Articles: a / an & the

Introduction
Articles are words that we use before nouns to indicate if the nouns are specific or general (not specific).
There are two types of articles in English: indefinite (a/an) and definite (the).

Indefinite: a/an (not specific) Definite: the (specific)

I would love to go to a Oh, why don’t we go to the

restaurant for my birthday new Japanese restaurant
next Saturday night. on North King Street?

There are many restaurants. He wants to go to one. She is talking about a specific restaurant.

Indefinite Articles (a & an)

We use the indefinite articles a and an with single, countable nouns. We use them to mean one thing, animal,
person, or place. Nouns in English have no gender, so we can say a boy and a girl.

thing person place animal

I don’t have an alarm clock. There is a boy in the shop. John works in an office. Look! There’s a bat.

We use indefinite articles with singular, countable nouns. We don’t use them with uncountable or plural nouns.

• I want a rice. û • I want rice. ü • There are a pens on the desk. û • There are pens on the desk. ü

We use a before words starting with a consonant sound (not letter): • a book • a car • a girl
We use an before words starting with a vowel sound (not letter): • an owl • an idea • an ugly dress
Note: The rules apply to the first word that follows a/an which isn’t always the noun (an ugly dress).

Important Note:
Words that start with a consonant usually start with Words that start with a vowel usually start with a
a consonant sound, but this is not always true. vowel sound, but this is not always true.

• an x-ray • an hour • an honest man • a European • a university • a one-year old

Ex 1: Complete the gap-fill exercise below with the correct indefinite articles (a or an).

1. ____ ghost 4. ____ university degree 7. ____ pretty skirt 10. ____ sandwich
2. ____ email 5. ____ tennis racket 8. ____ European city 11. ____ young person
3. ____ umbrella 6. ____ apple 9. ____ igloo 12. ____ old man

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Ex 2: In pairs, say if the following sentences are correct or not, and correct the wrong ones.

û
1. Do you have a sugar? ____ 4. There are a biscuits on the table. ____
2. Class starts in a hour. ____ 5. I have information. ____
3. I want banana. ____ 6. She has an umbrella. ____

We use indefinite articles to categorise or say what something is:

We use indefinite articles to say what a thing, animal, person, or place is, including what someone’s job is.

• A kiwi is a fruit. • A crow is a bird. • Nigeria is a country. • He is a nice boy. • Frank is a vet.

a/an or one?:
We can use a/an and one to talk about a single item, but they have different uses. We use a/an to indicate any
one of a group or category. We use one when we want to be more specific and emphasise the number one.

• I have a cat. (indefinite) • I have one cat and two dogs. (emphasising the number / only 1, not 2 or 3)

The Definite Article (the)

Remember, we use indefinite articles when the thing/person is not specific and the definite article (the) when
it is specific. Study the examples below.

a / an (not specific / indefinite) the (specific / definite )

• He lives in a big house. • He lives in the big house beside the school.
• I went to a café. • I went to the café on Strand road.
• She ate an apple. • She ate the red apple.

We can use the before singular countable, plural, and uncountable nouns.

• The cat is in the kitchen. • The cats are in the kitchen. • The butter is in the fridge.

(a) Use ‘the’ when the noun was mentioned before:

We use a or an before a noun when we talk about a person, place, or thing for the first time. When we
mention it again, we usually use the before it to be clear about which person/thing we are talking about.

Compare the use of a/an and the in the examples below:

• Beatrice is writing an email. The email is for her grandmother.

• Bella: I bought a book and some magazines. Sam: What’s the book called?
• John: I’m going to watch a film later. Francois (3 hours later) : Was the film good?

(b) Use ‘the’ when it is clear or obvious which thing or person you mean:

• Turn on the light, please. (The light in the room.) • Can you pass the salt? (The salt on the table.)
• I’m going to the bank later. (My bank) • I asked the teacher a question. (The teacher in my class.)

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Common examples include things in a room, rooms in a house, and places in a village/town.

• Close the door, please. (The door in the room.)

• A: Where is Mum? B: She’s in the kitchen. (The kitchen in their house.)
• I’m going to the post office later. (The post office in the town where I live.)

Ex 3: Work in pairs, and add four more words to each category, writing the before each one.

Things in a room: • the door • ____________ • ____________ • ____________ • ____________

Rooms in a house: • the kitchen • ____________ • ____________ • ____________ • ____________

Places in a town: • the park • ____________ • ____________ • ____________ • ____________

(c) Use ‘the’ for something that is unique in the world:

When there’s only one of something, it is clear what we are describing. We always use the in these cases.

• the sun • the moon • the internet • the president of America

Ex 4: Read the dialogue, and write a, an, or the in the gaps. Then role-play the dialogue in pairs.

Julia has returned home from a shopping trip, and she is talking to her sister.

Sue: Hey, what did you do today? Sue: I want to wear ____ skirt, but you can wear ____ dress.
Jen: I went shopping for clothes in ____ city. Jen: Thanks, Sue. You’re my favourite sister.
Sue: Oh, what did you buy? Sue: Ha! I’m _____ only sister you have. What are you doing?
Jen: I bought ____ dress and ____ skirt. Jen: I’m baking _____ cake for the party. It’s in _____ oven.
Sue: What colour is ____ dress? Sue: Oh wow! Cora will love it.
Jen: It’s red. I’ll show it to you now. 2 hours later.
Sue: Oh, it’s lovely. Sue: Jen, are you ready to go?
Jen: Show me ____ skirt. Jen: Nearly. Do you have _____ jacket that I can wear?
Sue: Sure. What do you think? Sue: Sure, you can wear this. Don’t forget _____ cake.
Jen: I love it. Can I wear it to ____ party later? Jen: I have it. I’ll turn on _____ alarm. Let’s go!

Ex 5: Correct the mistakes in the sentences below.

1. Do you want to go to a cinema? 9. Simon wants to be lawyer when he’s older.

2. She bought new bed in Ikea yesterday. 10. I love burgers but not burgers in MacDonald’s.
3. He is a man who gave me directions. 11. Do you know a woman standing at the bus stop?
4. They opened new hospital in my city. 12. I can’t hear a teacher. What did she say?
5. He is a president of France. 13. It’s a excellent book. Who wrote it?
6. Linda has a unusual job. 14. He has the degree in engineering.
7. Look at a moon. It’s beautiful tonight. 15. I wear an uniform to school.
8. Katia is the European citizen. 16. She is a only child.

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 Let’s revise what we learnt!
ü Use a/an when the thing/person is not specific, and the when it is specific.
ü We use indefinite articles (a/an) to categorise or say what something is.
ü Use indefinite articles (a/an) with single, countable nouns only.
ü Use a before words starting with a consonant sound and an before words starting with a vowel sound.
ü Be careful with words starting with consonants that have vowel sounds and vice versa.
ü We can use a/an and one to talk about a single item, but we only use one to emphasise the number 1.
ü Use the: 1. when the noun was mentioned before, 2. it is clear or obvious which thing or person you mean,
and 3. for something that is unique in the world.

Ex 6: Match the vocabulary from this lesson to the images, and compare your answers in pairs.

1. 2. 3. 4.

5. 6. 7. 8.

9. 10. 11. 12.

13. 14. 15. 16.

lawyer n bake v alarm clock n oven n

bat n x-ray machine n tennis racket n ghost n
owl n igloo n crow n village n
uniforms n degree n library n idea n

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