4.
ARTICLES
Zero article
1. With uncountable nouns, and abstract or general ideas, and plurals (not previously mentioned).
e.g. I like orange juice.
Give peace a chance.
I hate wasps.
2. With most proper names.
e.g. We live in France.
I'll see you in January.
3. With names of meals when they refer to routine times.
e.g. It's time for lunch. What's for dinner?
4. With unique jobs or roles (definite article is also possible).
e.g. Jim is (the) chairman of the company.
5. With prepositions of place, when the place plays a special role.
e.g. Sally is in prison. (She's a prisoner)
Sally is in the prison. (A visitor to the building)
Similar are: church, hospital, school, university
6. With general means of transport.
e.g. We went there by car.
But if in or on is used: We went there in a car/on a bus.
Definite Article (the)
1. Previously mentioned items.
e.g. There is a bedroom and a living room. The bedroom is large.
2. Single items, whose reference is clear.
e.g. Can you pass the marmalade?
What happened after the war?
3. Unique objects.
e.g. The moon is full tonight.
4. Items which are followed by a descriptive phrase, which makes them definite.
This is the man I told you about.
*This category includes names:
e.g. London Bridge but the Tower of London
5. National groups.
The British drink far too much tea.
6. Classes of people.
The rich get richer and the poor get poorer.
7. Individual items which represent a class.
The lion is fast disappearing.
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8 Names of musical instruments and ability to play
e.g. I can't play the piano but I can play the guitar.
9. Some geographical names.
* Plural countries, or where the name contains a noun;
e.g. The Netherlands.
The People's Republic of China.
*Names of rivers and oceans, and regions:
e.g. The Thames flows into the North Sea. The Arctic.
10. Superlatives, ordinals, the same, the only.
e.g. This is the best.
You are the first.
This is the only one.
11. Media.
e.g. What's on (the) television?
I went to the cinema.
Indefinite article
1. Describing jobs.
e.g. Peter is a lorry driver.
2. With singular fractions, group numbers and large numbers.
e.g. One and a half kilos.
A dozen eggs.
A hundred envelopes.
3. Meaning “per”.
e.g. He was doing ninety miles an hour.
Julie earns £500 a week.
EXERCISE 1: Put a/an or the in each space, or leave the space blank.
a) We went by ................. train to .................. west of England.
b) ....... people who live in....... Netherlands are called ....... Dutch.
c) ....... judge sent me to ....... prison for....... ten years.
d) ....... Columbus was one of....... first people to cross ....... Atlantic.
e) As ....... captain of....... ship, I have ....... complete authority.
f) David learned to play ....... violin when he was at....... university.
g) ....... Trafalgar Square is near ....... Charring Cross Station.
h) Did you read ....... book I lent you ....... last week?
i) We'll put up ....... shelves and then go to ....... pub for ....... drink.
j) Is that....... present Bill gave you for ....... Christmas?
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EXERCISE 2: Choose the most suitable phrase underlined.
a) Is this a person / the person you told me about?
b) This is the only cinema/an only cinema in the area.
c) Philip has just bought the Thames barge/a Thames barge.
d) Here is a thousand pounds/the thousand pounds I owe you.
e) Are you going to church/the church on Sunday?
f) Do you have a milk jug/milk jug?
g) The Prime Minister/Prime Minister will give a speech this afternoon.
h) The computer/Computer has already changed our lives dramatically.
i) I haven't been to an open-air theatre/open-air theatre before.
j) I'm going to the British Museum/British Museum this afternoon.
EXERCISE 3: Choose the best option.
1. The butler was .......... I suspected.
A. some last person B. a last person C. the last person D. last person
2. Where ....... you borrowed last week?
A. is scissors B. are the scissors C. is some scissors D. are scissors
3. Why don't we go to the park ......?
A. in the car B. with a car C. with car D. by the car
4. Too much rubbish is being dumped in ........ .
A. sea B. the sea C. a sea D. some sea
5. Let's go on holiday to ........ .
A. the Greece Islands C. islands of Greece
B. Greek Islands D. the Greek Islands
6. This is exactly ....... I was looking for.
A. job B. a job C. some job D. the job
7. Of all these cars, I think I prefer ........ .
A. a Japanese B. some Japanese C. the Japanese one D. a Japanese one
8. Interest on this account is only....... per cent.
A. a four and a quarter C. four and quarter
B. four and a quarter D. four quarter
9. I try to go jogging at least four times ........ .
A. the week B. of the week C. a week D. of a week
10. Sally spent six months out of ........ .
A. work B. a work C. the work D. some work
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EXERCISE 4: Put a/an or the in each space, or leave the space blank.
a. Neil Armstrong made ............... first footprint on.............. moon.
b........ recipe for ....... success is....... hard work.
c. ....... worst part of....... living in a caravan is ....... lack of space.
d........ book you ordered ....... last week is now in ....... stock.
e. ....... dancing is ....... more interesting activity than ....... reading.
f. ....... people we met on ....... holiday in ....... north of England sent us ....... postcard.
g........ little knowledge is ....... dangerous thing.
h.What's the use in taking ....... medicine for.....cold?
i. Is ....... happiness of....... majority more important than ....... rights of.......individual?
j. It's ....... long way by ....... train to ....... north of....... Scotland.
k........ philosophers seem to think that....... life is....... mystery.
l. ....... most cars start badly on ....... cold mornings.
m. There was ....... time when I enjoyed ....... skating.
n.Do you have ....... reason for....... arriving late?
o........ moment I arrive ....... home, I feel....... sense of....... relief.
p........ end of....... book is ....... by far ....... best part.
q........ friend always tells me ....... answers to ....... homework we have.
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