PREVIEW: Before starting this unit, do the exercise below.

EXERCISE 1. Preview: using A and AN

Directions: Add A or AN as necessary.

1. I never wear hat.

2. We had easy test yesterday.

3. I rarely put salt on my food.

4. Jack has wallet in his back pocket.

5. We had good weather for our picnic yesterday.

6. There was earthquake in Turkey last week.

7. Ball is round object.

8. Linda likes to wear jewellery.

9. Anna is wearing ring on her fourth finger.

10. My father enjoys good health.

11. Simon Bolivar is hero to many people.

12. I called Jim by the wrong name. It was honest mistake.

13. I had unusual experience yesterday.

14. Ann had unique experience yesterday.

15. I often ask my parents for advice.

INDEFINITE ARTICLES: A / AN
a. I have a pencil.
b. I live in an apartment.
c. I have a small apartment.
d. I live in an old building.
e. I have an umbrella.
f. I saw an ugly picture.
g. I attend a university.
h. I had a unique experience.
i. He will arrive in an hour.
j. New Year’s Day is a holiday.
A vs. AN
A and AN are used in front of a singular noun (e.g., pencil,
apartment). They mean "one."
If a singular noun is modified by an adjective (e.g., small,
old), A or AN comes in front of the adjective, as in (c) and
(d).
A is used in front of words that begin with a consonant (21,
c, d,f,g, etc.): a boy, a bad day, a car, a cute baby.
AN is used in front of words that begin with the vowels a, e,
i, and o: an apartment, an angry man, an elephant, an
empty room, etc.
For words that begin with the letter “u”:
An is used if the u is a vowel sound, as in an umbrella, an
uncle, an unusual day.
A is used if the u is a consonant sound, as in a university,
a unit, a usual event.
For words that begin with the letter “h”:
An is used if the h is silent: an hour, an honor, an honest
person.
A is used if the h is pronounced: a holiday, a hotel, a high
point.
THE DEFINITE ARTICLE “THE”
Because there is only one:
We use the definite article in front of
a noun when we believe the
listener/reader knows exactly what
we are referring to:
With a superlative adjective:
Because there is only one in that
context:
Because we have already mentioned
it:
The is used in the names of only a
few countries:
The is used with the names of rivers,
oceans, and seas.
The is NOT used with the names of
lakes.
The is used with the names of
mountain ranges.
The is NOT used with the names of
individual mountains.
Only use The with uncountable
nouns (music, air, furniture, etc.) if
they are specific things we know
about. Note the difference:
1. Match the pairs.
 The Pope is visiting Russia.
 The moon is very bright tonight.
 Who is the president of France?
 He is the tallest boy in the class.
 It is the oldest building in the town.
 We live in a small house next to the church. (=
the church in our village)
 Dad, can I borrow the car? (= the car that
belongs to our family)
 When we stayed at my grandmother’s house,
we went to the beach every day. (= the beach
near my grandmother’s house)
 Look at the boy over there. (= the boy I am
pointing at)
A young man got a nasty shock when he tried
to rob a jewellery shop in Richmond. The man
used a heavy hammer to smash the windows in
the shop.
The Czech Republic, the United Arab
Emirates, the Dominican Republic, the United
States.
 The Nile River is long.
 They crossed the Pacific Ocean.
 The Yellow Sea is in Asia.
 Chicago is on Lake Michigan.
 Lake Titicaca lies on the border between Peru
and Bolivia.
 We hiked in the Alps.
 The Andes are in South America.
 He climbed Mount Everest.
 Mount Fuji is in Japan.
 Money does not bring happiness. (= money in
general)
 Where is the money?(= physical money you can
touch
 Coffee is bad for you. (= all coffee)
 Put the coffee on the table. (= this cup of
coffee)
1 I can see a money
2 Everyone needs b the money

3 Turn on a the light

4 Plants die without b light

5 The bread a is easy to make

6 Bread b in in the kitchen

7 I want to study a music

8 Listen too b the music

9 Football a is in the car

10 The football b is a sport

2. Read the following paragraph and complete the blanks with: A, AN, THE or / (for no article).

Last year we went to Wales for _____ holiday and we stayed in _____ old house. _____ family of
_____ mice was living in _____ house too. We never saw _____ mice, but we knew they were
there, because they used to eat our bread. On _____ last day of _____ holiday we decided we
wanted to see _____ mice, so we bought _____ smelly cheese. That night, we put _____ cheese
in _____ bowl and put _____ bowl on _____ floor of _____ living room. We sat in _____ dark and
waited for _____ mice for _____ mice to come. After _____ two hours of waiting, I was feeling
hungry, so I went to _____ kitchen to make myself some _____ tea and _____ sandwich. I
remembered there was some bread on _____ table. When I turned on _____ light I saw _____
mouse. It was sitting on _____ kitchen table and eating _____ bread.

3. The following text is a puzzle (mental game). Complete it using the articles A, AN, THE or /
(FOR NO ARTICLE).

This puzzle is about ________ town called ________ Darkville. It is _______ old town with
______ university and _____ history museum. _______ tourists often visit it. Now _____ dog is
walking down ______ main road of _____ town. It is _____ black dog. There is no moon and
_____ weather is bad. No lights are on in _____ streets. All _____shops in ______ town are
closed. Now _____ man is driving quickly from ______ airport. _______ headlights of his car are
not on. He almost hits _____ dog. There is nearly ______ accident but he stops _____ car.
Luckily, _____ dog survives. It doesn´t die. It is ______ miracle. How did _____ man see _____
dog? You know, ______ life is sometimes very strange…The answer is that it is _____ day, not
_____ night.
3. Read the following stories and complete the blanks with the Articles: A, AN, THE or – “for no
article”.

1. In ancient times, people did not use_____coins for money. Instead they used_____shells,
_____beads, or_____salt. The first coins were made around 2600 years ago. Today, most money
is made from_____paper. In the future, maybe we'll use only _____plastic cards and there will
be no paper money.

2. A doctor cures_____sick people. _____farmer grows_____crops. _____architect designs_____

buildings. _____artist creates_____new ways of looking at_____world and_____life.

3. _____modern people, just like their ancestors, are curious about_____universe. Where
did_____moon come from? Does_____life exist on other planets? What is_____star? How large
is_____universe? How long will_____sun continue to burn?

4. My city experienced _____earthquake recently. I was riding my bicycle when_____earthquake

occurred. _____ground beneath me trembled so hard that it shook me off my bike.

4. IMAGINATION – DESCRIPTION
Directions: Imagine you are entering in these places listed below. Observe all the things you can
see in them. Now describe them using the Articles: A, AN, THE or the word SOME for plural.

a. Zoo
b. Hospital
c. Gift Shop
d. Amusement park.
e. Military museum.