Name: Date:
Class:
Articles
Indefinite Articles
We call ‘a’ and ‘an’ indefinite articles.
We use ‘a’ before a noun which begins with a consonant sound.
Examples:
This is a fern leaf plant.
We caught a salmon fish.
Lisa is wearing a uniform.
We use ‘an’ for nouns that begin with a vowel sound or a silent ‘h’.
Examples:
This task took me an hour.
Sam broke an egg.
He is an honest man.
Definite Article
‘The’ is used when we refer to a particular thing.
We also use ‘the’:
to refer to something that exists as one and only (e.g. the sun,
the moon).
with superlatives (e.g. ‘the prettiest’ and ‘the heaviest’).
when mentioning something for the second time.
before names of rivers, mountain ranges, seas and particular
places (such as 'the Himalayas' and 'the Dead Sea').
1
However, we do not use 'the' before the name of a road, a game or a
mountain (For example, it is wrong to say: the Mount Everest, the
Wellington Road, the Monopoly).
Exercise 1
Fill in the blanks with ‘a’ or ‘an’.
1. _____ encyclopaedia 16. _____ bicycle
2. _____ tricycle 17. _____ programme
3. _____ honest man 18. _____ hour
4. _____ heir 19. _____ university
5. _____ basket 20. _____ biscuit
6. _____ young heir 21. _____ egg
7. _____ radio 22. _____ destination
8. _____ dictionary 23. _____ situation
9. _____ racket 24. _____ odd number
10. _____ uniform 25. _____ onion
11. _____ ant 26. _____ brochure
12. _____ old man 27. _____ comedy
13. _____ rainbow 28. _____ magazine
14. _____ maggot 29. _____ anomaly
15. _____ soldier 30. _____ DVD player
Exercise 2
Fill in each blank with ‘a’, ‘an’ or ‘the’, only where necessary.
1. Our ship crossed _____ Atlantic Ocean.
2. Frank ordered _____ meatball sandwich and _____ egg benedict.
2
3. Playing at home, Rachel kicked _____ beach ball and it flew out
_____ window.
4. I caught _____ fish at my _____ usual fishing spot today.
5. Do not leave _____ room without my permission.
6. _____ postman delivers letters.
7. _____ rain was very heavy yesterday.
8. _____ word 'witty' can be used to describe me.
9. Debra is _____ tallest girl that I know.
10. I opened _____ present that my aunt gave me.
11. They had lunch together at _____ cosy little cafe where I met
Thomas.
12. I injured my shin in _____ game last week.
13. _____ stars glittered in the sky.
14. You have only _____ hour to complete _____ homework.
15. This is _____ most expensive watch that I have ever had.
16. Grandmother baked _____ pie and some lasagna.
17. Larry heard _____ music coming from _____ lounge.
18. We brush our teeth twice _____ day.
Exercise 3
Fill in the passage with either ‘a’, ‘an’ or ‘the’.
It was (1) _____ sunny day at the beach and Rick was lying on (2)
_____ sand and his legs were in (3) _____ water. He propped himself
up on his left hand and proceeded to enjoy the moment.
3
He was enjoying (4) _____ sunlight and the cool waters with (5)
_____ waves slowly lapping up against him when he noticed (6) _____
ant quickly approaching his left hand.
It was carrying such a huge piece of leaf that it dwarfed (7) _____
already small ant. Rick thought to himself that surely ants cannot carry
such loads.
Besides, (8) _____ ant was going too close to (9) _____ water. It
is probably lost. Rick casually lifted his left hand for (10) _____ ant to
pass.
Rick watched as (11) _____ ant made its way along the shoreline.
Suddenly up ahead, (12) _____ ant, a second one, approached from (13)
_____ opposite direction and simply bumped into this one.
After (14) _____ little confusion, both ants decided to carry (15)
_____ piece of leaf together and so they went in yet another direction.
Vocabulary
Exercise 4
Choose the most appropriate answer and write its number in the
blanks.
1. The customer ___ a complaint against the rude salesperson.
(1) forged (3) sought
(2) lodged (4) issued
2. The ___ goods were returned and the management promised to
look into the matter.
(1) defective (3) affective
(2) effective (4) ineffective
4
3. Road works along Towner Road ___ the traffic.
(1) held in (3) held out
(2) held on (4) held up
4. The police conducted a thorough search for the ___ who had
escaped from prison, but they were nowhere to be found.
(1) escapees (3) fugitives
(2) deserters (4) refugees
5. The seagull ___ above the sea, waiting for the fish to swim to the
surface.
(1) soared (3) fluttered
(2) swayed (4) hovered
6. The leg of the diabetic patient is so badly infected that it has to be
___ to stop the infection from spreading.
(1) mutilated (3) retrieved
(2) amputated (4) extracted
7. Rita made several ___ to reconcile with her husband but she failed.
(1) attempts (3) tries
(2) shots (4) decisions
8. Every year, true Christians come together on Nisan 14 to ___ the
death of Jesus Christ.
(1) introduce (3) commemorate
(2) inaugurate (4) forget
9. A waste recycling programme was first ___ on Earth Day.
(1) discharged (3) started
(2) established (4) launched
10. In the criminal line-up, Jill managed to ___ the man who attacked
her.
(1) recognise (3) identify
(2) accuse (4) describe
5
Exercise 5
Fill in the blanks with the correct forms of the words in brackets.
1. You have to read the novel several times to __________ (familiar)
yourself with the characters in the story.
2. The plane was shaking __________ (violent) when it encountered
air turbulence.
3. Many Chinese couples choose a __________ (favour) day for their
weddings.
4. When you go to another country, you should try the __________
(delicate) of that place.
5. We should be __________ (select) of the kind of movies we watch
because of the violence and immorality prevalent today.
6. In Singapore, television is the most common form of __________
(entertain).
7. One of the most __________ (trouble) pests in homes is the
cockroach.
8. Paul is a very __________ (critic) person who likes to point out
your mistakes.
9. Near the village, there was a __________ (ruin) hut.
10. Behind the wall came a __________ (terrify) sound, like a deep
groan.
