IELTS CLASS

FOR C1, C2, C3

Using articles
&
Simple Sentences
There are three articles English- a, an, and the. A and an are
indefinite articles and the is the definite article. Using articles
correctly will help your writing have a natural flow to it.

A and An Use a before singular nouns (or the

adjectives that precede them) that begin with a
consonant sound.

Use an before singular nouns (or the adjectives that

precede them) that begin with a vowel sound.

an apple a uniform (initial sound is ”Y”- a consonant

sound)

an x-ray machine (initial sound is ”eh”- a vowel

sound) a university (initial sound is ”Y”- a consonant
sound)

an hour (initial sound is ”ow”- a vowel sound)

Use a or an before count nouns, when the noun which is
being talk about is not specifically known. A is used before
nouns that begin with a consonant sound. An is used before
nouns that begin with a vowel sound.

Here are some examples:

He has a book. (There are many books, and

he has one.)

I ate an orange. (There were many oranges,

and I ate one.) While in Australia, we stayed
at a luxury hotel. (There are many luxury
hotels in Australia, and we stayed in one.)

A Porsche is an expensive sports car. (There

are many expensive sports cars, and a
Porsche is one.)

Kansas is a state in America. (There are 50

states in America, and Kansas is one.)
The is used when the thing being talked about is
specifically known or it is clearly understood which
thing we are referring to.

Susan cleaned the kitchen last night. (It

is known or understood which kitchen is
bring referred to.)

I was ready to order dinner, but the

waiter was busy. (It is known or
understood the waiter is the one serving
me.)

We had no fun on the picnic because

the weather was terrible. (It is known or
understood the picnic refers to the one
they were on.)
Simple Sentences
A sentence is an expression of a
complete thought and contains a
subject, verb, and ending punctuation.

In general, a sentence names

something (a subject) and then states
something about that subject. The part
of the sentence that “talks” about the
subject is the predicate (at least a verb
and possibly more words that help
describe the subject). A sentence also
must have ending punctuation.
The subject is a noun or pronoun that
identifies the person, place, or thing
the sentence is about. The subject does
the action of an action verb or comes
before a linking verb in a statement. A
sentence may contain a compound
subject. For example:

Mary and Alice went to the store.

London and New York City are both
large cities.
The verb is an action word that tells
what the subject if doing. A sentence
may also contain compound verbs,

such as: Bill watches TV and reads

every night before going to sleep.
Japan manufactures and exports many
consumer products.
Some verbs are not action
verbs but linking verb. A
linking verb is a verb that
connects (or “links”) a subject
to a word or words that name
or describe it.

It indicates a state of being.

The most commonly used
linking verbs are be, become,
seem, appear, look, feel, grow,
smell, and taste.
Review the paragraph below. (the subjects are in blue and the verbs are in red)

Jerry and Jenny Chen are students at the Shanghai

International School. They are two of the over five-
hundred foreign students there. Their father owns
and manages a big chemical company. After
completing high school Jerry and Jenny hope to
study business at university so they can join their
father’s business. They know they will need to learn
English well so they can help the business grow
internationally.
Thanks!
Do you have any questions?