A - AN - THE Definite and Indefinite articles

A  -  AN  -  THE Definite and Indefinite articles

A - AN :

A and an are indefinite articles used to refer to a singular countable noun.
An indefinite article means that we do not know which one, or it is not important to know it.

Which one to use:  'a' or 'an'?

The rule states that “a” should be used before words that begin with consonants (b, c ,d etc.), while “an” should be used before words that begin with vowels (a,e,i, etc.).

It should be noted, however, that the usage is determined by the pronunciation and not by the spelling, and this includes abbreviations and acronyms.

To simplify, one uses 'a' before a word that begins with a consonant SOUND, and 'an' before a word that begins with a vowel SOUND.

A is used before :

• a consonant (b, c, d, f, g, etc.) :	a car /a hotel / a game
• a vowel that is pronounced like "yu" :	a European /a university
• the vowel 'o' when it has a "w" sound :	a one-way street

An is used before :

• a vowel  (a, e, i, o, u, etc.) :	an animal / an elevator / an only child
• an unaspirated 'h' :	an hour/an honest man
• an abbreviation starting with a vowel sound :	an MBA ('em' sound)

THE :

The is a definite article used to talk about something specific.

• The town where Julie lives is very big.
• What book is Julie reading? She's reading the book Tom gave her.

The is also used to refer to:

• Rivers, seas, oceans :
  • the Mississippi river, the Mediterranean sea, the Atlantic ocean
    
• Nationalities :
  • the British, the Americans, the Japanese, the Chinese, etc.
    
    

NO ARTICLE :

No article is used in generalisations:

• I like music
• I watch television but I listen to the radio and I go to the cinema.
• I don't play tennis but I play the piano, the guitar, etc.

No article is used for place names (towns, countries, mountains) :

• London, Spain, Mount Everest
  
  
Except if plural :
• The Greek islands, The United States, The Alps, The Himalayas ...

A  -  AN  -  THE Definite and Indefinite articles

Complete the following sentences with A, AN or THE:


1. Danny wanted _____ new bicycle for Christmas.
a) A
b) AN
c) THE

2. Jennifer tasted _____ birthday cake her mother had made.
a) A
b) AN
c) THE

3. The children have _____ new teacher called Mr. Green.
a) A
b) AN
c) THE

4. All pupils must obey _____ rules.
a) A
b) AN
c) THE

5. Dad turned on _____ radio to listen to _____ news.
a) A/A
b) A/THE
c) THE/THE

6. Alex is in Boston studying for _____ MBA.
a) A
b) AN
c) THE

7. The teacher read _____ interesting article from the newspaper.
a) A
b) AN
c) THE

8. There was _____ huge crowd of people outside the church.
a) A
b) AN
c) THE

9. Julie talked for _____ hour about her school project.
a) A
b) AN
c) THE

10. _____ European expert was invited to speak to the committee.
a) A
b) AN
c) THE

11. The Mississippi river is in _____ United States of America.
a) No article
b) AN
c) THE

12. It would help us if you gave _____ honest opinion.
a) A
b) AN
c) THE

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----------Answers----------

1. (a)   2. (c)   3. (a)   4. (c)   5. (c)   6. (b)   7. (b)   8. (a)   9. (b)   10. (a)   11. (c)   12. (b)