Articles

a/an/the
"a" used in front of singular countable noun.
We don`t use "a" before uncountable nouns or
plural nouns.
a If a noun sturts with a consonant sound
(b,c,d,f,g,h,j,k etc.), "a" comes before the noun.
E.g. a dog, a pen, a teacher, a boy, a lesson, a
website, etc.

"an" used in front of singular countable noun.

We don't use "a" before uncountable nouns or
plural nouns.
an If the noun sturts with a vowel sound (a,e,i,o,u),
"an" comes before the noun.
E.g. an umbrella, an owl, an image, an apple, an
elephant, etc.

We use "the" in front of all nouns (It does not

matter whether the nouns are singular, plural,
the countable or uncountable).
E.g. the Moon, the world, the Sun, the rain, the
atmosphere, etc.

1. Read the text and circle all articles

I usually teach English at a language school in the summer. I often can’t enjoy the
summer because I am so busy. So next summer, I’m not planning to work. Instead,
I’m going to have a proper summer holiday. I’m going to buy a campervan and drive
around Ireland. I’m going to visit lots of beautiful beaches and learn to surf! I’m
mostly going to travel alone, but I will visit friends. One friend, Cathy, is a school
teacher, so she has a long summer holiday, so hopefully, we will spend a week or two
together. Another Irish friend, Joe, has a new house there, so I’ll stay with him for a
few days and help him paint the rooms.
 How to use articles
The idefinite article tells us something is non-specific.

a a thief
an
This is any thief. He's not known to
the writer or the readers

The definite article tells us something in specific

The thief
The
This is a spacific thief. The writer and
readers know about him.

2. Use a or an. Write the correct forms of the

indefinite articles into the gaps.

1. Lucy has ___ dog.

2. Let's sing ___ song.
3. Emily needs ___ new desk in her room.
4. I need ___ blue pen.
5. Ben has ___ old bike.
6. Peter has ___ aunt in Berlin.
7. We listen to ___ English CD.
8. She has ___ exercise book in her school bag.
9. The speed of this car was 160 miles ___ hour.
10. They finished ___ unit.
3. Choose A, AN or THE for each blank below

1. A: What's wrong?
B: I have a/an/the bad headache.

2. A: Why was today's class cancelled?

B: Because a/an/the teacher is sick.

3. A: What does he do?

B: He's a/an/the engineer.

4. A: What did Tom buy?

B: He bought a/an/the new camera.

5. A: How long does it take to get there?

B: It takes about a/an/the hour.

6. A: I want to change the channel.

B: OK, a/an/the remote control is over there.

7. A: Why can't Shelly travel?

B: She doesn't have a/an/the passport.

8. A: Where does Barbara live?

B: In a/an/the apartment on 5th Avenue.

9. A: Oh no, where is it?

B: Don't worry, a/an/the key is in my pocket.

10. A: I don't understand what this word means.

B: You need to buy a/an/the dictionary.
 4. Watch a video and do the quiz

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cf_364Qhkyc&ab_channel=ThriveBrains

Now compare your answers with your groupmates.

Articles with Geographical names

We use 'no article' with:
Lakes: We visited Lake Geneva.
Mountains: I saw Mount Fuji from the aeroplane.
Continents: She loves living in Asia.
Most countries: She travelled to Chile last year. (But: The USA / the United
States, the Netherlands, the Philippines, the United Kingdom / the UK.)
Counties, states, provinces, regions: They live in California.
Cities, towns, villages: He stayed in Paris for a week last year.
Islands: Bali is popular with Australian tourists.
We use 'the' with:
Rivers: The River Nile flows through Egypt.
Mountain ranges: We ski in the Alps every year.
Deserts: She travelled across the Sahara.
Oceans and seas: We sailed around the Mediterranean.
Groups of islands: They went to the Canary Islands.
 The definite article with musical instruments and dances

The definite article is used with musical instruments and dances:

I can't play the piano.
Can you do the foxtrot?

5. Add the definite article `the' if necessary

1) I went sailing around ___ Lake Geneva.

2) I've been living in ___ London for six years.
3) ___ Danube runs through many European cities.
4) Wild horse live in ___ Gobi Desert
5) ___ Pacific Ocean has many different types of fish.
6) I love swimming in ___ Mediterranean.
7) We spent our holiday on the shore of ___ Lake Windermere.
8) ___ Nile is a very beautiful river.
9) She stayed in ___ Belgrade for several weeks.
10) Her husband comes from ___ California.
11) They studied the geology of ___ Sahara Desert.
12) They crossed ___ Black Sea by boat.
13) He has always wanted to visit ___ Rome.
14) She lived in ___ Asia for several years.
15) ___ Tuscany has many beautiful cities.
16) I spent a year travelling around ___ Europe.
17) Her village is near ___ Lake Titicaca.
18) Would you like to visit ___ South America?
19) They live near ___ Thames.
20) I think ___ Cornwall is a very beautiful part of England.
 6. Supply “a/an”, “the” or “--“:

1. I’m going to bed. I’ve got ___ headache.

2. Paris is ___ capital of France.
3. I’ll be back in ___ minute.
4. ___ black is her favourite colour.
5. I go to ___ cinema twice ___ week.
6. Coffee ___ produced in Brazil.
7. They make ___ good coffee here.
8. She does not know ___ English, she speaks ___ Spanish.
9. My brother, ___ geographic teacher, knows ___ lot about it.
10. I saw ___ wonderful picture.
11. Mister Alan grandma was ___ artist.
12. ___ cats should eat fish.
13. She is ___ economical woman.
14. ___ president is changing every 4 years.
15. I bought ___ couple of glasses in ___ museum yesterday.

7. Wrap up

1. What did you learn today?

2. What do you remember from today's lesson?
3. How do you feel about the lesson (was it hard or easy)?
4. What do you think about the topic?
5. Do you have any suggestions/comments/wishes before we end?

QUIZLET