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Janet is an English Teacher.

1. Warm up
A. Read the introductions of friends Janet, Michael, Kate and Joe.

1. Meet Janet. She is English teacher in Kobe, Japan and rides

bicycle to work each day. In her free time, she likes to sing
Karaoke and goes to gym near her house three times a week. It
is biggest gym in the city.

2. Meet Michael. He is architect. He designs luxury houses for

clients in his city. He is married and has four year old daughter.
His daughter’s name is Jennifer. On weekend, he likes to ride
his bicycle and have picnics with his family.

3. Meet Kate. She is English teacher like her friend Janet. She also
lives in Kobe, Japan. She lives in small apartment that has beautiful views of harbour. On the weekend, she often
plays tennis. There is tennis court near her apartment.

4. Meet Joe. He is accountant who lives in Los Angeles in United States. He lives in small house near Hollywood so
he sometimes sees celebrities. He isn’t married but he has girlfriend. They met at university. She is lawyer and
also lives in Los Angeles.

B. Which friend completes the sentence correctly.

a. and are English teachers and live in Kobe.

b. designs houses. He is an architect.

c. ‘s girlfriend is a lawyer in Los Angeles.

d. likes to sing Karaoke and go to the gym.

e. has a tennis court court near their house.

2. The Indefinite Article (a/an)

A. We use the indefinite article when we talk about the following.

1. A general object. 2. One of a number of the same things.

CONSONANT SOUNDS (B, C, D, F, G, H, ETC...) VOWEL SOUNDS (A, E, I, O, U)

a. She has a dog. c. Can I have an apple?

b. I work in a factory. d. She is an English teacher.

B. Complete the sentences by filling in the gaps with either ‘a’ or ‘an.’

1. I had omelette for breakfast. 4. Tokyo is enormous city in Japan.

2. Paul McCartney is famous singer and 5. Rice is popular food in most Asian countries.
original Beatles member.
6. Hiroshi Amano is nobel prize winner.
3. Golden Week is national holiday in Japan.
It is in May.

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 3. The Definite Article (a/an)
A. We use the definite article when we talk about the following.

1. A specific object that both the speaker and listen know about.

2. When there is only one of that object.

3. Superlatives, as there is usually only one.

EXAMPLES USING THE DEFINITE ARTICLE d. the best movie

a. the teacher is very good e. the president

b. the sun f. the queen of England

c. the biggest planet

4. Let’s Practice
A. Read the story about Mr Sakamoto. FIll in the gaps with ‘a,’ ‘an,’ or ‘the.’
1.
Mr Sakamoto is      old friend of Mr Suzuki and he used to work in downtown Osaka City, in Japan.
2. 2. 4. 5.
He had      good job in one of      largest law firms in      city. He was      honest and
6.
hard-working lawyer, but he didn’t like his job. So he decided to quit and become      surfer instead. He wasn’t
7.
     best surfer but he enjoyed surfing in his summer vacations when he was young.

8. 9.
Now Mr Sakamoto spends his days surfing at      most beautiful beach in Hawaii. It isn’t      easy life,
10.
but it makes him happy. Soon after he quit his job, Mr Sakamoto met      beautiful surfer named Naomi. After
11.
they dated for      couple of months, they decided to get married.

B. Read the introductions of the friends on Page 1 again. Find 16 missing articles.

5. Additional Rules
Read some extra rules to consider when using articles.

a. Do not use an article with countries, states, counties, lakes and mountains except when the country is a collection
of states such as ‘the United States’.

He lives in (x) Japan, near (x) Mount Fuji. They live in (x) Melbourne, (x) Australia.

b. Use the with bodies of water, oceans and seas.

My country borders on the Pacific Ocean, the Mediterranean Sea.

c. Do not use an article when you are speaking about things in general.

I like (x) English tea. She likes reading (x) books.

d. Do not use an article when you are speaking about meals, transport and some places.

He has (x) breakfast at (x) home. I go to (x) university. She comes to (x) work by (x) car.

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Janet is an English teacher.
Level: Beginner, high beginner. Last updated: Nov 22, 2019
Target: Grammar; the definite and indefinite articles ‘a/an’ and ‘the’.
Target time: 60 minutes.
Overview: Students are introduced to the definite and indefinite articles ‘a/an’ and ‘the’. Rules and examples show usage and
gap fill activities allow students to practice using articles.

1. WARM UP
A. Have students read the introductions of friends Janet, Michael,
Kate and Joe. There are 16 articles missing. Some students may
notice and comment they have found mistakes. Explain that we
will correct mistakes later. Check for new words with students.
B. Have student re-read the introductions of the four friends on
B. Individually or in pairs, students should choose with friend
correctly completes the sentences. Students can compare
answers with each other once completed.
1. Janet and Kate are English teachers and live in Kobe.
2. Michael designs houses. He is an architect.
3. Joe‘s girlfriend is a lawyer in Los Angeles.
4. Janet likes to sing Karaoke and go to the gym.
5. Kate has a tennis court near her house.
2. THE INDEFINITE ARTICLE (A/AN)
A. Students should read the explanation about the Indefinite
Article ‘a/an’ individually or in pairs. Check understanding after
the explanation has been read. Discuss the examples to help
understanding.
B. Ask students to complete sentences 1-6 and fill the gaps with ‘a’
or ‘an.’ Have students read sentences to check the answers.
8. the
9. an
10. a
11. a
Page 1. There are 16 missing articles. Students can read the
introductions to you to check they found them all.
1. Meet Janet. She is an English teacher in Kobe, Japan and
rides a bicycle to work each day. In her free time, she likes
to sing Karaoke and goes to a/the gym near her house three
times a week. It is the biggest gym in the city. (4 missing
articles)
2. Meet Michael. He is an architect. He designs luxury houses
for clients in his city. He is married and has a four year old
daughter. His daughter’s name is Jennifer. On the weekend,
he likes to ride his bicycle and have picnics with his family. (3
missing articles)
3. Meet Kate. She is an English teacher like her friend Janet. She
also lives in Kobe, Japan. She lives in a small apartment that
has beautiful views of the harbor. On the weekend, she often
plays tennis. There is a tennis court near her apartment. (4
missing articles)

1. I had an omelette for breakfast. 4. Meet Joe. He is an accountant who lives in Los Angeles in
the United States. He lives in a small house near Hollywood
2. Paul McCartney is a famous singer and an original Beatles so he sometimes sees celebrities. He isn’t married but he has
member. a girlfriend. They met at university. She is a lawyer and also
3. Golden Week is a national holiday in Japan. It is in May. lives in Los Angeles. (5 missing articles)
4. Tokyo is an enormous city in Japan.
5. ADDITIONAL RULES
5. Rice is a popular food in most Asian countries.
If time permits, students can read additional rules and examples
6. Hiroshi Amano is a nobel prize winner. relating to articles in English, otherwise they can review them in their
own time.
3. DEFINITE ARTICLE (THE)
A. Students should read the explanation about the Definite
Article ‘the’ individually or in pairs. Check understanding after
the explanation has been read. Discuss the examples to help
understanding.

4. LET’S PRACTICE
A. In pairs, student take turns reading the story about Mr Sakamoto
and work together to fill in the blanks with either ‘a,’ ‘an,’ or ‘the.’
Answer questions if students struggle to choose the correct
article.
1. an
2. a
3. the
4. the
5. an
6. a
7. the

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