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Articles
Grammar Practice Worksheets
Table of Contents
Using the 2
Using a or an 4
When no articles are used 5
Exercise 1:
Choose the correct article. 6
Exercise 2:
Pay close attention to the sound at the beginning of the word and choose a or an. 7
Exercise 3:
Lakes, rivers, mountains, deserts, and oceans Place the or / for no article before the nouns. 8
Exercise 4:
Plural nouns at the beginning of the sentence. Place the or / for no article before the nouns. 9
Exercise 5:
Error Correction. Use the article charts in the Quick and Handy Grammar Review 10
to analyze each sentence. Underline the mistakes, then write the sentence correctly.
Exercise 6:
Using articles with time expressions. Choose the correct article. 11
Exercise 7:
Insert the correct form of the articles the, a, an or / in the story. 12
Exercise 8:
Insert the correct form of the articles the, a, an or / in the story. 13
Answer Key 14
Copyright 2011, Red River Press Inc. For use by members of ESL-library.com in accordance with membership terms. 1
Articles
Quick and Handy Grammar Review Articles:

When you first learn vocabulary words in English, you are pleasantly surprised to know how simple articles are.
There are only three. A and an are indefinite articles, and the is the only definite article. Because there is
no gender in nouns in English (no masculine, feminine, or neuter forms), it is not difficult to choose an article.
If you have studied German, Italian, French, or Spanish, you probably remember how complicated articles are.
However, while the forms of the articles are easy, the use of articles in English is very complex. It is one aspect
that must be memorized. Fortunately (or unfortunately), there are many rules to follow. You must become
familiar with the rules. Articles are part of almost every sentence in the language. The charts below show the
rules for how and when and when not to use articles.
Using the
with time periods: when the noun has already been
when the noun that follows is
mentioned:
obvious or understood:
in the morning, in the summer.
Bob skis in the winter. I saw a cat. The cat was tiny.
His hat fell on the floor.
Mary sleeps in the afternoon. The police chased a man. The
There is no one in the house.
man robbed a bank.
I walked to the other side of the
Note: Do not use an article with Jon read a book. The book was
room and turned the tv on.
night. My sister works at night. good.
when the noun is made definite by with the superlative degree of

when the noun is made definite by
a prepositional phrase: adjectives:
an adjective phrase or an
adjective clause:
The woman in the blue suit is the Bill Gates is the richest man in
manager of the office. America.
The person standing over there
The back of the car has fast food Bo is the most intelligent man.
comes from Israel.
bags all over it. Note: Do not use the with the
The book that John is reading is
The bottom of the vase has the comparative degree.
long and interesting.
manufacturers name. Beer is cheaper than wine.
Articles
Continued: Using the

with the names of oceans, seas,
with inventions:
deserts, and rivers: with musical instruments:
The radio was invented in 1920.
The Amazon is longer than the Ken plays the piano.
Marconi invented the telegraph.
Mississippi. Marta is learning the guitar.
The ipad was invented in 2009.
The Pacific is the largest ocean. I can play the accordion.
The electric light bulb was
The Dead Sea is between Israel The flute is a wind instrument.
invented by Edison.
and Jordan
with ordinal numbers and ranking with theatres, bridges, hotels, and
words: buildings: with museums, gardens, and zoos:
I fell in love the first time I saw The Chrysler Building is tall. The San Diego Zoo is great.
her. The Golden Gate Bridge was built The Metropolitan Museum is on
The next time you see John, tell in the 1930s. museum mile in New York.
him I miss him. The Mia Hotel is in Miami. The Botanical Gardens has
That was the second book he The Loews Theatre in Jersey City hundreds of kinds of flowers.
bought for the course. was built in 1934.
with police, fire department, and

with abstract adjectives (to form with historical periods of time:
branches of the military:
nouns describing people):
The Ice Age lasted many years.
The police are coming right now.
The poor live on the west side. There were two terrible wars in
Barbara is in the army.
This program is for the aged. the twentieth century.
The navy and the air force are
The young should help the old. Dante lived in the Middle Ages.
attacking the port.
with country adjectives to describe with eye, ear, nose, and face when
people: hit by a foreign object: Note: do not use the with There
+ to be
The French drink a great deal of A rock hit him in the ear.
wine. Hank punched Jeb in the face. There is a cat in the closet.
The Spanish love soccer. The ball hit Lester in the nose. There are people in the mosque.
The Chinese invented pasta. The door hit Luisa in the eye.
Articles
Using a or an
Note: It is the sound, not the
with numbers and letters:
when a singular noun is indefinite letter, that determines a or an
(not already known or mentioned): Mina is in a union. [union begins
a. use a before a consonant sound
with /y/, a consonant sound]
b. use an before a vowel sound
a. use a before a consonant sound There is a hair on the plate. [hair
Hal got an A on the exam.
b. use an before a vowel sound begins with /h/, a consonant
Lee got a B on the exam.
They bought a new car. sound]
You must put an L in that word.
Vancouver is a beautiful city. Ken in an honest person. [the /h/ at
Maria earned an 8 out of 10.
Ms. Han is an energetic woman. the begin of honest is silent]
The figure skater received a 7.
That is an unusual pair of shoes. That is an ugly car. [ugly begins
New begins with an N.
with a vowel sound]
with little or few (with a positive

to mean each or per: after there + to be (in the meaning):
singular):
My father was driving 55 Maya has a few close friends.
kilometers an hour. There is a car in the driveway. She wants to have a little fun.
Victoria makes $120 a day. There was a woman looking for Note: Do not use an article with
The hotel costs $200 a night. you. little or few for a negative
The minimum wage is $7.25 an Note: Do not use the with there + meaning:
hour. to be Han has very few friends.
Dr. Co has little free time.
Do not use a or an with non-

Use a with count nouns to quantify
Do not use a or an with plural count nouns:
non-count nouns:
nouns:
My father drinks coffee in the
a glass of milk, a cup of tea, a can
He has cousins in Australia. morning.
of soda, a teaspoon of sugar, a
She has friends in China. We need air to breathe.
pound of coffee, a bottle of wine,
I love books. Love will keep them together.
a gallon of water
Articles
When no articles are used

with the names of roads,
with a general abstract noun: boulevards, streets, avenues, and
with indefinite non-count nouns: lanes:
Love is a powerful emotion.
Mona loves to drink tea. Jealousy is the cause of problems. She lives on 27th street.
Bill puts sugar in his coffee. Note: Use the when the abstract King Boulevard is a mile away.
I have to put flour, butter, and noun is definite: The White House is on
water in the cake. The wisdom of that woman is Pennsylvania Avenue.
amazing. Dr. Dolce lives on Kingsbridge
Lane.
with the name of colleges and with the names of cities, countries,
universities: and states:
when generalizing in the plural:
She studies at Rider College. Texas has many oil wells.
Cats will not come when you call Nan lives at Miami University. Japan is located in Asia.
them. Walter goes to Burlington Note: Use the with country
People are generally honest. Community College. names containing Union,
Taxi cabs are usually yellow. Note: When the name includes Republic, or Kingdom
Tigers are ferocious animals. the word of, use the: The Republic of South Korea
Vics daughter goes to the The Kingdom of Morocco
University of Pennsylvania. The Soviet Union
with individual lakes, islands, and with languages and religions:

with forms of go in certain mountain peak:
expressions: Islam is the second largest religion
Lake Chad is in Africa. in the world.
go to church, go to bed, go to jail, We took a boat ride on Lake Hinduism is the leading religion in
go to college, go to school, go to Como. India.
class Bermuda is a beautiful island. Spanish is the number one
Sicily is in the Mediterranean. language in South America.
I went to bed early last night. Mount Everest is the tallest Many writers around the world use
mountain in the world. English.
with the name of diseases:

with numbers and letters in a list:
Cancer is a terrible disease.
Please do number 1, Erika.
Many children get the chicken
B and C are correct.
pox.
Number 6 in the recipe tells you to
Note: Use the with the flu, the
broil the fish for 10 minutes.
mumps, and the measles.
Articles
A An The //
(no article)
Exercise 1:
Choose the correct article.
1. It is not difficult to play ____ guitar. 14. ____ Taj Mahal is located in India.
2. _____ wolves are very dangerous animals. 15. _____ Mississippi River is very long.
3. Who invented _____ light bulb? 16. ____ lakes are usually cleaner than ____ rivers.
4. Have you ever eaten _____ Indian food? 17. ____ northern part of China is very cold.
5. ______ computers are really useful tools. 18. She gave me ____ advice.
6. ______ personal computer was first used in 1982. 19. I ate ___ apple for lunch.
7. The fastest animal in the world is _______ cheetah. 20. He was born in _____ taxicab.
8. _____ Nile River is the longest river in Africa. 21. I ate ____ breakfast at seven o'clock.
9. _____ river which is polluted is not safe for fishing. 22. Chile is located in _____ South America.
10. ____ movie that I saw last night was very good. 23. My sister had ____ x-ray of her arm taken.
11. I really hate _____ scary movies. 24. Not everyone can be ____ pilot.
12. The conference will be held at _____ Regis Hotel. 25. I have never eaten _____ bread from Afghanistan.
13. The victim was taken to _____ Hackensack Hospital.
Articles
a an
Exercise 2:
Pay close attention to the sound at the beginning of the word and choose a or an.
1. Senator Jackson is _________ honest woman.
2. The teachers at Trinity College belong to _______ union.
3. The manager found _______ hair in her soup.
4. That is really _______ ugly bag. I cant believe you paid $200 for it.
5. Mildreds son attends _________ university in Houston, Texas.
6. Can you give me ________ hand. I cant do this by myself.
7. George was driving very fast, more than 95 miles ____ hour.
8. Basil is _________ herb. It has a wonderful flavor.
9. Chemistry is ________ hard course.
10. It is very difficult to get _______ A in Physics.
Articles
the /
an
(no article)
Exercise 3:
Lakes, rivers, mountains, deserts, and oceans Place the or / before the nouns.
1. ______ Lake Titicaca is located on the border between Peru and Bolivia.
2. There are three states located on _____ Pacific Ocean: California, Oregon, and Washington.
3. _________ Sahara desert is located in northern Africa.
4. __________ Rocky Mountains pass through Idaho, Wyoming, and Colorado.
5. ________ Nile is the longest river in the world.
6. Many people in Chicago take boat rides on ________ Lake Michigan.
7. China has one of the largest deserts in the world: _______ Gobi desert.
8. Now that it has been cleaned up, people go swimming in ______ Hudson River.
9. _________ Indian Ocean is the third largest ocean in the world.
10. The 2006 Winter Olympics were held in ________ Alps in northern Italy.
11. _________ Greenland is the largest island in the world. It is seldom green.
12. _______ Mojave Desert is located in California, Nevada, and Utah.
13. Sochi, on __________ Black Sea in Russia, will host the 2014 Winter Olympics.
14. ________ St. Lawrence River flows through Ontario and Quebec, Canada.
15. ________ Himalayas are the highest mountains in the world.
Articles
the /
an
(no article)
Exercise 4:
Plural nouns at the beginning of the sentence. Place the or / for no article before the nouns.
1. ________ elephants that we saw on the safari were drinking water from the lake.
2. ________ lions, which are called the kings of the jungle, are very aggressive.
3. ________ compact cars, which consume less gas than SUVs, also cost less.
4. ________ dogs, which are called peoples best friends, are excellent companions.
5. ________ cats that live in Ms. Adams house are of all colors and types.
7. ________ wines that come from Chile are fresh, light, and inexpensive.
8. ________ cups that we bought at the garage sale were made in England.
9. ________ cell phones, which are also used for text messaging, are the cause of many traffic accidents.
10. _______ people who live next door to us come from Albania.
Articles
Exercise 5:
Error Correction. Use the article charts in the Quick and Handy Grammar Review to analyze
each sentence. Underline the mistakes. Then write the sentence correctly.
1. George Washington Bridge is not as long as Golden Gate Bridge.
2. Harold puts a sugar in his coffee.
3. Uzbecki does not eat a seafood.
4. The beaches in the Cuba have the white sand.
5. Momoko goes to the Norwalk Community College.
6. His Porsche can go 100 miles the hour.
7. Personal computer was invented by I.B.M.
8. I usually work in afternoon, and my friend works in morning.
9. My counselor always gives me an advice about my courses.
10. The lions love to eat the meat.
Articles
a an the //
(no article)
Exercise 6:
Using articles with time expressions. Choose the correct article.
1. In ______ summer, we always go to the beach.
2. I will meet you at ______ 8:00 in front of the library.
3. George loves to go skiing in _____ winter.
4. The architect scheduled the meeting for ______ Monday, July 6.
5. I cant believe that you came at 7:00 oclock in ______ morning. What a wild night!
6. The American Revolution took place during ___________ eighteenth century.
7. _______ last time I saw Raymond, he was working in a coffee shop.
8. Kristin does not work on ___________ weekends. She works on Mondays.
9. Michelangelo and Leonardo Da Vinci painted in ________ Renaissance.
Articles
Exercise 7:
Insert the correct form of the articles the, a, an in the story. If no article is required, insert /.
Snow Day
! Last Tuesday was _______ first day of _______ school for _______ Spring semester. However,
when I woke up and looked out _______ window, I noticed that there was _______ lot of _______ snow
outside. _______ snow was so high that I couldnt see _______ my car. It was covered with _______
snow. I got dressed, but I couldnt find my boots. _______ boots were under _______ bed. I went
outside and found _______ shovel next to _______ door. There was a strange sight in front of _______
house. _______ deer was standing on _______ lawn, looking at me. _______ deer did not move, and I
did not move either. We looked at each other for _______ few minutes. Then _______ deer ran down
_______ street. I was ready to shovel and I saw two squirrels next to _______ tree. There were
_______ animals everywhere. _______ Squirrels love to run around, even in _______ snow.
I shoveled _______ driveway and found _______ car. In _______ winter, I usually park in
_______ garage, but last night I forgot. It took me _______ long time to clean the snow off _______
car. It was _______ unusual morning. After one hour of work, I was ready to go to _______ school. I
got into _______ car and drove 20 miles _______ hour down _______ street. It took me _______ fifty
minutes to get to _______ school building. I had _______ cup of coffee. They did not have _______
sugar or _______ milk because _______ delivery truck got stuck on _______ Kennedy Boulevard, so I
drank _______ black coffee. When I came into _______ room, there was _______ notice on _______
board. _______ professor was not coming to _______ school. He had _______ accident. What
_______ bad luck! Now I had to fight _______ snow and drive _______ home again.
Articles
Exercise 8:
Insert the correct form of the articles the, a, an in the story. If no article is required, insert /.
Lake Tahoe
! Lake Tahoe is located on _______ border between _______ California and _______ Nevada. It
is _______ four-season paradise. In _______ winter, people come to ski in _______ high mountains.
_______ Sierra Nevada Mountains provide excellent skiing, and there are _______ many lifts. Squaw
Valley, _______ second largest ski area, was _______ site of _______ 1960 Winter Olympics. In
_______ spring, _______ snow begins to melt and run down _______ mountain. Much of _______
melted snow ends up in _______ lake. In _______ summer, _______ Lake Tahoe is used for swimming
and boating. _______ lake water is clean and cool.
On _______ Nevada side, there are _______ casinos. _______ casinos attract many visitors to
_______ area. Most are in _______ Stateline, Nevada, which borders _______ lake. _______
combination of blue water, white mountaintops, and green grass is _______ unusual sight of beauty.
_______ people return year after year to enjoy _______ vacation spot.
Articles
Answer Key
Exercise 1: Choose the correct article.

1. c 2. d 3. c 4. d 5. d 6. c 7. c
8. c 9. a 10. c 11. d 12. c 13. d 14. c
15. c 16. d 17. c 18. d 19. b 20. a 21. d
22. d 23. b 24. a 25. d
Exercise 2: Pay close attention to the sound at the beginning of the word and choose a or an.
1. b 2. a 3. a 4. b 5. a
6. a 7. b 8. b 9. a 10. b
Exercise 3: Lakes, rivers, mountains, deserts, islands, and oceans - Place the or / for no article
before the nouns.
1. b 2. a 3. a 4. a 5. a
6. b 7. a 8. a 9. a 10. a
11. b 12. a 13. a 14. a 15. a
Exercise 4: Plural nouns at the beginning of the sentence. Place the or / for no article before the nouns.
1. a 2. b 3. b 4. b 5. a
6. a 7. a 8. a 9. b 10. a
Exercise 5: Error Correction. Use the article charts in the Quick and Handy Grammar Review to analyze
each sentence. Underline the mistakes. Then write the sentence correctly.
1. The George Washington Bridge is not as long as the Golden Gate Bridge.
2. Harold puts sugar in his coffee.
3. Uzbecki does not eat seafood.
4. The beaches in Cuba have white sand.
5. Momoko goest to Norwalk Community College.
6. His Porsche can go 100 miles an hour.
7. The personal computer was invented by I.B.M.
8. I usually work in the afternoon, and my friend works in the morning.
9. My counselor always gives me advice about my courses.
10. Lions love to eat meat.
Exercise 6: Using articles with time expressions. Choose a, an, the, or / for no article in the
following sentences.
1. c 2. d 3. c 4. d 5. c 6. c 7. c 8. d 9. c
Articles
Exercise 7: Insert the correct form of the articles the, a, an or / in the story.
Snow Day
Last Tuesday was [the] first day of [no article] school for [the] Spring semester. However, when I
woke up and looked out [the] window, I noticed that there was [a] lot of [no article] snow outside. [the] snow
was so high that I couldnt see [no article] my car. It was covered with [no article] snow. I got dressed, but I
couldnt find my boots. [the] boots were under [the] bed. I went outside and found [a] shovel next to [the]
door. There was [a] strange sight in front of [the] house. [a] deer was standing on [the] lawn, looking at me.
[the] deer did not move, and I did not move either. We looked at each other for [a] few minutes. Then [the]
deer ran down [the] street. I was ready to shovel and I saw two squirrels next to [the] tree. There were [no ar-
ticle] animals everywhere. [no article] Squirrels love to run around, even in [the] snow.
I shoveled [the] driveway and found [the] car. In [the] winter, I usually park in [the] garage, but last
night I forgot. It took me [a] long time to clean the snow off [the] car. It was [an] unusual morning. After one
hour of work, I was ready to go to [no article] school. I got into [the] car and drove 20 miles [an] hour down
[the] street. It took me [no article] fifty minutes to get to [no article] school. I had [a] cup of coffee. They did
not have [no article] sugar or [no article] milk because [the] delivery truck got stuck on [no article] Kennedy
Boulevard, so I drank [no article] black coffee. When I came into [the] room, there was [a] notice on [the]
board. [the] professor was not coming to [no article] school. He had [an] accident. What [no article] bad
luck! Now I had to fight [the] snow and drive [no article] home again.
Exercise 8: Insert the correct form of the articles the, a, an or / in the story.
Lake Tahoe
Lake Tahoe is located on [the] border between [no article] California and [no article] Nevada. It is [a] four-
season paradise. In [the] winter, people come to ski in [the] high mountains. [the] Sierra Nevada Mountains
provide excellent skiing, and there are [no article] many lifts. Squaw Valley, [the] second largest ski area, was
[the] site of [the] 1960 Winter Olympics. In [the] spring, [the] snow begins to melt and run down [the] moun-
tain. Much of [the] melted snow ends up in [the] lake. In [the] summer, [no article] Lake Tahoe is used for
swimming and boating. [the] lake water is clean and cool.
On [the] Nevada side, there are [no article] casinos. [the] casinos attract many visitors to [the] area.
Most are in [no article] Stateline, Nevada, which borders [the] lake. [the] combination of blue water, white
mountaintops, and green grass is [an] unusual sight of beauty. [no article] people return year after year to enjoy
[the] vacation spot.

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Articles

Grammar Practice Worksheets

When no articles are used 5

Quick and Handy Grammar Review Articles:

when the noun is made definite by with the superlative degree of

Continued: Using the

with police, fire department, and

with little or few (with a positive

Do not use a or an with non-

When no articles are used

with individual lakes, islands, and with languages and religions:

with the name of diseases:

13. The victim was taken to _____ Hackensack Hospital.

1. Senator Jackson is _________ honest woman.

2. The teachers at Trinity College belong to _______ union.

3. The manager found _______ hair in her soup.

5. Mildreds son attends _________ university in Houston, Texas.

6. Can you give me ________ hand. I cant do this by myself.

8. Basil is _________ herb. It has a wonderful flavor.

9. Chemistry is ________ hard course.

10. It is very difficult to get _______ A in Physics.

3. _________ Sahara desert is located in northern Africa.

4. __________ Rocky Mountains pass through Idaho, Wyoming, and Colorado.

5. ________ Nile is the longest river in the world.

6. Many people in Chicago take boat rides on ________ Lake Michigan.

9. _________ Indian Ocean is the third largest ocean in the world.

12. _______ Mojave Desert is located in California, Nevada, and Utah.

15. ________ Himalayas are the highest mountains in the world.

1. George Washington Bridge is not as long as Golden Gate Bridge.

2. Harold puts a sugar in his coffee.

3. Uzbecki does not eat a seafood.

4. The beaches in the Cuba have the white sand.

5. Momoko goes to the Norwalk Community College.

6. His Porsche can go 100 miles the hour.

7. Personal computer was invented by I.B.M.

8. I usually work in afternoon, and my friend works in morning.

9. My counselor always gives me an advice about my courses.

10. The lions love to eat the meat.

1. In ______ summer, we always go to the beach.

2. I will meet you at ______ 8:00 in front of the library.

3. George loves to go skiing in _____ winter.

4. The architect scheduled the meeting for ______ Monday, July 6.

6. The American Revolution took place during ___________ eighteenth century.

7. _______ last time I saw Raymond, he was working in a coffee shop.

8. Kristin does not work on ___________ weekends. She works on Mondays.

9. Michelangelo and Leonardo Da Vinci painted in ________ Renaissance.

and boating. _______ lake water is clean and cool.

Exercise 1: Choose the correct article.

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