Unit 1 (Practice)

Exercise 1. Put the numbers in the sentences below into the correct row according to the
pronunciation of “the”. The first one has been done for you.
/ðə/: _______________________________
/ði /: _1______________________________
Get the (1) address from the (2) post-office.
Only the (3) other afternoon, climbing up from the (4) Underground, I found the (5) staircase barred.
Compare that to the (6) UK figure of about 1000 deaths.
The (7) porter at the (8) door looked a shade bleak.
He is now the (9) enemy of God as well the (10) opponent of man.
The (11) ruse is basically the (12) same as the (13) one used by Odysseus.
They lived only five minutes from the (14) university.
Exercise 2. Complete these sentences by putting “a” or “an” in the spaces provided.
1. It is always fatal to ask _____ expert. 2. Secretive as _____ boy of six, secretive as _____
old man of seventy. 3. _____ brilliant young woman with _____ M.A. degree. 4. She dislikes
him as _____ being, as _____ creature. 5. I prefer management on _____ one-to-one basis. 6.
_____ hour _____ day would be enough.
Exercise 3. Put the following words or phrases in the correct category according to their initial
sound. The first one has been done for you. When you have finished, practise saying them
together with “a”, “an”, and “the”.
arm hand neck umbrella
BBC head nose uncle
ear honest man one-man band uniform
eye honour toe unit
FBI agent leg ugly man university
finger MP UK useful idea
Pronounced with an initial consonant sound; use “the” // or “a” //: _________
Pronounced with an initial vowel sound; use “the” // or “an” //: arm_____
Exercise 4. Write “a” or “an” in the spaces.
1. ____unreasonable decision 8. ____ universal problem
2. ____ unit of work 9. ____ eucalyptus tree
3. ____honorable man 10. ____ X- ray
4. ____UFO 11. ____ T- shirt
5. ____happy girl 12.____ H- bomb
6. ____ elephant 13. ____ hospital
7. ____ BBC programme 14. ____ UNESCO worker

Unit 2 (Practice)
Exercise 1. Determine the meaning of the indefinite article in the following sentences.
Translate into Ukrainian, rendering the meaning of the indefinite article where possible.
1. But I dare say you don't remember an old woman like me? 2. After a pause, Lord Henry
pulled out his watch. 3. She glanced at Peter and saw that a tear was trickling down his nose.
4. A voice replied, telling him to keep out of the moonlight. 5. Why is it a girl who has to be
so silly to catch a husband? 6. I remember now, I thought I felt a bone, and I swallowed a
large mouthful of bread to send it down. 7. A traveller must be able to walk long distances.
8. He had met a young woman at a party, named May Macy, a moving-picture actress. 9.
Bart tossed an empty cigarette packet over the rail, his mouth hard, his eyes shadowed. 10.
Not a word was spoken, not a sound was made. 11. A fighter is supposed to get beaten up,
isn't he? 12. He hesitated a moment at the door and tapped on it. 13. The girl had started
through a door to an inner office. 14. Can a bird fly faster than an aeroplane? 15. Bill had
just finished an all-afternoon conference with a media representative. 16. Edward left his
employment with them nearly a year ago. 17. A week or two passed, but he hadn't got a job.
18. It is dark here and I cannot see what you have brought; is it a book or a magazine? 19. I
meant I was a youthful thing and unimportant, and that there was no need to include me in
the conversation. 20. Sally's seed of her future soul was her love for her mother, an aged
bedridden woman.
Exercise 2. Insert a/an, some or any where necessary.
1. ____ letter of or to ____ soldier can be sent without ____ stamp. 2. ____ drug-store in the
USA and Canada is ____ shop where one can get not only ____ medicines but also ____ drinks
and snacks. 3. ____ days passed, but there weren’t ____ signs of ____ change coming. 4. There
remained ____ toast, ____ rolls, and ____ bun on the plate. 5. Shall I treat you to ____ apple
or ____ pear? – I always prefer ____ apples to ____pears. 6. Give me ____ nail. I bought ____
picture and want to have it fixed. 7. The other day I spoke to ____ geologists who told me that
____ new deposit of diamonds had been found in this region. 8. ____ man’s jacket usually has
____ breast pocket. 9. I expect to get ____ letter from them in two weeks. 10. When ____
tankmen return from the army to their native village they very often become ____ drivers or
____ mechanics.
Exercise 3. Correct the sentences if necessary or put a/an. Mark sentences in which both one
and a/an are possible.
1. I teach four days one week. 2. Jenny’s baby is only one week old. 3. Have you got one
match, please? 4. You won’t believe this, but it cost over one thousand pounds. 5. One summer,
we must visit Sweden again. 6. They cost $10 one kilo. 7. I’ve known him for one year or so.
8. She’s already written one novel since she retired. 9. Help! There is one mouse in the
cupboard! 10. She’s one cousin of the king’s. 11. When you get to my age, you just take one
day at a time. 12. Cross-country skiing is easy. Just put one foot in front of the other. 13. Can
I have one little more rice? 14. One large quantity of petrol escaped from the tank. 15. We
hadn’t got one baseball bat, so we had to use one tennis racket. 16. I had one last look around
the house, locked the door and left.
Exercise 4. Which is correct or more likely, a/an or one? If both a/an and one are possible,
write them both.
1. It weights over _____ hundred kilos. 2. I only asked for _____ pizza – I didn’t want three
of them. 3. I wouldn’t allow _____ child of mine to be treated in that way. 4. It only took us
_____ week to drive to Greece. 5. I’ve always wanted to own _____ silver-coloured car. 6.
_____ sandwich isn’t enough. I usually eat four or five. 7. Policies differ from _____ state to
another. 8. Less than three quarters of _____ hour later, she was at home. 9. All of the
competitors completed the race, with just _____ exception. 10. She left home late _____
morning and hasn’t been seen since. 11. The best way to learn _____ musical instrument is to
find _____ enthusiastic teacher. 12. Somewhere in the distance, _____ bell rang.
Exercise 5. Work out these simple problems.
1. The plane flew 1.800 miles in three hours at a speed of ____________.
2. The plums were __________________, so I bought two kilos for 80p.
3. His annual salary is $ 30.000, so he earns __________________.
4. The meetings are held _______________, every Monday and Thursday.
5. A five-day forty-hour working week means on average ___________.
6. We traveled twenty kilometers in fifteen minutes, so our speed was _________.
Exercise 6. Look at the noun groups underlined in the sentences below. Where you think the speaker
or writer is familiar with the items referred to, complete the sentences by putting “it” in the spaces
provided. Where you think the writer or reader is not familiar with the items referred to, put “one”.
1. I'm looking for an atlas. Do you know where I can get ______?
2. I've lost a button. I don't suppose I'll ever find _______.
3. Our son wants a bicycle but I don't think he should have _______ yet.
4. “Here's a hundred pounds.” – “Thanks, but I won't need _______ “
5. I bought a new television last week but my wife doesn't like _______.
6. “Would you like a beer?” – “Yes. I'd love _______”
7. She wants a new car but he says they don't need _______.
Exercises 7. Look at these sentences. Decide if you can replace “one” with “a” without changing the
meaning, putting “yes” or “no” in the spaces provided.
1. It measured one quarter of an inch. ______
2. The distance is one kilometre, four hundred metres. ______
3. 5110; that's five thousand, one hundred and ten. ______
4. He drank one coffee and two orange juices. ______
5. There's only one thing we need now. ______
Now, with these sentences, decide if you can replace “a” with “one”.
1. I only asked for half a kilo. ______
2. He works eighty hours a week. ______
3. The river is a mile wide. ______
4. That seems a good idea. ______
5. A millimetre is a thousandth of a metre. ______ ______ ______
Exercise 8. Change into sentences with “what” and “such”. Insert article where necessary.
Example: Mary, is, pretty girl.
What a pretty girl Mary is. Mary is such a pretty girl.
1. She, is, good cook.
2. She, has, expensive furniture.
3. We, are having, fine weather.
4. This, is, hot climate.
5. It, is, cold day.
6. They, are gathering, useless information.
7. This car, has, powerful motor.
8. She, has, long eyelashes.
9. They, are, helpless people.
10. This, is, fancy restaurant.
Exercise 10. Make up sentences with the following words. Pay attention to the place of article.
1. Beautiful picture, so, I, have never seen.
2. Difficult question, too, is, this.
3. Puzzling question, is, it, rather.
4. Rather, is, long story, it.
5. Poem, by Robert Burns, many, set to music, is.
6. Have never read, interesting book, I, so.
7. Such, have never read, interesting book, I.
8. Too, is, short string, this.
9. Is, quite, little room, it.
10. Many, of this specialist, article, in magazines, was published.
11. Ordinary thing, is, quite, it.
Exercise 12. Translate the following sentences into English.
1. Містер Твістер ніколи не виходив з дому без калош та парасольки. 2. У маленькій
кімнаті книжкова полиця зручніша, ніж шафа. 3. Нещодавно я познайомився з одним
моряком; він щойно повернувся з навколосвітньої подорожі. 4. Він любить пити не з
чашки, а тільки зі склянки. 5. У морському параді взяли участь підводні човни й
авіаносець. 6. Я не палю сигари. Не могли б ви пригостити мене цигаркою. 7. Не
проїхали ми й кілометру, як щось трапилося з колесом. 8. Ви можете дати мені почитати
якийсь журнал? – В мене є зараз журнали, але не думаю, що вони вас зацікавлять. 9.
Скільки людей може вмістити такий зал, як цей? 10. Така проблема має вас зацікавити.
11. Мені потрібно купити поштову марку. 12. Це була висока біла будівля. Позаду
будівлі розташовувався великий сад. 13. Вона не промовила ні слова у відповідь. 14.
Фіалка не пахне так солодко, як конвалія. 15. Ти купив яблуко дитині? 16. Вона зробила
крок назустріч йому. 17. Вона була досить молодою жінкою і такою привабливою. 18.
Це дуже важка для тебе гра. 19. В цій книжці є цілком докладний опис подій. 20. Ти
навчаєшся в такій видатній школі. 21. Багато цікавих питань було обговорено під час
зустрічі.
Exercise 13. Translate the following sentences into English.
1. Час зробити перерву та перекусити. – Гарна думка! 2. Якщо хочеш зробити доповідь
англійською мовою, тобі потрібен словник. 3. Мій друг – гід. Він дуже гарний
перекладач. 4. Я не начальник, я звичайний службовець. 5. Дочка моєї сестри дуже мила
дитина. 6. Він відомий критик. Між іншим, він ще і не поганий письменник. 7. Коли я
була дитиною, в нашому домі завжди була тварина. 8. Це було велике місто. Це було
дуже сучасне місто. 9. Хью – розумний хлопчик. До того ж він дуже ввічлива дитина.
10. У Стівена є друг в Америці і дядько в Австралії. 11. Вчора я написав листа і пішов
гуляти. 12. Я не можу піти з тобою на прогулянку. В мене побачення. 13. В неї ангельське
обличчя і приємний голос. 14. Мері не була привабливою дитиною. В неї було худе
сердите обличчя і рідке світле волосся. 15. Це дуже гарне питання. Ти завжди ставиш
розумні питання. 16. Півтора року досить, щоб закінчити цю роботу. 17. Лікар має бути
добрим, уважним та знаючим. 18. Бібліотека – це установа, де можна взяти книжки на
тиждень, або навіть на місяць. 19. Ніколи раніше я не зустрічав такої доброї людини. 20.
Яка велика кімната! Які зручні меблі!