Articles: a, an, the, zero

Article excerpt · target grammar marked

English has only three articles — a, an, and the — plus the option of no article at all. Once you understand the logic, the rules are surprisingly simple.

Grammar Reference · Articles: a, an, the, zero

a / an — new

Use before a singular countable noun the listener does not know yet. I met a teacher. She is an expert.

the — known

Use when both speaker and listener know which thing is meant. Please open the door. Second mention also uses 'the'.

Zero article —

No article for uncountable nouns or plurals with general meaning. Coffee is popular. Students need sleep.

Tricky cases

Instruments use 'the' (play the piano), but sports use nothing (play football). Names of countries usually take no article.

01Exercise 1 — Form · Write the Correct Form

Articles: a, an, the, zero

1.Tokyo is incredible city.

2.She loves jazz music.

3.I saw interesting documentary. ... documentary was about space.

4.He plays violin in a local orchestra.

5. Sahara is the largest hot desert in the world.

6.We need honest conversation about this problem.

02Exercise 2 — Find and Correct the Error

find the error · rewrite the sentence

1.I usually drink the coffee in the morning.

2.She is a best student in the class.

3.He wants to study the medicine at university.

4.We visited an Eiffel Tower last summer.

5.The life is too short to worry.

6.I have a idea that might help us.

03Exercise 3 — About You

in your notebook

Personalise: complete five sentences about yourself using the target grammar.

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