Articles (1)
Use indefinite article a / an when first
describing something, or making a general
statement about something not known or
without any details. Use an when the word
following begins with a vowel.
• Suddenly a man appeared outside the
window.
• That is an interesting point.
to give an example.
• A thermometer is used for measuring
temperature.
to describe one of a class of things or people.
• Paula is an Italian. She's a teacher.
• It's a racing bike.
for rates and speeds etc.
• Some people can cycle at 50 km an hour.
• Phil earns €500 a month.
Use definite article the
with things or people already mentioned.
• First I take a test tube. Then into the test tube I pour
50cc of water
when a noun is made definite by details following it.
• That man outside was the man that the police were
looking for.
when we definitely know what is being talked about.
• Are you going to the post office? Can you get me some
stamps?
• Pass me the salt, please
Use zero article
to describe something general or uncountable.
• Love makes the world go round. Water boils at 100°c.
• Some people believe that men and women think
differently.
with proper names, though these can begin with the if
they have details following them.
• Kate lives in Manchester in a little street called Green
Street.
• This is Mary Smith. She is the Mary Smith I told you
about.
with general examples, countable or
uncountable.
• Doctors often have to work more than a
hundred hours a week.
• Water is a scarce resource in many parts of
the world.
Articles (2)
Use indefinite article a / an
to mean one.
• What would you like to eat? Can I have a
banana?
to refer to large whole numbers, fractions,
weights and distances.
• a hundred a million a third a fifth
• two and a half a kilo a meter and a half
with a headache, a cold etc.
• I've got a headache / a toothache / an
earache. Have you got a cold?
Note that most illness words use zero article.
• I've got flu. She's suffering from appendicitis.
in the expressions what a... !, such a... !
• We use what a ... when we are surprised or
impressed by something.
• What a fantastic idea! What a great bike you
have got!
• We use such a ... for emphasis with singular
nouns.
• This is such a difficult problem! Thanks, you've
been such a good friend
to describe one example of a set of things.
• That's a Picasso. (a work of art)
• This is a Robbie Williams song.
Use definite article the
with nationality adjectives that refer to all the
people of that nationality, e.g. Chinese, Japanese,
French, Spanish, British, Swiss.
• The French drink a lot of wine.
• The Swiss are famous for their banks.
with plural nationality nouns in the same way, e.g.
Russians, Americans, Poles, Greeks, Turks.
• The Russians and the Poles are used to cold
weather.
with a singular noun to describe a class of things.
• The car has taken over our cities.
with the names of shops and places with a general
reference.
• Anna's at the cinema / the supermarket / in the
garden / in the mountains /at the beach etc.
with some familiar objects when we think of them
as the only one.
• One moment the Sun was shining in the sky. Then
the Moon seemed to rise out of the sea.
with the names of oceans.
• They crossed the Pacific in a small boat.
Use zero article
to talk about school subjects, such as geography, history
etc.
• If you want to study physics, you have to be good at
maths.
to refer to days, months or parts of the day.
• I’ll see you on Monday at midday. School begins in
September.
with continents, countries, lakes, mountains etc. When
plural, we use the.
• Lake Geneva borders France and Switzerland
• From here you can see the Alps.
with at home, at school, in hospital, in prison, in bed
when we speak in general.
• David isn't at school today. He's in bed at home.
But when referring to something other people know
about, e.g. a specific place, building etc we use the.
• The bus stops outside the school. Leave the towels on
the bed.
with such ... for emphasis with plural or uncountable
nouns.
• You are such noisy children! This is such a wonderful ice
cream!
Choose the correct word.
a I don’t like that coat. The / A colour is horrible.
b He doesn't like going to see the / a dentist.
c She asked for the / a cup of coffee, but she got tea
instead.
d The / A laboratory is a place where scientific
experiments are done.
e I don't believe he's the / a policeman, he looks too
young!
f She is a / an intelligent woman.
g I went to the / a bank today and they said I
didn't have any money!
h Who left the / a door open?
i A / An hotel is more expensive than a / an
youth hostel.
j The / A film starts at half past seven.
Answers
a The
b the
ca
dA
ea
f an
g the
h the
i A, a
j The
Choose the correct form, A, B or C, to
complete the sentence.
a If you want to be healthier, think carefully about ___ you
eat.
• A food
B the food
C a food
b If you don't enjoy ___ do something else.
• A the exercise
B an exercise C exercise
c Try learning .....
• A a new sport
B new sport C the new sport
d Sometimes the food you eat is less important than ....
• A food you don't eat
B a food you don't eat
C the
food you don't eat
e Do you eat enough .. .... ?
• A fruit and vegetables
B the fruit and vegetables
C fruit and the vegetables?
f There is a saying,’___ a day keeps the doctor away.'
• A The apple
B A apple
C An apple
g ___chocolate cake should only be eaten occasionally.
• A The piece of B Piece of
C A piece of
h Stress also makes___ unhealthy.
• A the people
B people
C a people
i If you've had ___try and do something nice for yourself.
• A the bad day
B bad day C a bad day
j You could visit a friend or go to ___.
• A cinema B the cinema
C a cinema
Answers
aB
bC
cA
dC
eA
fC
gC
hB
iC
jB
Choose the correct option. This may
include a space (--) for zero article.
a The / -- Republic of Slovenia lies at a / the
heart of the / -- Europe.
b It is where the / -- Alps face the / -- Pannonian
plains and the / -- Mediterranean meets the / - Karst region.
c To the north is the / -- Austria and the / -Hungary is to the / -- east.
d To the south is the / -- Croatia and to the west
is the / -- Italy.
e A / The / -- weather here is ideal for the / -holidays.
f There are approximately 2,000 hours of a / the
/ -- sunshine per year, and there is plenty of
the / -- snow in winter.
g There are many woods and forests covering
more than half of a / the / -- country.
h In the / -- Kocevje area is one of a / the / -oldest forests in the / -- Europe, it is possible to
walk among the trees for days.
Answers
a The, the, b the, the, the, the
c -, -, the
d -, e The, f -, g the
h the, the, -