9/14/2020 Articles 1 | Grammar - Beginner to pre-intermediate | British Council

Log in Subscribe Newsletter English English level test LearnEnglish Kids TeachingEnglish LearnEnglish Teens

44 2669 271 4501

Articles 1

Take your English to the next level with our self-access courses for £5.99 a month

(/subscribe?

promo_id=sub01&promo_name=subscription&promo_creative=learning-

content&promo_position=in_page)

Do you know how to use a, an and the?

Look at these examples to see how articles are used.

She's a doctor.

I need an umbrella.

Have you heard the news?

I don't like spiders.

Try this exercise to test your grammar.

https://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/grammar/beginner-to-pre-intermediate/articles-1 1/6
9/14/2020 Articles 1 | Grammar - Beginner to pre-intermediate | British Council

Grammar test 1

Read the explanation to learn more.

Grammar explanation

Here are some of the most important things to know about using articles.

Jobs

When we say what people's jobs are, we usually use a/an.

He's an architect.

She's a scientist.

My grandmother was a teacher.

Singular nouns

Singular, countable nouns always have an article – a/an or the (or another determiner – my, your, this,

that, etc.).

We use a/an – the indefinite article – when we talk about something for the first time, or something that

is part of a group or type.

I saw a good film yesterday.

Do you want a drink?

We use a when the word that follows it begins with a consonant sound. We use an when it's followed by a

vowel sound. This makes pronunciation easier.

She has a university degree.

It took me an hour to get home.

We use the – the definite article – when the listener already knows which thing we are talking about

because it was mentioned before or because there's only one of them.

I'm going to take the dog for a walk.

Have you seen the car key?

They go to the school next to the bridge.

Things in general

When we talk about things in general, we normally use a plural or uncountable noun with no article.

Birds eat worms.

Water freezes at 0°C.

Children need a lot of sleep.

Particular groups of things

https://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/grammar/beginner-to-pre-intermediate/articles-1 2/6
9/14/2020 Articles 1 | Grammar - Beginner to pre-intermediate | British Council

When we talk about a particular group of things, we use the.

We went to the zoo and saw the kangaroos. (These are the particular kangaroos in that zoo –

not kangaroos in general.)

Do this exercise to test your grammar again.

Grammar test 2

Go to Articles 2
(

Language level t

t
Beginner: A1 Pre-intermediate: A2
p

/
Comments
l

e
Sherol replied on 1 September, 2020 - 10:17 United States
a

r
Hello, sir.
n
The definite article "the" is often put when we talk about location of something. But

sometimes it doesn't work. For example: e

Let me hang your coat on A hook? n

Or
g
We hung our jackets on hangers.
li
Are there any regularities in the exceptions?
s
Thanks,

Sherol h

it

i
Kirk replied on 1 September, 2020 - 14:02 Spain

h
Hello Sherol,

Although there are certainly many exceptions in how articles are used, I wouldn't c

recommend you try to come up with rules about articles based on ideas such as o

location. As the explanation above suggests, in most cases, it has to do with whether
u
the noun they are used with has been mentioned yet in the conversation. Whether a
n
noun is singular or plural is also important.
c
In this case, 'the hook' is also a possible form, but by saying 'a hook', the speaker is

probably showing that no one has mentioned hanging the jackets on a hook yet. In the il

https://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/grammar/beginner-to-pre-intermediate/articles-1 3/6
9/14/2020 Articles 1 | Grammar - Beginner to pre-intermediate | British Council

case of 'on hangers', 'on the hangers' is also possible (but not 'on a hangers' since .

'hangers is plural'). o

I'd suggest you have a look at the more detailed explanation in our English Grammar
r
reference (https://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/english-grammar-
g
reference/determiners-and-quantifiers), which I think will help you make
/
sense of this.

Hope this helps.

g

All the best, r

Kirk
a
The LearnEnglish Team
m

Sherol replied on 27 August, 2020 - 15:42 United States

e

Hello teacher.
i
I made one sentence:
n
When you write down THE meaning of word you should write like this;
n
............................................................

Why do I have to use The here? e

-
Jonathan R replied on 28 August, 2020 - 03:46 United Kingdom

r
Hi Sherol,

The is needed because the meaning of a word is definite in this context. It's a e

specific meaning (not just any meaning). The phrase of a word specifies which meaning -

is referred to in the sentence.

i
We often use the before of phrases (e.g. the front of the building; the head of
n
government; the start of the film). 
t
Does that make sense?

Best wishes, e

Jonathan r

Sherol replied on 28 August, 2020 - 17:07 United States t

Yes, I finally understood this topic) Thanks /

https://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/grammar/beginner-to-pre-intermediate/articles-1 4/6
9/14/2020 Articles 1 | Grammar - Beginner to pre-intermediate | British Council

ti

Sunyoung1005 replied on 22 August, 2020 - 19:28 South Korea

s

Hi Sir!
2
Swelling is a place on your body that has become larger or rounder than normal as the
)
result of an illness or injury

Could I say 'as a result of' instead of 'as the result'?

I see my role as being a catalyst for change. - The riots were later seen as the catalyst for

the new political developments.

What is the difference between "a catalyst" and "the catalyst" here?

Thanks a lot for your help.

Peter M. replied on 23 August, 2020 - 08:21 Poland

Hello Sunyoung1005,

'A' suggests that there are multiple items and you are describing one. 'The' suggests

that there is only one item, or that other items can be ignored or disregarded.

In these examples both forms are possible.

If you say a catalyst then you are implying that there are multiple catalysts and you are

describing one of them. If you say the catalyst then you are suggesting that there is

only one catalyst.

Peter

The LearnEnglish Team

cms10 replied on 5 August, 2020 - 11:38 India

Hi teacher,

May I know the difference between "the right" and "a right"?

You have the right to consult a lawyer. vs Everyone has a right to a fair trial.

replied on 6 August, 2020 - 07:41 Poland

https://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/grammar/beginner-to-pre-intermediate/articles-1 5/6
9/14/2020 Articles 1 | Grammar - Beginner to pre-intermediate | British Council

Peter M.

Hi cms10,

In this context you can use either 'a' or 'the' in each sentence. You can see it as one of

many rights ('a right') or as a particular right which is specified in the sentence ('the

right). It's really up to the speaker.

Peter

The LearnEnglish Team

Risa warysha replied on 29 June, 2020 - 17:49 Indonesia

Hi Sir,

Could you help me with this?

She is a woman that I admire.

She is the woman that I admire.

Which is the correct sentence? Or both the sentence above are fine?

The next question:

What is the difference between these following sentence

-She is the one who should be blamed.

- she is a person who should be blamed.

Thank you,sir

Terms of use Accessibility Privacy and cookies Contact us Site map

© British Council

The United Kingdom's international organisation for cultural relations and educational opportunities.

A registered charity: 209131 (England and Wales) SC037733 (Scotland).

ICP#: 10044692

https://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/grammar/beginner-to-pre-intermediate/articles-1 6/6