Check your answers to see whether you have got the idea of using articles.
An
A
–
A
–
We went to an awful party last night, the music was bad, the people were boring, and the food was terrible. I had a terrible time.
I have an awesome recipe for chocolate cake. My grandmother gave me the recipe, and it goes great with a big scoop of (-) vanilla ice cream.
A: What is the capital city of Japan? B: Ummm, I think the capital is Tokyo.
I think this is the worst idea you have ever had. We need to find a better way to do this.
Tomorrow, we will take the second train from Suzhou to Shanghai, and the following day, we will fly to Beijing.
Do you have a little time to help me translate this letter?
Ned has (-) little interest in running his family's hotel business. He would much rather move to Hollywood and pursue an acting career. He has already made a few contacts in the movie industry who might be able to help him get started.
To get to the train station, walk (-) south until you see the big church, turn (-) left, and walk until you see the sign. The station is on the right.
The good thing about traveling in the E.U. is that you can use the euro almost everywhere. There are a few countries, such as the U.K. and (-) Sweden, which use their own currencies.
Have you ever seen a picture of the Walt Disney Concert Hall? It's not part of (-) Disneyland, it is an amazing concert hall located in (-) Los Angeles.
Keep fighting no matter what was the results you have.
Fill in the blanks with a, an , the or (-) no articles needed.
____ egg
____ vacation
____ computers
____ fantastic answer
____ hard lessons
We went to ____ awful party last night, ____ music is bad, ____ people were boring, ____ food was terrible, I had ____ terrible time.
I have ____ awesome recipe for chocolate cake. My grandmother gave me _____ recipe, and it goes great with ____ big scoop of ____ vanilla ice-cream.
A: What is ____ capital city of Japan? B: Umm, I think ____ capital is Tokyo.
I think this is ____ worst idea you have ever had. We need to find ____ better way to do this.
Tomorrow, we will take ____ second train from Suzhou to Shanghai, and ____ following day, we will fly to Beijing.
Do you have ____ little time to help me translate this letter.
Ned has ____ little interest in running his family's hotel business. He would much rather move to Hollywood and pursue an acting career. He has already made ____ few contacts in the movie industry who might be able to help him get started.
To get to the train station, walk ____ south until you see the big church, turn ____ left, and walk until you see the sign. The station is on ____ right.
The good thing about traveling in ____ E.U. is that you can use the euro almost everywhere. There are a few countries, such as ____ U.K. and ____ Sweden, which use their own currencies.
Have you ever seen a picture of ____ Walt Disney Concert Hall? It's not part of ____ Disneyland, it is an amazing concert hall located in ____ Los Angeles.
Basically, an article is an adjective. Like adjectives, articles modify nouns.
English has two articles: the and a/an.
the = definite article (used to refer to specific or particular nouns)
a/an = indefinite article (used to modify non-specific or non- particular nouns. )
Watch this video to have a basic understanding of articles.
For example: if I say, "Let's read the book," I mean a specific book. If I say, "Let's read a book," I mean any book rather than a specific book.
Here's another way to explain it: The is used to refer to a specific or particular member of a group. For example: "I just saw the most popular movie of the year." There are many movies, but only one particular movie is the most popular. Therefore, we use the.
"A/an" is used to refer to a non-specific or non-particular member of the group.
For example: "I would like to go see a movie." Here, we're not talking about a specific movie. We're talking about any movie. There are many movies, and I want to see any movie. I don't have a specific one in mind.
Let's look at each kind of article a little more closely.
Indefinite Articles:aandan
"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.
"Somebody call a policeman!"
This refers to any policeman. We don't need a specific policeman; we need any policeman who is available.
"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 elephants at the zoo, but there's only one we're talking about here.
Remember, usingaorandepends 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; anorphan
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 + nouns starting with silent "h": an hour
a + nouns starting with a pronounced "h": a horse
In some cases where "h" is pronounced, such as "historical," you can use an. However, a is more commonly used and preferred. A historical event is worth recording.
Remember that these rules also apply when you use acronyms:
Introductory Composition at Purdue (ICaP) handles first-year writing at the University. Therefore, an ICaP memo generally discusses issues concerning English 106 instructors.
Another case where this rule applies is when acronyms start with consonant letters but have vowel sounds:
An MSDS (material safety data sheet) was used to record the data. An SPCC plan (Spill Prevention Control and Countermeasures plan) will help us prepare for the worst.
If the noun is modified by an adjective, the choice between a and an depends on the initial sound of the adjective that immediately follows the article:
a broken egg
an unusual problem
a European country (sounds like 'yer-o-pi-an,' i.e. begins with consonant 'y' sound)
Remember, too, that in English, the indefinite articles are used to indicate membership in a group:
I am a teacher.
(I am a member of a large group known as teachers.)
Brian is an Irishman.
(Brian is a member of the people known as Irish.)
Seiko is a practicing Buddhist.
(Seiko is a member of the group of people known as Buddhists.)
Aandanis simply followed by a noun,
For example:
I got a postcard from Susan.
The FBI is conducting an investigation.
But you can add an adjective, or following clause or phrases if you want to add extra information.
For example:
I have been reading an interesting article in The Economist.
We had to write a story about our parents’ childhood.
Or, you can also useaoranaftera linking verb. (If you want to describe someone or something. For example to say who or what they are or what qualities they have, you use one of a special set of verbs. These are called linking verbs.)
For instance:
His father was an alcoholic.
His brother was a sensitive child.
Definite Article:the
The definite article is used before singular and plural nouns when the noun is specific or particular. The signals that the noun is definite, that it refers to a particular member of a group. For example:
"The dog that bit me ran away."
Here, we're talking about a specific dog, the dog that bit me.
"I was happy to see the policeman who saved my cat!"
Here, we're talking about a particular policeman. Even if we don't know the policeman's name, it's still a particular policeman because it is the one who saved the cat.
"I saw the elephant at the zoo."
Here, we're talking about a specific noun. Probably there is only one elephant at the zoo.
Countable and Uncountable Nouns
The can be used with uncountable 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).
"A/an" can be used only with countable nouns.
"I need a bottle of water."
"I need a new glass of milk."
Most of the time, you can't say, "She wants a water," unless you're implying, say, a bottle of water.
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, the Netherlands, theDominican Republic, the Philippines, the United States
names of cities, towns, or states: Seoul, Manitoba, Miami
names of streets: 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 likethe 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 theAleutians, the Hebrides, or the Canary Islands
Do use the before:
names of rivers, oceans and seas: the Nile, the Pacific
points 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
Omission of Articles
Some common types of nouns that don't take an article are:
Names of languages and nationalities: Chinese, English, Spanish, Russian (unless you are referring to the population of the nation: "The Spanish are known for their warm hospitality.")
Names of sports: volleyball, hockey, baseball
Names of academic subjects: mathematics, biology, history, computer science
Before we start, let's watch this video together! :)
Pronouns refer to and replace nouns (the names of people, places, and things) that have already been mentioned, or that the speaker/writer assumes are understood by the listener/reader. For example, “I want you to read this again.” The words I, you, and this are pronouns. In this sample sentence, it isn’t necessary to actually see the nouns (writer, reader, and sentence) because the writer’s/speaker’s meaning is obvious.
