Advanced Grammar 8.

1
DETERMINERS ARTICLES A / AN / THE (Review and Expansion)
ARTICLES A / AN / THE
Articles are small words that belong to a group of words called determiners. They are used
before nouns and noun phrases indicating we are talking about things or people that are
known to both the speaker and the listener (definite), or are unknown to them both
(indefinite).
Remember that we use a before words beginning with a consonant sound. On the other
hand, we often use an before words beginning with a vowel sound.
a minister
a business
a tent

an English dictionary
an office
an interesting book

In some cases we may find words beginning with u which have a consonant sound like the
word you.
a university
a European girl
a UFO
But:
an umbrella
an unfair referee
an unidentified flying object
An is also used before a silent h.
an honest person
an hour
an honor
But:
a horse
a hammer
a hurricane
Avoid using a/an with plural or uncountable nouns.
I collect butterflies.
Those plants need water.

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Advanced Grammar 8.1

Dont use a/an or the when we talk about things in general.
Cats cant swim.
We need to buy gas.
We use a/an to say what kind of thing someone or something is. However, we prefer to use
the to mean that someone or something is only one of its kind.
New York is an interesting city.
Paris is a tourist attraction in Europe.
But:
New York is the center of business in The United States.
Paris is the capital of France.
Likewise, we use a/an when we refer to a persons job. But we use the when the job refers
to a unique position.
Robert works as a teacher.
Giselle is the teacher of that class.
We use the before the following nouns since they are unique.
the earth
the moon
the sky

the sun
the globe
the past

the world
the universe
the stock market the human race
the present
the future

Note that we say: the weather, the ground, the environment, etc.
The weather is lovely today.
Whats that on the ground?
The environment in the office seems tense.
Likewise, we say: the post office the beach the country the radio the hospital
the bank the movies the first/second/top floor the sea the ocean the sky the
grocery store the drugstore the theater the news, etc.
We can also use the for items that we clearly identify by context. But we prefer to use a/an
for singular items that are unidentified.
I saw an accident this morning.
Four people were injured in the accident.

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Advanced Grammar 8.1

Theres a book on the desk.
The book belongs to my niece.
It is very common to find the article the in of phrases.
We looked up the meaning of that word.
I love listening to the sound of the waves at the beach.
Did you read the footnote at the bottom of the page?

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Advanced Grammar 8.1

PRACTICE: ARTICLES A / AN/ THE
I.

Fill in the blanks with a / an / the / - (no article).

1. Would you like ......a.......pear?

2. Shes looking forward to becoming ..............grandmother.
3. Could you go to ..............post office for me?
4. This is ................cheapest car in the store.
5. ................dolphins are lovely creatures.
6. The Amazon is .............longest river in South America.
7. My hometown has ............great weather.
8. Whats the name of ............owner of that store?
9. That area has ............high level of pollution.
10. Everything was fine after we broke ............ice.
11. At work we have ............environment of peace and cooperation.
12. In ............past, people traveled by horse or on foot.
13. ............moon looks lovely tonight.
14. Liza is ............youngest of all her friends.
15. ............life can sometimes be complicated.
16. Theres ............roundabout just two blocks away.
17. Ill introduce you to ............friend of mine.
18. Why dont you go to ............doctor?
19. My sister loves ............desserts.
20. I need ............envelope. Have you got one?
21. Can you help me look for ............cat?
22. I have to wear ............uniform to work.
23. This plant needs ............sunshine.
24. Who invented ............radio?
25. Ive been going to ............gym a lot lately.
26. Take these pills three times ............day.
27. Have you washed ............clothes?
28. People used to believe ............earth was flat.
29. What do you think ............government ought to do?
30. I need both ............advice and the company of a good friend.

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Advanced Grammar 8.1

ANSWERS: Practice Advanced 8.1
Exercise I:
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