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31 views2 pages

Articles Reading Completed

Uploaded by

Andrea Michelle Ramírez Calito
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Lesson 12: Articles

How can you identify an article?


It doesn’t get any easier than this!

Quick tip 12.1

There are only three articles in English: the, a and an.

Articles give us information about a noun; they indicate whether or not the noun is a
specific one known to both the speaker and listener. Take a look at these examples to see
what we mean:
1. I bought a red car. (The listener doesn’t know anything about the red car.)
2. The red car was on sale. (The listener knows which car the speaker is talking
about.)
The is commonly called the definite article; a and an are called indefinite articles.
The definite article may be used with both singular and plural nouns, but the indefinite
articles only with singular nouns, as we can see in the following examples:

the idea the ideas


an apple * an apples
a revolution * a revolutions

Test yourself 12.1


Underline the articles in each of the sentences below. A sentence may have more than one article.
Sample: We watched a video last night.

Getting started (answers on p. 55) More practice (answers on the website)

1. The last week of the month was a busy one in 6. In the middle of the night, I heard a strange
the store. noise.

2. Summer was a special time for 7. Jackie turned off the road too soon.
Melissa.
8. Your mother’s favorite actor appeared in the
3. There’s an unusual idea floating show we saw last night.
around.
9. A pear is just as tasty as an apple, as far as
4. I turned a corner in the long hall. I am concerned.

5. A dirty spoon had fallen to the 10. The guys bought two cans of paint: an
floor. orange one and a beige one.

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Lesson 12: Articles

What’s the difference between a and an? See if you notice a pattern when you look
at these examples:

a red tablecloth an ancient right


a situation an interesting message
a boring lecture an intruder

The articles a and an have the same meaning and use.The only difference between them is
that a is used when the next word begins with a consonant sound, while an is used when
the next word begins with a vowel sound.

To enhance your understanding


What about a uniform and an hour? Do these contradict what we’ve said about when to use
a and an? It certainly looks like a is being used before a vowel, and an is being used before a
consonant. But in fact, that’s not the case. These phrases follow the rule perfectly.
Remember that a is used when the next word begins with a consonant sound. The first
letter of the next word doesn’t matter; only its first sound matters.
So what’s the first sound of the word uniform? Say it out loud and listen carefully. You will
hear that the first sound of the word is the sound [y], as in yes. We really say ‘‘y-uniform’’
(and also ‘‘y-unicorn,’’ ‘‘y-usual,’’ etc.). Since ‘‘y,’’ a consonant, is the first sound, we use a
before uniform.
What’s the first sound of the word hour? Say the word out loud, and you will notice that in
fact we don’t pronounce the letter ‘‘h.’’ Rather, hour begins with a vowel sound, as in the
word our, and so we say an hour.
Thus, apparent exceptions, like a uniform and an hour, are not exceptions at all.

Test yourself 12.2


For each sentence, underline each article with a solid line, each noun with a double underline, and
each verb with a squiggly line. Some sentences have more than one article and noun; some have no
article. If you can answer these questions, you have achieved a solid understanding of how to
identify articles, nouns, and verbs, three of the most common parts of speech!
Sample: A pilot spoke to the crew.

Getting started (answers on p. 55) More practice (answers on the website)

1. Awaiter walked to the table. 6. The train appeared suddenly.

2. The trainer calmed the dog down. 7. Diane put the chicken in the salad.

3. He argued about the bill for hours. 8. The repairman did not finish his job.

4. I usually eat a sandwich and a cookie 9. Children like cake.


for lunch.
10. Nowadays Elena takes skiing lessons at
5. She watches TVevery night. least once a week.

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