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Articles

The document discusses the usage of articles 'a', 'an', and 'the' in English. It explains that 'a' and 'an' are indefinite articles used for non-specific nouns, while 'the' is the definite article used for specific or previously mentioned nouns. The document provides examples and exercises to illustrate the proper usage of these articles.

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Merly Nicol Leon Dominguez
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15 views

Articles

The document discusses the usage of articles 'a', 'an', and 'the' in English. It explains that 'a' and 'an' are indefinite articles used for non-specific nouns, while 'the' is the definite article used for specific or previously mentioned nouns. The document provides examples and exercises to illustrate the proper usage of these articles.

Uploaded by

Merly Nicol Leon Dominguez
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Articles: Understanding the

Use of 'A/An' and 'The' in


English"
Introduction:
Articles are small words used before nouns to determine their scope
and specificity.
In English, there are two types of articles:
The definite article "the" and the indefinite articles "a" and "an".
Indefinite Articles:

The indefinite articles "a" and "an" are used to talk about a noun in a
non-specific manner or when something is mentioned for the first time.
• "A" is used before words that start with a consonant sound.
• "An" is used before words that start with a vowel sound.

• Example 1: "I saw a car in the parking lot."


• Example 2: "She is an artist."
Definite Article:
The definite article "the" is used to talk about a noun in a specific
manner or when it has been mentioned previously.
• "The" is used when the noun is known to both the speaker and the
listener.
• "The" is used before unique or previously mentioned nouns.

• Example 1: "The book you lent me is really interesting."


• Example 2: "The dog we saw in the park was adorable."
Usage of Articles:
• Articles are also used with ordinal and superlative adjectives.
• "The" is used with ordinal adjectives to indicate the position in a
series or sequence.
• "The" is used with superlative adjectives to indicate the highest
degree of a quality.

• Example 1: "He finished in the first place."


• Example 2: "She is the smartest student in the class."
Exceptions and Special Cases:

There are exceptions in the usage of articles, such as when they are
omitted in certain contexts.
• Articles are not used with the names of most countries, cities,
continents, streets, parks, mountains, and lakes.
• Articles are not used in generalizations or when referring to
uncountable nouns.

• Example 1: "I visited Mount Everest."


• Example 2: "She loves music."
Exercise 1: Fill in the blanks with "a," "an,"
or "the" where appropriate
1. I saw __an___ interesting movie last night.
2. He is ____an_ excellent student.
3. She wants to become _an____ engineer.
4. They visited _the____ Eiffel Tower in Paris.
5. ___The__ dog we saw in the park was adorable.
6. She is ___the__ best dancer in the group.
7. I need to buy _a____ new laptop.
8. It's __a___ pleasure to meet you.
9. She is reading __the___ book you recommended.
10. We went to __the___ zoo on Saturday.
Exercise 2: Choose the correct article ("a/an"
or "the") to complete the sentences.
1. He is _a___ doctor at the hospital.
2. I saw __an__ interesting movie yesterday.
3. We visited ___the_ museum in the city center.
4. She is learning to play _a___ guitar.
5. They adopted _the___ adorable puppy from the shelter.
6. We stayed at _a___ beautiful hotel by the beach.
7. She wants to become __an__ architect.
8. I saw him riding _the___ bike in the park.
9. They went to see _the___ Broadway show in New York.
10. He is __the__ only child in his family.
Exercise 3: Rewrite the sentences, correcting
any errors with the use of articles.
• I am a personal trainer.
• She wants to be an actress.
• I saw an elephant in the zoo.
• He is tallest boy in the class.
• I have a car and house.
• She is reading the book you recommended.
• We went to the beach and swam in the sea.
• She saw a lion in safari park.
• I want to a buy new car.
• They visited the London and saw the Big Ben.

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