in other contexts.)

6) We usually have Ø dinner at 7 o’clock. ( No article before general meals.)

7) They adopted a dog from the shelter. ( “Dog” is singular and unspecified → use a.)

8) Can you close the window, please? (Specific window in context → use the.)

9) I would like to play Ø volleyball this weekend. ( No article with sports and games.)

10) He is reading an interesting book about science. (“Interesting” starts with a vowel sound → use an.)
PART B

11) She is an honest person. ( “Honest” has a silent “h” → vowel sound.)
12) We saw the moon clearly last night. ( Only one moon — unique → use the.)
13) He drank a cup of tea before going to work. ( General, countable noun → use a.)
14) I am going to the supermarket to buy some milk. ( Specific/common local place → use the.)
15) They stayed in a hotel by the beach. (First mention of a hotel → use a.)

PART C

15 )✅ She wants to be an university lecturer.

✅ She wants to be a university lecturer.
👉 “University” starts with a /ju:/ sound → consonant sound → a

16)✅ He climbed a Mount Kilimanjaro last year.

✅ He climbed Mount Kilimanjaro last year. (Proper noun; no article before “Mount”)

17) ✅ We watched the football at school yesterday.

✅ We watched football at school yesterday. (General mention of the sport → no article)

18) ✅ I have the breakfast with my family every day.

✅ I have breakfast with my family every day. ( General meal → no article)

19) ✅ They visited an Eiffel Tower during their trip.

✅ They visited the Eiffel Tower during their trip. ( Specific, famous landmark → the)

EXERCISE 3

PART A

1) This is the first clue to the word puzzle. ( “First clue” and “word puzzle” are specific = the)

2)There is an interesting book on the table. Is it yours? ( “Interesting” starts with a vowel sound → an/ Specific
table → the)

3) Many students use the Internet to do research for their assignments. (“Internet” is always used with the)

4) My brother bought a house in the outskirts of Kuala Lumpur.( "A house" = any one house → a/ “The
outskirts” is a specific location → the)

5) Wow! The dress is stunning and fits you nicely.( Specific dress being referred to → the)

6) I’d like to have an apple juice and a sandwich, please. ( “Apple” begins with a vowel sound → an / “Sandwich”
begins with a consonant sound → a)
7) There is a book store in Shah Alam which has the book you want.(First mention of the book store → a/
Specific book referred to → the)

8) Hanif showed me a funny cat video from the Internet. (“A funny cat video” = not specific
/ “The Internet” = always definite)

9) Mother forgot that she had an appointment with the dentist this morning.( “Appointment” begins with vowel
sound → an/ Specific dentist → the)

10) My family and I went to the park for a picnic last weekend.( “The park” = specific place
/ “A picnic” = one of many possible picnics)

PART 2

It was (1) a best birthday ever for me.

a – "Best birthday" sounds superlative, but in expressions like "a best friend" or "a best birthday," it means one of
the best, not the only one. So a is correct.
I woke up and smelt (2) a delicious aroma from breakfast prepared by my mum.
a – “Delicious aroma” is being introduced for the first time = a (indefinite article).
I went to (3) the kitchen and my parents gave me (4) a big bear hug.
the – "The kitchen" is a known or familiar place in the house.
a – First mention of “a big bear hug” → use a
On (5) the dining table, (6) a plate of pancakes drizzled with honey and (7) a mug of coffee were waiting for me
to feast on.
the – “Dining table” is specific and familiar → the
a – First mention of “a plate” and “a mug” → a
I opened them and found (8) an amazing book from my favourite author, and (9) a gold necklace they knew I had
been wishing for.
an – “Amazing” starts with a vowel sound → an
a – “Gold necklace” is introduced for the first time → a
Later that day, my friends surprised me with (10) Ø balloons and chocolates. Ø (no article) – “Balloons and
chocolates” = plural and general → no article needed.

PART 3

Ice cream is a frozen dessert made from milk, cream, sugar, and other ingredients. It comes in many flavours, such
as chocolate, vanilla, strawberry, and more. People enjoy ice cream for its sweet taste, creamy texture, and cooling
effect. Ice cream is a popular treat for all ages, but it should be eaten in moderation to avoid health problems.