The Use of Articles (a/an/the)- Reading and Writing- Grammar Focus

1-Study this example:

“For lunch I had a sandwich and an apple. The sandwich wasn’t very good.”

The speaker says “a sandwich/an apple” because this is the first time he talks about them. The speaker says “the sandwich” because the listener now knows which sandwich he means the sandwich he had for lunch.

Here are some more examples:

■There was a man talking to a woman outside my house. The man looked American, and I think the woman was Indian.

■ When we were on vacation, we stayed at a hotel. In the evenings, sometimes we had dinner at the hotel and sometimes in a restaurant.

■ I saw a movie last night. The movie was about a soldier and a beautiful woman. The soldier was in love with the woman, but the woman was in love with a teacher. So the soldier shot the teacher and married the woman.

?We use a/an when the listener doesn’t know which thing we mean.We use the when it is clear which thing we mean:

■ Tom sat down on a chair. (we don’t know which chair)                             Tom sat down on the chair nearest the door. (we know which chair)

■ Ann is looking for a job. (not a particular job)                                             Did Ann get the job she applied for? (a particular job)

■ Do you have a car? (not a particular car)                                                 I cleaned the car yesterday. (a particular car, my car)

?We use the when it is clear in the situation which thing or person we mean. For example, in a room we talk about “the light / the floor / the ceiling / the door / the carpet,” etc. Study these examples:

■ Can you turn off the light, please? (= the light in this room)

■ Where is the bathroom, please? (= the bathroom in this building/house)

■ I enjoyed the movie. Who was the director? (= the director of the movie)

■ I took a taxi to the station. (= the station of that town)

■ We got to the airport just in time for our flight.

Also: the police / the fire department / the army.

We also say the bank, the post office:

■ I have to go to the bank to change some money, and then I’m going to the post office to buy some stamps. (The speaker is usually thinking of a particular bank or post office.)

We also say the doctor, the dentist, the hospital:

■ John wasn’t feeling very well. He went to the doctor. (= his doctor)

■ Two people were taken to the hospital after the accident.

1- Put in a/an or the.

Example: There was a man and a woman in the room. The man was American, and the woman looked Indian.

1. This morning I bought……newspaper and……. magazine. ………. newspaper is in my bag, but I don’t know where…….magazine is.
2. My parents have …………. cat and…… dog. ……. dog never bites…….cat, but …… cat often scratches…….dog.
3. I saw……accident this morning. …….. car crashed into…..wall.  …… driver of…….car was not hurt, but……car was badly damaged.
4. When you turn onto Pine Tree Drive, you will see three houses: ………. red one, …….blue one, and …….. white one………. I live in…………..white one.
5. We live in……old house in ……… middle of town.There is…….garden behind ……house………. roof of……. house is in bad condition.

 2- Put in a/an or the.

Examples: I’m looking for a job. Did Ann get the job she applied for?

1. Would you like ………. apple?
2. Could you close ………door, please?
3. We live in ………s mall apartment near …….center of town.
4. Have you finished with ……book I lent you last week?
5. We went out for …… meal last night. ……restaurant we went to was excellent.
6. Did ………. police find ……. person who stole your bicycle?
7. This is a nice house.Does it have ….. garden?
8. It was warm and sunny, so we decided to sit in ……. garden.
9. This morning I had …….. soft-boiled egg and toast for breakfast.
10. ……….. President of the United States is elected every four years.
11. As I was walking along the street, I saw …….$20 bill on ….. sidewalk.
12. I went into the store and asked to speak to  …….. manager.
13. “Do you have ………… car?” “No, I’ve never had …… car in my life.”
14. There’s no need to buy a paper. ……… newspaper carrier brings it every morning.

3- Complete these sentences using the + noun.

Example: It was getting dark in the room, so I turned on the light.

1. There were no chairs, so we all had to sit on …………… .
2. As soon as I saw the fire, I called …………… .
3. We didn’t have any stamps, so we had to go to …………… .
4. I had a toothache, so I made an appointment with …………… .
5. Ann had to catch a train, so I took her to …………… .
6. When we found that someone had broken into our house, we called …………… .
7. Bill wasn’t feeling well, so he went to …………… .
8. We didn’t have any money, so we had to go to …………… .
9. The plane was delayed, so we had to wait at …………… for three hours. .
10. Jill had a car accident. She’ll be in …………… for at least two weeks..

Source: Grammar In Use

Check your answers⇓

Answer key

1

1 This morning I bought a newspaper and a magazine. The newspaper is in my bag, but I don’t know where the magazine is.

2 My parents have a cat and a dog. The dog never bites the cat, but the cat often scratches the dog.

3 I saw an accident this morning. A car crashed into a wall. The driver of the car was not hurt, but the car was badly damaged.

4 When you turn onto Pine Street Drive, you will see three houses: a red one, a blue one, and a white one. I live in the white one.

5 We live in an old house in the middle of town. There is a garden behind the house. The roof of the house is in bad condition.

2

1 an

2 the

3 a…the

4 the

5 a… The

6 the… the

7 a

8 the

9 a

10 The

11 a… the

12 the

13 a…a

14 The

3

1 the floor

2 the fire department

3 the post office

4 the dentist

5 the station

6 the police

7 the doctor

8 the bank

9 the airport

10 the hospital