TOPIC 20.

ARTICLES
(Mạo từ)
PART 1. GRAMMAR
 Indefinite Articles “A - AN” (Mạo từ bất định)
1 2 3
“a” / “an” đứng trước danh từ “a” đứng trước từ bắt đầu là “a” đứng trước từ bắt đầu là u,
đếm được số ít, không xác một phụ âm; “an” đứng trước e, o, a, i nhưng khi phát âm là
định, được nhắc đến lần đầu từ bắt đầu là một nguyên âm. một phụ âm.
tiên, mang nghĩa “một”. a table, an orange a euro, a university
I live in a flat.
She’s eating an apple.
4 5 6
Trong một số trường hợp, “an” “an” đứng trước từ viết tắt đầu “a” / “an” đứng trước danh từ
đứng trưóc từ bắt đâu bằng bằng một nguyên âm. chỉ tên nghề nghiệp, chức vụ.
chữ “h” (âm câm). an M.A, an M.P a manager, an accountant
an hour, an honor
7 8 9
“a” / “an” dùng trước danh từ “a” / “an” đứng trước một số “a” / “an” đứng trước một số
chỉ bữa ăn, thời gian được bổ từ chỉ bệnh tặt nhất định cụm từ chỉ định lượng.
nghĩa bởi một tính từ. (thường đau về thể chất, bên a couple of, a half of,
a big dinner, a good time ngoài). a hundred, a great many
a fever, a cold, a toothache
10 11
“a” / “an” dùng trong cụm từ chỉ giá cả, đo “a” / “an” dùng trước danh từ mang
lường, tần suất. nghĩa cụ thể.
2$ a box of sweets a hair (một sợi tóc)
100 kilometres an hour a knowledge of Korean culture
(một kiến thức cụ thể về văn hóa Hàn Quốc)

 Definite Article “The” (Mạo từ xác định)

 1 2
“The” đứng trước cả danh từ
đếm được và không đếm được,
nhưng phải là danh từ cụ thể
hoặc đã được nhắc đến phía
trước.
I’ll see the dentist soon.
He gave me a cat;
The cat was so cute.
4 5
“The” đứng trước tên của biển,
đại dương, sông hồ lớn, kênh
rạch, dãy núi, quần đảo, sa
mạc.
the Mediterranean, the Pacific,
the Mississippi,
the Netherlands, the Andes,
the English Channel,
the Sahara Desert,
the Highlands
7 8
“The” đứng trước tên họ đại
diện cho cả gia đình; quốc tịch
đại diện cho cả đất nước.
“The” đứng trước cả danh từ
chỉ có duy nhất trên đời, hoặc
chỉ có duy nhất trong văn cảnh
cụ thể.
the Sun, the sky, the Earth,
the Moon, the Pyramids;
Ann is the leader of our team.
“The” đứng trước tên tờ báo,
lực lượng vũ trang, tàu thuyền,
tổ chức lớn.
the Guardian, the police,
the Queen Mary,
the United Nations
“The” đứng trước tên nhạc cụ
đi kèm động từ “play”, điệu
3
“The” đứng trước tên quốc gia
gồm nhiều nước nhỏ, nhiều
bang, nhiều đảo.
the United States (USA),
the United Kingdom (UK),
the Phillippines.
6
“The” đứng trưóc tên: công
trình
kiến trúc đặc biệt, rạp chiếu
phim,
rạp hát, bảo tàng, triển lãm,
nhà
hàng, khách sạn, cơ sở giáo dục
nhiều người biết đến.
The Great Wall,
the CGV cinema,
the Royal Theatre,
the Louvre
Museum,
the National Gallery,
the Pasta House,
the Melia,
the British Council
9
“The” dùng trong so sánh nhất.
He is the best student in his
 the Greens, the Vietnamese
10
“The” đứng trước tính từ để
tạo thành danh từ tập hợp chỉ
nhóm người.
the old, the young, the rich,
the poor
13
“The” đứng trước số thứ tự.
the first, the second, the last
 No Articles (Không mạo từ)
1 2
Không dùng “a, an, the” trước
danh từ chỉ cái gì đó chung
chung hoặc chưa được nhắc
đến phía trước.
I like coffee.
Health is more important than
money.
4 5
Không dùng “a, an, the” trước
tên quảng trường, công viên,
hồ, nhà ga, sân bay.
Ba Dinh Square, Dam Sen Park,
nhảy, phát minh.
Jack plays the piano and Jose
dances the flamenco.
When was the bulb invented?
11
“The” đứng trước từ chỉ
phương hướng kèm giới từ.
I bought a villa in the South of
France.
14
“The” dùng trong cấu trúc:
the noun + of + noun
the gulf of Mexico,
the Statue of Liberty
Không dùng “a, an, the” trước
tên riêng, đường phố, thành
phố, đảo, núi, châu lục, quốc
gia.
Linda, Oxford Street, Berlin,
Asia, Viet Nam
Không dùng “a, an, the” trước
tên nhà hàng, khách sạn, cửa
hàng ... mà bao gồm tên chủ
sở hữu / tên riêng.
class.
12
“The” đứng trước khoảng thời
gian đã được xác định.
in the 1990s
the June of 2000
15
“The” đứng trước các sự kiện
lịch sử.
the Greek revolution,
the Second World War
3
Không dùng “a, an, the” trước
ngày lễ, ngày trong tuần, tháng,
năm, mùa.
Christmas, Friday, May
6
Không dùng “a, an, the” trước
môn thể thao, trò
chơi, màu sắc, môn học,
ngôn ngữ.
 Noi Bai Airport Jimmy’s bar, Lucy’s Hotel tennis, hide and seek,
white, history, English
7 8 9
Không dùng “a, an, the” trước Không dùng “a, an, the” trước Không dùng “a, an, the” trước
tên các hành tinh. bữa ăn nói chung. những từ sau, khi chúng được
Mars, Venus, Jupiter breakfast, lunch, dinner sử dụng đúng mục đích:
What do you have for lunch? bed, school, university, work,
church, hospital, prison
Lauro go to school to study.
(đúng mục đích của trường-để
học)
I go to the school to see you.
(không đúng mục đích của
trường)
10 11
Không dùng “a, an, the” trước phương tiện phục Không dùng “a, an, the” trước từ chỉ phương
vụ mục đích nào đó. hướng khi chúng dùng như trạng từ.
by car, by bus, on foot They’re heading west.
I usually travel by car.
12 13
Không dùng “a, an, the” trong các phép diễn tả Không dùng “a, an, the” trước Danh từ + số
cố định khác. Gate 5, Room 160
hand in hand, day by day, from top to bottom

PART 2. PRACTICE
A. CONSTRUCTED-RESPONSE (Tự luận)
Exercise 1: Fill in the blanks with "a - an or zero x".
1. This is _______ love story and that is _______ interesting short story!
2. I brush my teeth twice _______ day.
3. There is _______ cup and _______ two glasses on the table.
4. My father gave me _______ ten-pound note.
5. Mr. Smarty is _______ hourly paid worker in _______ company.
6. My grandmother lives on _______ farm with my granddad.
7. I usually have _______ orange every day.
8. I used _______ tube of toothpaste in _______ month.
9. The boy eating _______ ice cream is _______ my brother.
10. Lisa had me look after _______ cute cat and _______ naughty dogs.
Exercise 2: Fill in the blanks "a", "an", "the" or zero "x". (articles with time)
1. _______ October is my favourite autumn month.
2. I’ll never forget _______ December of 1999.
3. It was _______ cold July.
4. My favourite season is _______ spring.
5. It happened in _______ autumn of 1973.
6. Dave spent _______ sleepless night and _______ bad day.
7. My friend has to get up early in _______ morning.
8. We played in the garden till late in _______ evening.
9. We usually rest on _______ Sunday.
10. In _______ summer we usually go to the country.
Exercise 3: Fill in the blanks "a", "an", "the" or zero "x". (articles with nationalities, sports, games,
subjects and languages)
1. I like to play _______ chess with my grandfather.
2. Would you like me to play _______ guitar for you?
3. The children are playing _______ badminton in the yard.
4. When my father was a young man he was interested in _______ Chemistry.
5. I speak _______ English and _______ French, but I don’t speak _______ Spanish.
6. _______ Gymnastics is very popular in our country.
7. My brother is a great specialist in _______ Physics.
8. _______ Vietnamese are very friendly and hard-working.
9. _______ Chinese language is rather difficult.
10. The kids like playing _______ hike and seek.
Exercise 4: Fill in the blanks "a", "an", "the" or zero "x".
1. When she went to _______ bed she kept thinking about him.
2. There is _______ bed, a table, two chairs and a wardrobe in my parents’ bedroom.
3. Helen had two children, one of them is still at _______ school, the other is in his first year at
_______ university.
4. Excuse me, is there _______ university in this area, please?
5. They have built _______ new school in my town.
6. Mrs. Robertson went to _______ school to meet her son’s teacher.
7. You should go to _______ hospital to have your stomach checked.
8. There is _______ small church in the village.
9. Nick’s uncle is in _______ prison for trading drugs.
10. Sam goes to _______ prison to visit her cousin once a month.
Exercise 5: Fill in the blanks "a", "an", "the" or zero "x". (articles with the names of meals)
1. What do we have for _______ dinner?
2. Did you have _______ wonderful dinner yesterday?
3. _______ breakfast we had today was very good.
4. After _______ heavy breakfast I went to school.
5. That was _______ very nice supper.
6. What do you usually do after _______ breakfast?
7. After _______ dinner rest a while, after _______ supper walk a mile.
8. As a rule I have _______ breakfast and _______ lunch at home.
9. _______ dinner you cooked was really delicious.
10. We had _______ amazing supper yesterday.
Exercise 6: Fill in the blanks "a - an - the"
1. I like to have _______ apple for lunch.
2. There is _______ boy behind the tree.
3. It is _______ sunny day.
4. Look at _______ bird on the tree.
5. _______ Great Wall of China is majestic.
6. Jill wants _______ bar of chocolate.
7. My husband is _______ engineer in a big firm.
8. Oliver always plays _______ violin after classes.
9. Clean _______ classroom before you go back.
10. Her mother bought her _______ black dress.
11. We have to do something to save _______ Earth.
12. Jane, please pick up _______ pencil on the floor.
13. They took _______ trip to Canada last year.
14. It’s convenient to look for information on _______ Internet.
15. I like to walk along _______ banks of rivers.
16. My birthday is on _______ 10th August.
17. I met _______ old friend on my way home.
18. That sounds like _______ good idea to us.
19. Mandy is _______ tallest in our family.
20. Have you ever been to _______ Great Pyramid of Egypt?
Exercise 7: Fill in the blanks "a", "an", "the" or zero "x".
1. It’s _______ beautiful day today. Let’s sit in _______ garden.
2. How often do you go to _______ cinema? Two or three times _______ year.
3. This morning I bought _______ newspaper and _______ magazine. _______ newspaper is in my
bag but I don’t know where I put _______ magazine.
4. What did you have for _______ breakfast this morning? Nothing, I never eat _______ breakfast.
5. Do you think _______ rich should pay more taxes to help _______ poor?
6. We visited _______ Canada and _______ United States last summer.
7. Cathy’s mother has just had an operation. She’s still in _______ hospital.
8. Can you tell me where _______ Room 25 is, please? It’s on _______ second floor.
9. It was _______ nice day yesterday, wasn’t it? Yes. We went for a walk by _______ sea.
10. My friends live in _______ old house in _______ small village. There is _______ beautiful garden
behind _______ house. I would like to have _______ garden like that.
Exercise 8: Fill in the blanks "a", "an", "the" or zero "x".
1. All _______ books on the top shelf belong to me.
2. When Ann was ill, we all went to _______ hospital to visit her.
3. The examination paper wasn’t too difficult but I couldn’t answer _______ question 8.
4. Tim lives in _______ small village in _______ country.
5. What is _______ highest mountain in _______ world?
6. Where did you have _______ lunch? We went to _______ Italian restaurant.
7. There’s _______ small supermarket at _______ end of _______ street I live in.
8. “How much are those grapes?” “€2 _______ kilo.”
9. Bill never gets up before 9 o’clock. It’s 8.30 now, so he is still in _______ bed.
10. I’m looking for _______ ATM. Is there _______ bank near here?
11. We went bỵ _______ train to _______ west of England
12. Don’t stay in that hotel. It’s very noisy and _______ beds are very uncomfortable.
13. My neighbour is _______ photographer. He works in _______ best shopping centre in London.
14. I lay down on _______ ground and looked up at _______ sky.
15. There isn’t _______ airport where I live. _______ nearest airport is 70 miles away.
B. MULTIPLE-CHOICE QUESTIONS (Trắc nghiệm)
Exercise 1: Underline the correct option.
1. It is (a, an, the) very hot day.
2. (A, An, The) nurse gave Jenny (a, an, the) injection on her arm.
3. Juanita is (a, an, the) champion. She won (a, an, the) race.
4. Dean is (a, an, the) actor. He has been chosen to act in (a, an, the) new movie.
5. Gina plays (a, an, the) piano. She is (a, an, the) excellent musician.
6. Linda is buying (a, an, the) ice cream from (a, an, the) ice cream vendor.
7. I read (a, an, the) scary story about (a, an, the) alien from Mars.
8. (A, An, The) man talking to Mr. James is (a, an, the) Australian.
9. Jerry bought (a, an, the) new house by (a, an, the) beach.
10. We are planning (a, an, the) trip to (a, an, the) zoo.
11. Jesse goes to (a, an, the) library twice (a, an, the) week.
12. Picasso was (a, an, the) famous artist.
13. It looks like it’s going to rain. Do you have (a, an, the) umbrella?
14. Singer Justin Bieber comes from (a, an, the) ordinary family.
15. These days Angelina Jolie enjoys (a, an, the) life of a Hollywood film star.
16. School children in the UK have to wear (a, an, the) uniform to school.
17. Is there (a, an, the) petrol station near here?
18. Is France (a, an, the) European country?
19. Simon thought he heard burglars so he rushed downstairs and phoned (a, an, the) police.
20. Do you want to go to (a, an, the) cinema tonight?
Exercise 2: Circle he correct answer.
1. What do you like to eat for _________ breakfast? – I _________ toasts.
A. X – X B. the – a C. an – the
2. I bought _________ book for him. _________ book is about space.
A. X - The B. the-A C. a – The
3. Jane speaks _________ German very well. She is _________ interpreter.
A. X - a B. X - an C. a-an
4. John played _________ piano in _________ evening.
A. the-the B. the-an C. X – the
5. _________ Sun is _________ daily national newspaper published in _________ United Kingdom.
A. The - the - the B. X - a - the C. The-a-the
6. We had a lovely evening at _________.
A. Watsons B. Mr. Watson C. the Watsons’
7. We eat _________ soup with _________ spoon.
A. a-a B. x-x C. x-a
8. The students have lessons three times _________ week.
A. a B. the C. an
9. I went to _________ sea during my holiday and I rented _________ bungalow near the beach.
A. the - the B. X - a C. the – a
10. I had _________ fish and _________ chips for lunch.
A. the - X B. x-x C. a-x
11. Susan doesn’t like _________ cakes sold in _________ local bakery.
A. the - the B. the - a C. X – a
12. _________ safety at _________ work is _________ major concern for us.
A. x-x-a B. x-x - the C. a - a - a
13. _________ poorest people in _________ country live in this city.
A. the - X B. the - the C. X – the
14. I like watching films on _________ television.
A. the B. a C. x
15. There is _________ beautiful village near _________ town.
A. a – the B. a – a C. the – the
16. I have _________ terrible cold and I’m staying in _________ bed today.
A. a - the B. a - X C. the – X
17. Most of _________ my friends enjoy spending their time at _________ seaside.
A. X - a B. x-the C. the-the
18. I saw _________ car accident yesterday while I was going to _________ school.
A. the - a B. a - the C. a – X
19. Turn off _________ TV and go to _________ bed!
A. the - X B. a - the C. a – the
20. It was _________ tallest woman I had seen in _________ my life.
A. the – the B. the – X C. a – the
21. _________ president of _________ United States will make _________ speech soon.
A. a - the - the B. the - X - a C. the - the – X
22. _________ English is spoken all over _________ world.
A. an - the B. X - the C. the – the
23. I am not used to having _________ breakfast, but I never miss _________ dinner.
A. X – X B. a – a C. X – the
24. Jim had studied _________ Medicine for many years as he wanted to be _________ doctor.
A. X - the B. X - a C. the – a
25. He had studied in _________ America for 2 years, before going to _________ Romania.
A. X – X B. the – the C. X – the
26. Which is _________ largest planet? - It is _________ Jupiter
A. the – the B. the – X C. the – a
27. In England on _________ Xmas Eve many people go to _________ church at midnight.
A. X - X B. X - the C. the - X
28. Susan plays _________ violin well, but she isn’t good at playing _________ volleyball.
A. X - the B. the – X C. X – X
29. From the hotel we had a beautiful view of _________ Atlantic.
A. the B. x C. an
30. _________ greatest invention of the 20th century is _________ computer.
A. the - a B. a - a C. the - the
C. ERROR CORRECTION (Sửa lỗi sai)
Exercise 1: Look at the following sentences. If it is correct, put a . If it is wrong, correct it.
1. My father took the car so I had to go by bike. ________
2. I learned to play a piano when I was 10. ________
3. I’m not very good at the physics. ________
4. Because he had a flu, he didn’t join the party yesterday. ________
5. I saw a wonderful film on a TV last night. ________
6. I love just sitting in the sun and reading. ________
7. He has been in the prison now for 4 years. ________
8. The answers are on a page 57. ________
9. It must be true. I heard it on a radio this morning. ________
10. We had a delicious dinner at the new Thai restaurant. ________
11. Most people prefer to pay by the credit card. ________
12. I earn up to $50 a hour. ________
13. “Let’s go to cinema tonight, shall we?” - “Sure, what’s on?” ________
14. Can you hold on? We’ll put you through in the moment. ________
15. He’d like to have the new car, but can’t afford it. ________
Exercise 2: Find the mistake(s) in each of the following sentences then rewrite it.
1. My sister works in the large hospital in London. She is doctor.
_________________________________________________________________________________
2. A government plans to help poor and unemployed.
_________________________________________________________________________________
3. Did you have the nice time at a party yesterday, Mary?
_________________________________________________________________________________
4. They gave Ann the guitar for Christmas. Ann is very good at playing a guitar. She is the very gifted
girl.
_________________________________________________________________________________
5. Don’t eat in this restaurant because food is awful.
_________________________________________________________________________________
6. When I was at the school, I was really bad at the History.
_________________________________________________________________________________
7. A butter is made of cream.
_________________________________________________________________________________
8. Sorry, I don’t know a woman you are talking about.
_________________________________________________________________________________
9. My mother prefers the coffee to the tea.
_________________________________________________________________________________
10. Apple a day is good for you.
_________________________________________________________________________________
11. I’m an vegetarian. I don’t eat a meat or a fish.
_________________________________________________________________________________
12. Have you heard news?
_________________________________________________________________________________