Articles

Articles
a, an, the

In English, we must use articles before a noun.

Articles tell us how many things/people there are, and helps us know
who/what we are talking about.

✅ I have a pen. ✅ I have an apple.

❎ I have pen. ❎ I have apple.
The Indefinite Article - A and An: singular countable nouns.
My brother has a dog and my sister has a cat.
There is an accident on the corner.

A - the next word starts with a consonant sound.

• A book
• A friend
• A university (The start of the word university sounds like YOU, a consonant sound).

AN - the next word starts with a vowel sound.

• An apple
• An orange
• An hour (the letter H in this word is silent so it sounds like it starts with a vowel).
The Definite Article - The
When do we use the?

1. A singular or plural noun when it is clear/obvious which person or thing we are talking
about.
• There is a lamp in my bedroom. (we mention the lamp for the first time)
• The lamp is next to the desk. (the same lamp we talked about earlier)

2. Anything which we know immediately.

• We watched the new Brad Pitt movie last night.

3. Musical instruments (the violin, the guitar, the drums, the flute, the piccolo)
• She plays the piano.
4. Something that is unique or there is only one.
• the sun
• the moon
• the internet

5. Names of rivers, seas, oceans, mountain ranges and deserts (always in capitals)
• The Mississippi River
• The Black Sea
• The Sahara Desert

6. Directions (cardinal points)

• the west
• the south-east
• the north-west
A, an, or the

Read the text. Have you got any strange neighbours?

I live in a very quiet area. Everybody is nice and
friendly but we have one very strange neighbour. He’s
an astronomer. He lives alone in a big house with a
telescope on the roof. The house is very old. The man
has a small ugly dog and two cats. The dog plays in
the garden all the time.
The man is always at home. When I go to school, I see
him in front of his computer. He doesn’t go to work,
he doesn’t travel by bus, he never goes to church, and
he never talks to people. But at night, he is usually on
the roof and he studies the stars.
Read the text. Have you got any strange neighbours?
I live in a very quiet area. Everybody is nice and friendly but we have one very strange
neighbour. He’s an astronomer. He lives alone in a big house with a telescope on the
roof. The house is very old. The man has a small ugly dog and two cats. The dog plays
in the garden all the time.
The man is always at home. When I go to school, I see him in front of his computer.
He doesn’t go to work, he doesn’t travel by bus, he never goes to church, and he
never talks to people. But at night, he is usually on the roof and he studies the stars.

Look at the blue words in the text. Choose the correct words to complete the rule.

We use 1a / the when we talk about a person or thing for the first time, and we use
2
a / the when we talk about this thing or person again.
Read the text. Have you got any strange neighbours?
I live in a very quiet area. Everybody is nice and friendly but we have one very strange
neighbour. He’s an astronomer. He lives alone in a big house with a telescope on the
roof. The house is very old. The man has a small ugly dog and two cats. The dog plays
in the garden all the time.
The man is always at home. When I go to school, I see him in front of his computer.
He doesn’t go to work, he doesn’t travel by bus, he never goes to church, and he
never talks to people. But at night, he is usually on the roof and he studies the stars.

Look at the green words in the text. What roof, what garden, and what man is the
author writing about?

Example:
The roof of the astronomer’s house.
Read the text. Have you got any strange neighbours?
I live in a very quiet area. Everybody is nice and friendly but we have one very strange
neighbour. He’s an astronomer. He lives alone in a big house with a telescope on the
roof. The house is very old. The man has a small ugly dog and two cats. The dog plays
in the garden all the time.
The man is always at home. When I go to school, I see him in front of his computer.
He doesn’t go to work, he doesn’t travel by bus, he never goes to church, and he
never talks to people. But at night, he is usually on the roof and he studies the stars.

Choose the correct word below to complete the rule.

We use the when it is / isn’t clear what person or thing we are talking about.
Complete the sentences with a, an, or the.

1. This is ____ nice house - ____ garden is big and ____ rooms are bright.

2. My room is small but ____ window is very big.

3. We have ____ dog and two hamsters but ____ hamsters are afraid of ____ dog.

4. Our town has ____ old theatre, ____ concert hall, and ____ stadium. ____
theatre is very old but ____ concert hall and ____ stadium are new.

5. I go to school with ____ friend from primary school.

6. On Sunday, we often eat lunch in ____ restaurant.

Complete the sentences with a, an, or the.

a the the
1. This is ____ nice house - ____ garden is big and ____ rooms are bright.
the
2. My room is small but ____ window is very big.
a the the
3. We have ____ dog and two hamsters but ____ hamsters are afraid of ____ dog.
an a a The
4. Our town has ____ old theatre, ____ concert hall, and ____ stadium. ____
the the
theatre is very old but ____ concert hall and ____ stadium are new.
a
5. I go to school with ____ friend from primary school.
a
6. On Sunday, we often eat lunch in ____ restaurant.
The man is always at home. When I go to school, I see him in front of his computer. He
doesn’t go to work, he doesn’t travel by bus, he never goes to church, and he never talks to
people. But at night, he is usually on the roof and he studies the stars.

Look at the words in red. They don’t have a, an or the. Complete the sentences with
similar expressions from the box.

have breakfast, in hospital, at school, in bed, go home, by taxi, by plane, after lunch

1. My grandfather always goes for a walk ________ ________.

2. I don’t like travelling ________ ________. I’m always scared.
3. Don’t call them now! It’s midnight, they’re ________ ________.
4. My sister is only 15, she’s still ________ ________.
5. You’re tired. ________ ________ and have a rest, I can finish the work.
6. I get up very late and I rarely ________ ________ before school.
7. It’s late, let’s go home ________ ________.
8. The head teacher has a heart problem. He is ________ ________.
Complete the text with a, the or nothing (–).

a nice family. 2____

Our neighbours are 1____ The father works at 3____
– home and 4____
the

a maths teacher. She helps me with my maths homework!

mother is 5____
Complete the sentences with a, an, or the or nothing (–).

We normally eat at 1____ home but sometimes we go out and have 2____ dinner in
3
____ Italian restaurant in 4____ town centre. 5____ restaurant is great and not very
expensive. We usually sit by 6____ fireplace.
7
____ food is always fantastic. 8____ waiters are students from 9____ university and
they are very nice. 10____ restaurant is also open at 11____ night so they work hard.
We come 12____ home by 13____ taxi and I usually go to 14____ bed straightaway.
Complete the sentences with a, an, or the or nothing (–).

–
We normally eat at 1____ – dinner in
home but sometimes we go out and have 2____
3 an Italian restaurant in 4____
____ the town centre. 5____
The restaurant is great and not very

expensive. We usually sit by 6____ a/the

fireplace.
The – university and
The waiters are students from 9____
7
____ food is always fantastic. 8____
The restaurant is also open at 11____
they are very nice. 10____ – night so they work hard.

– home by 13____
We come 12____ – taxi and I usually go to 14____
– bed straightaway.
Some and Any
SOME and ANY - with plural nouns and uncountable nouns.
IN GENERAL - some with positive sentences, any with negative sentences.

• I have some information for you about flights to Paris.

(Positive - Uncountable)
• I don't have any information for you about flights to Paris.
(Negative - Uncountable)

• We met some friends for drinks after work yesterday.

(Positive - Plural Countable)
• I didn't see any friends there on Thursday.
(Negative - Plural Countable)
Questions with Some and Any

GENERALLY, we use any in questions.

• Do you know any famous people?
• Do you have any children?

Some:
1. When we are offering something.
• Would you like some coffee?
• Do you want some sugar for your coffee?
2. When we are asking for something.
Could I have some salt, please?
Can I have some fries with that?

3. When we are suggesting something.

Why don't we watch some movies on TV tonight?
Why don't you give her some advice?
You can also use SOME and ANY in a sentence without a noun if the
meaning of the sentence is clear.

• I didn't eat any salad but Peter ate some. (salad)

• Sean took lots of photos of the mountains but Emma didn't take any.
(photos)

A: Do you have any money?

B: I don’t have any. (money)
Fill in the blanks
Correct the sentences
No Articles
1. When we refer to general ideas, plurals or uncountable nouns, we do not use THE.
• Religion is an important issue. (NOT The religion is an important issue)
• Mexican food is spicy. (NOT The Mexican food is spicy).

2. Names of people, books and plays (unless it is part of the title).

• I have read Romeo and Juliet.

3. Towns, cities, states and countries.

• Cape Town
• Montana
• Vietnam
(Exceptions – The USA, The UK, The Netherlands, The Czech Republic, The Philippines).
4. Lakes, single islands, continents or mountains.
• Lake Victoria
• Jamaica
• Asia
• Mt Fuji

5. Planets
• Mars
• Jupiter
• Saturn

6. Sports or games
• soccer
• tennis
• skiing
• monopoly

7. Meals
• breakfast
• lunch
• dinner
• supper