The definite article the in English exercises. Article in English

One of the significant differences between the English language and Russian is the use of articles before nouns. This topic is difficult for Russian speakers, since in our native language there are no analogues to these function words. In English speech they are used before almost every noun, so we simply have to understand their correct use. Let's study the main cases of setting these functional parts of speech in a sentence and perform various exercises on articles in English to practice and memorize them.

In total, there are two types of articles in English: and the indefinite article. Each of them has its own meaning, rules and cases of use. The correct use of articles is an important aspect of English speech, as it allows you to clarify the sentence and achieve understanding with your interlocutor.

Indefinite article

Service word a(an) is related to the numeral one and means the singularity of any case, phenomenon, object. Accordingly, it can only be used with those nouns that are singular and belong to the countable class. Another meaning of this article is the classification of a person/object in the meaning "everyone, anyone, everyone". Let's look at how indefinite articles are used in English, and later we'll work through the exercises.

Grammar note: if the word to which the article refers begins with a vowel, then the article has the form an , in other cases A .

Definite article

Unlike the previous part of speech, the article the used with all possible classes of nouns, both singular and plural. It is used in cases where we are talking about a specific object, person, or phenomenon. Let's understand the rules for using this functional part of speech and practice using them during the exercise on definite articles in English.

Grammar note: no type of article is used if the nouns are preceded by a pronoun, demonstrative pronoun, cardinal number, another noun in the possessive case or negation no(not not!). Uncountable nouns, with rare exceptions, are used without articles.

So, we have studied the basic rules for using articles. There are also separate laws according to which articles with geographical names, proper names, names of diseases, as well as nationalities, designations of residents, foreign languages, etc. are used or not used. The list of these special cases is quite extensive, you can familiarize yourself with it and study it. Now our task is to consolidate the acquired general knowledge. To do this, let's do grammatical exercises on articles in modern English.

Exercises on articles in English

Let's practice using articles with a few exercises.

Exercise 1 (indefinite article)

Write the indefinite article a or an:

orange

car

mouse

book

apple

word

actor

arm

cat

animal

Exercise 2 (articles)

Fill in the missing article a(an) or the

child needs love and care.

computer is out of order.

What a hectic life.

It is second picture.

students are at canteen.

English is very beautiful language.

It is final version of our project.

Exercise 3 (article the)

Write the article "the" where necessary or "-" where the article is not needed:

It is mine first book.

fish are hungry.

Open window, please.

My Grandfather is eldest in our family.

What is right answer?

your sun is set.

Do you like cars?

My mother lives on third floor.

Do you remember Peter's words?

1. Use the articles a or an.

1. … elephant 2. … English dictionary 3. … butterfly 4. … German car 5. … Italian bag 6. … American college 7. … Russian city 8. … French designer 9. … Indian river 10. … egg 11. … notebook 12. … elegant lady 13. … ice-cream 14. … Japanese phone

2. Place the articles a /an or the where necessary.

1. I’d like … chicken sandwich and … glass of … mineral water. (I would like a chicken sandwich and a glass of mineral water.)
2. Would you like … banana or … strawberries? (Do you want banana or strawberry?)
3. She always has … apple, … toast and … cup of … coffee for … breakfast. (She always eats an apple, toast and drinks a cup of coffee for breakfast.)
4. The fly is on … ceiling in … kitchen. (The fly is on the ceiling in the kitchen.)
5. My mother is … accountant and my father is … lawyer. They work in … same company in … center of … our town. (My mother is an accountant, and my father is a lawyer. They work in the same company in the center of our city.)
6. How much are … her Italian lessons? – Ten dollars... hour. (How much do her Italian classes cost? Ten dollars an hour.)
7. Where are…dogs? – They are in... garden. (Where are the dogs? - They are in the garden.)
8. … cats like eating … fish. … cows like eating … grass. … birds like eating … insects. (Cats like to eat fish. Cows like to eat grass. Birds like to eat insects.)
9. My favorite subjects are … chemistry and … biology. (My favorite subjects are chemistry and biology.)
10. There is... parrot in... cage. And there are…pieces of…fruit in it. (There is a parrot in the cage. And there are pieces of fruit in it.)
11. My granny lives in … small village in … country. (My grandmother lives in a small village in the countryside.)
12. Your baby shouldn’t sit in … sun on … hot day. (Your baby should not sit in the sun on a hot day.)
13. Please open… book. … exercise is on … page 68. (Please open the book. The exercise is on page 68.)
14. Ann has been looking for … job for … long time. (Anya has been looking for a job for a long time.)
15. What's...matter? - I missed…6 o’clock train. (What happened? – I missed the 6 o’clock train.)
16. Do you like … vegetables? (Do you like vegetables?)
17. … mother has got … terrible headache today. (Mom has a terrible headache today.)
18. There were...tears in...her eyes. (There were tears in her eyes.)
19. She is... very nice woman but her sons are... bad boys. (She is a very good woman, but her sons are bad guys.)
20. Look at…woman. She is … neighbor I told you about. (Look at the woman. This is the neighbor I told you about.)

3. Place the articles a /an or the where necessary.

1. Yesterday I bought … pair of … shoes. Unfortunately...shoes are too tight. (Yesterday I bought a pair of shoes. Unfortunately, the shoes are too narrow.)
2. We had … dinner in … restaurant … last night. – What is ... name of ... restaurant? (We had dinner at a restaurant last night. – What is the name of the restaurant?)
3. Tony has two children: … boy and … girl. They are...twins. … girl is in … France now. (Tony has two children: a boy and a girl. They are twins. The girl is now in France.)
4. Would you like another piece of… cake? - No, ... cake is too fat for me. (Would you like another piece of cake? – No, the cake is too rich for me.)
5. His office is on … Floor 5. And I live on … tenth floor. (His office is on floor 5. And I live on the tenth floor.)
6. Little Mike leaves for … school very early because … school is quite far from … his home. (Little Mike goes to school very early because the school is quite far from his home.)
7. Lara saw... letter under... door. She read… letter and started crying. (Lara saw a letter under the door. She read the letter and began to cry.)
8. Did you enjoy … food at … party … last Friday? (Did you enjoy the food at last Friday night?)
9. Roger is … scientist, he works for … government. (Roger is a scientist and works for the government.)
10. We go to … gym twice … week. (We go to the gym twice a week.)

4. Place articles where necessary.

1. I come to ... work by ... bus. Today…bus was a bit late. (I go to work by bus. The bus was a little late today.)
2. … Jack is … youngest but … cleverest boy at … school. (Jack is the youngest but smartest boy in school.)
3. It rained, so I stayed at … home in … evening. But today…sun is shining brightly in…sky. (It rained, so I stayed at home in the evening. But today the sun is shining brightly in the sky.)
4. On … Monday … kids were tired and they went to … bed very early. (On Monday the children were tired and went to bed very early.)
5. My wife is … best woman in … world and I’m … happiest husband! (My wife is the best woman in the world, and I am the happiest husband!)
6. They are having … test on … third of December. (They will have a test on the third of December.)
7. What...beautiful painting! … artist is such … talented person. (What a beautiful picture! The artist is such a talented person.)
8. Robin Hood robbed … rich and helped … poor. (Robin Hood robbed the rich and helped the poor.)
9. David is... old friend of mine. He plays... guitar perfectly. His sister has been playing … tennis since … age of ten. (David is an old friend of mine. He plays the guitar very well. His sister has been playing tennis since she was 10.)
10. … Jacksons live in that lovely cottage with … fantastic garden. (The Jackson family lives in that lovely cottage with a fantastic garden.)
11. Sam used … drugs and was sent to … prison in … August. What...shame! (Sam used drugs and was sent to prison in August. What a shame!)
12. … Harrisons are not religious and they never go to … church. (The Harrison family is not religious and they never go to church.)
13. He has been in … hospital for … month. (He has been in the hospital for a month.)
14. … English are very fond of … gardening. (The British are very fond of gardening.)
15. I’ve tried to learn… Japanese many times. (I tried to learn Japanese many times.)
16. She is … famous actress and she often appears on … TV. (She is a famous actress and often appears on television.)
17. It’s such… original idea! Besides you’ve got… good sense of humour. (This is such an original idea! Plus, you have a good sense of humor.)
18. On … rainy day … castle looks like … prison. (On a rainy day the castle looks like a prison.)

5. Use articles with proper nouns if necessary.

1. … Cairo is … capital of … Egypt. (Cairo is the capital of Egypt.)
2. It was so picturesque in … Crimea … last summer. (It was so picturesque in Crimea last summer.)
3. ... London stands on ... Thames. (London stands on the Thames.)
4. I had … my holiday in … northern Italy … last year but I’m going to cross … Atlantic ocean and visit … USA … next year. (I vacationed in northern Italy last year, but next year I'm going to cross the Atlantic and visit the US.)
5. …Moon moves round…Earth. (The moon moves around the Earth.)
6. … Great Patriotic war started in 1941. (The Great Patriotic War began in 1941.)
7. … Volga is … longest river in … Russia. (The Volga is the longest river in Russia.)
8. … Ukraine and … Turkey are separated by … Black sea. (Ukraine and Turkey are separated by the Black Sea.)
9. My friend usually goes to … Alps in … spring by … plane. (My friend usually goes to the Alps in the spring by plane.)
10. ... Urals are lower than ... Caucasus. (The Ural Mountains are below the Caucasus.)
11. … Great Britain is located on … two large islands. (Great Britain is located on two large islands.)
12. … Christmas and … Easter are my favorite holidays. (Christmas and Easter are my favorite holidays.)
13. It takes about … hour to get from … Domodedovo airport to … Lenin street. (It takes about an hour to get from Domodedovo Airport to Lenina Street.)
14. What’s … weather like today in … Australia? (What is the weather in Australia today?)
15. … Colorado river flows through … Grand Canyon. (The Colorado River flows through the Grand Canyon.)
16. My English friend took me to see … National gallery, … Houses of … Parliament and … Tower bridge. (My English friend took me to see the National Gallery, the Houses of Parliament and Tower Bridge.)
17. … Statue of … Liberty was … present from … French people. (The Statue of Liberty was a gift from the French people.)
18. … Galaxy where we live is called … Milky Way. (The galaxy we live in is called the Milky Way.)

You can also analyze the exercises individually with

Many foreign languages ​​have such a concept as an article. Starting to study grammar with this topic would be a good option for those who want to know English. The article (the rule of use will help you understand the question) is a functional part of speech in the English language. It shows certainty or uncertainty. Below in the text are the rules for its use when the article a (an), the is omitted.

Types of articles

There are two types of articles in English:

• definite - the;
• indefinite - a (an) (two forms).

The definite article shows that we are talking about some well-known or familiar object that is more individualized and stands out from others in some way. And indefinite indicates a more generalized meaning or an object that appears in the text for the first time. Examples:

The girl has a dog./The girl has a dog.

From this sentence it can be understood that we are talking about a specific girl who is already familiar to the reader and she was previously mentioned in the text, but the word “dog” is more general, what kind of dog is unknown.

Origin

We have already found out that in English there is such a part of speech as the article: a (an), the. They originally came from other words and to some extent retained their old meaning.

For example, the definite article is a shortened form of the word that (that, that), which is why it carries such a specific meaning.

Comes from the word one (someone, some).

Definite article

In English, the definite article has two functions: the first of them is specifying, and the other is generalizing. And this part of speech is used if a person knows exactly what object is being discussed, or if this object is unique.

The definite article in a specific meaning

• It is used if one item stands out from the entire set, it has some excellent parameters, it stands out due to a unique case, context. Before adjectives in

He is the best player in our team./He is the best player in our team.

• Placed before the words following, last, next, only and very. They make the noun more specific.

And not the next day./And not the next day.

• Superlative adjectives are also preceded by a definite article.

It is the worst day in my life./This is the worst day in my life.

The definite article in its general meaning

• Generalizing - when a noun can be attributed to a whole type of object.

Examples include the German Shepherd - the double coat is straight, and short length./For example, the German Shepherd. The coat has two characteristics: straight and short.

Here we are talking about all dogs belonging to a specific breed.

• Omitted if replaced by a possessive pronoun.

She sure had some love for her German Shepards./She definitely loves her German Shepherds.

• If you can put the word “this” in front of a noun.

The hotel also features easy access to the several subway stations./The hotel (this hotel) is also easily accessible from several subway stations.

• When indicating the era, significant events.

The First World War./First World War.

• Before uncountable nouns, only if we are talking about a certain volume of a substance.

And then the farmer has to find another way to deliver the juice./Then the farmer will have to find another way to produce juice.

• Before the names of body parts.

The hand/hand.

• Before social classes and strata of society.

The police./Police officers.

The definite article with proper names and some names

The table below will help you better understand how to use articles with proper names and some names. All the words below must be preceded by the definite article the.

Definite article. Plural

• If the definite article is used before a word in the singular, then it is also placed before it in the plural.

You can bring the ball with, if you want./If you want, take the ball with you.

You can bring the balls with, if you want./If you want, take the balls with you.

• Also, the article remains before the plural if we are talking about a group as a whole.

The members of Golf club can breathe fresh air./Members of the golf club can breathe fresh air. (Everyone can breathe fresh air).

Indefinite article a (an)

Use “a” if the first letter in the word is a consonant, “an” if it is a vowel:

• a table, a carpet, a dog/table, carpet, dog;
• an elephant, an eagle, an orange.

Exceptions to the rule:

• the article "a" is always placed before words that begin with the letter "u" if it is pronounced as /ju:/ (English is a universal language);
• before the words “one”, “ones” the article “a” is always used (a one-parent family);
• If abbreviations begin with a consonant, but are read with a vowel (F is pronounced like /ef/), then the indefinite article “an” (an FBI agent) is always used before them.

Classifying, generalizing and numeral meaning of the indefinite article

• In expressive sentences, in exclamatory sentences that begin with the word what, the indefinite article is used.

What a great!/How great!

• With singular nouns preceded by words such as rather, quite, such and most.

In a rather prescient way./Very far-sighted.

• If a noun is a generalizing meaning for an entire class, type, layer, etc., then an indefinite article is placed before it. Most often, such a noun appears at the beginning of a sentence and does not carry any important information. More significant details are described later in the text.

A newspaper text is a very laconic and relevant essay./Newspaper text is a laconic and relevant essay.

• In its numerical value, the article denotes its original meaning - one.

I can stay in Paris for only a day./I could stay in Paris for just a day. (Here it is clear that the particle -a can be replaced by one, the word from which the article a (an) was formed (the - from that). In this sentence, the particle takes its usual place).

The indefinite article a (an). Plural

Articles that are used before nouns in the singular are not used in the plural.

She had a book of astrology./She had a book on astrology.

She had two books./She had two books. (As you can see, the article is omitted.)

Proper names and articles a (an)

The article a (an) is used before if they:

• unknown

A Mr. Anderson has come to see you./A certain Mr. Anderson has come to see you.

• used as common nouns

You think, I am a Leonardoda Vinci?/Do you think I am Leonardo da Vinci?

• point to individual family members

It is no wonder; in fact, she is a Smith./No wonder, because she is Smith.

• describe the position of a place or object

We saw a rebuild Rome./We saw Rome rebuilt.

In addition, there are stable expressions that, regardless of the context, never change and always remain in their place. You just need to learn these phrases:

a few/several, it is a pity/sorry, a little/a little, etc.

When the article is not needed

In English there is such a thing as when it is absent in sentences before nouns. Cases where the article is omitted have already been mentioned in the article. Let's look at a few more typical rules.

• If the nouns are preceded by the adjectives old/old, little/small, poor/poor, lazy/lazy, honest/honest.

She is little girl./She is a little girl.

• If there is no definition for the noun.

I do not like Peter./I don’t like Peter.

• Before titles, titles.

Lord Green./Lord Green.

Exercises on articles

To consolidate the acquired knowledge, you need to do several exercises. Then check your answers with the keys and analyze the errors. For example, you can do the task below.

Fill in the missing article a (an), the:

Paris is…beautiful town./Paris is a beautiful city.

What's going on? I think it's … salute./What's going on? I think it's a fireworks.

Britney Spears is ... singer./Britney Spears is a singer.

This is Nick. He is... engineer./This is Nick. He is an engineer.

… spider has eight legs./Spiders have eight legs.

It is... tomato./This is a tomato.

I am...nurse./I am a nurse.

She is... best./She is the best.

To take... seat./Sit down.

In... country./In the country.

Answers to the exercise. How to correctly insert the article a (an), the:

1. a. 2. a. 3.a. 4. an. 5. a. 6.a. 7. a. 8. the. 9. a. 10. the.

To consolidate the theory of using articles, we must work with the material from the practical part. To do this, we invite you to English courses on the Left Bank

In order for the rules to be learned more effectively and not cause a feeling of monotony, we divided the exercises into 5 groups.

If you are not ready for the test, here you go:
Articles in English - use and usage

5 groups of exercises on English articles:

The first group is an article + a word.

1. ___ arm 9.___old woman 17.___ hour

2. ___ animal 10.___theatre 18.___ insect

3. ___ seaside 11.___orchid 19.___North Pole

4. ___actress 12. ___ jungle 20.___ finger

5. ___ dog 13. ____ billion 21.___ ant

6. ___ Netherlands 14. ____ monkey 22. ___ woman

7. ___ actor 15. _____ earache 23. ___eagle

8. ___ iPhone 16. _____ Pacific Ocean 24. ___e-book

The second group is phrases.

1. Listen to ___ radio 5. History of ___ media

2. ___ romance of ___ busy broker 6. As___ result of my work

3. ___ Christmas Presents 7.___adventure of her husband

4. ___ great fire of London 8.___busy day

The third group is sentences in which you need to include the article the or nothing.

1. In ___last two years things have got very tight.

2. ___ Normans also brought with them ___ French language.

3. All she knew was that he was ___ very ill and they were completely out of ___money.

4. She was just eleven years of age, and ___ moon was shining brightly in ___ gardens of ___ palace.

5. Please, state your destination clearly and have ___ exact fare ready.

The fourth group is sentences in which you need to include the articles a/an or the.

1. You know, it’s ___ very expensive smartphone.

2. Korinna is ___ doctor.

3. She paid fifty euros of rent ___ month.

4. Give ___ fool enough, and he will hang himself.

5. ___ train leaves tomorrow at three o’clock.

6. I am ___ important woman now.

7. Their stems lay in ___ water, on which there floated ___ large tulip petal.

8. In ___ small town ___ man stole some money from ___ house.

9. ___ man wrote a story and sent it to ___ publishing house.

10.___ driver in ___ American bus is ___ unique figure.

The fifth group is to insert the articles a/an, the into the sentences or leave the zero article.

1. ___bird in___hand is worth two in___bush.

2. In autumn when it is raining hard ___ umbrella is necessary.

3. ___ dogs bark, but ___ caravan goes on.

4. What is ___ Miracle’s Cost?

5. One day he saw something in ___ newspaper about ___ fair in ___park near his house.

6. ___ train leaves tomorrow at three o’clock.

7. ___ goal of this course is to help you become ___ better teacher.

8. So young Peter Munk used to ___sit all through ___ week tending ___ wood-kiln.

9. He was ___ handsome, ___strong and ___very smart.

10. ___enemy will agree, but ___ friend will argue.

11. They told in ___ newspapers that ___ big stage-coach was lifted off ___ road and thrown aside like ___ rag.

12. Late one night ___ shoemaker sat cutting his leather with ___ snip, snip, snap, watched by his wife and watched by his cat.

13. Big Ben is ___bell in ___ clock tower in London.

14. Whidbey Island may be only ___ ferry ride from Seattle, but it’s ___ world apart.

15. On January 26, 1948, ___ man posing as ___ public health official arrives at ___ bank in Tokyo.

16. ___ beggar found ___ leather purse that someone had dropped in ___ marketplace.

17. ___ father came home from ___ long business trip to find his young son riding ___ brand new bike.

18. Pure white snow and ice covered ___ Earth for as far as he could see.

19. John had been taught to carry his Master’s dinner in ___ basket, every day, to ___ place where he worked.

20. Upon arriving home in eager anticipation of ___ leisurely evening, ___ husband was met at the door by his sobbing wife.

Now let's check your answers!

Answers:

1) an; 2) an;3) the; 4) an; 5) a; 6) the; 7)an; 8) an; 9)an; 10) the; 11) an; 12) the; 13) a; 14) a; 15) an; 16) the; 17) an; 18)an; 19) the; 20) a; 21) an; 22)a; 23) an; 24) an.

1) the; 2) the,a; 3) the; 4) the; 5) the; 6) a; 7) the; 8) a.

1) the; 2) the,the; 3) 0.0; 4) the,the,the; 5) the; 6) 0, the.

1) a; 2) a; 3) a; 4) a; 5) the; 6)an; 7) the, a; 8) a,a,a; 9)a, the; 10) the, an, a.

1)A,the,the ; 2) an; 3) the,the; 4) the; 5)the,a,the; 6) the; 7) the, a;

8) 0, the,the; 9) 0,0,0; 10)an,a; 11)the,the,the,a; 12) a,a;

13) a,the; 14)a,a; 15)a,a,a; 16)a,a,the; 17)a,a,a;

18) the; 19)a,the; 20)a,the.

After checking the results of our tests, we see what needs to be emphasized again and what to repeat. The NES team wishes you a fruitful day and invites you to English on weekends in Kyiv.

Hello! We already know a lot about English grammar, its rules and exceptions. It's time to move to a new, more complex level and start studying the use of articles in English. In general, this topic is difficult for Russian speakers, since we do not understand why it is necessary to use articles in English, when it seemed that everything was clear. I hope that after reading this article you will be convinced of what their task is. Classification of articles

In the Russian language there is no such part of speech as the article. Because in our native language we can change constructions in places to give shades or emphasis on a certain phrase, but the meaning of the sentence will remain the same. In English, as we know, the order of units is strictly fixed, and articles are placed before certain words in strictly defined cases. What are these cases we will find out today.

To begin with, you need to understand the following:

A/an- from one (one)
The- from this / that (this, this, this, etc.)

Once you remember this, you will understand why " a/an“is used only in the singular.

In English, the concept of the article is associated with the category of definiteness. The basic rule of use in a simplified form can be reduced to the following: if we are talking about an object that is known to the speaker, then before the word indicating this object we put “the” - a definite article, and indefinite “a / an” - if we are talking about an unknown object until the moment of speech.

• We have bought the dog that we saw yesterday. - We bought the dog that you saw yesterday (We are talking about a specific, specific dog - the one that you saw yesterday).
• We have bought a dog. — We bought a dog (you announce the news, that is, for the first time you report about the dog).

These 4 questions and a simple diagram that clearly explains each rule will help you decide whether or not to put “a/an” or “the” and remember the rules:

• What number is the word?
• Is this word countable?
• Was this discussed earlier? (definite/uncertain)
• Are we talking about anything general?

As you can see, according to the rule in English " a/an" is only used with an "unknown" indicator if it is countable and singular. A " the"- with a “known” countable word in any number. But you also noticed that if we are talking about a specific, generalized subject, then they are not used at all, this is the so-called “zero article”. Let's look at these cases more specifically.

Rule for using the zero article

There are cases when the pronoun “some” is used instead of articles or nothing is used at all. If one of the words can be added to a word in Russian according to its meaning - some, several, some, a certain amount, then in English the pronouns “ some/any».

And when in our language it is impossible to add a single word to the corresponding noun, then nothing is added in the English sentence either: I bought some oranges yesterday - Yesterday I bought oranges (a certain amount, several).

Share the article with your friends.

Useful video when articles are not needed