Articles

a an & the

a = one person or one thing

a car

a small car

a small pink car

a = one person or one thing

a woman

a young woman a friendly young woman

an before a e i o u sounds

an apple

an orange

an eggplant

a book

an

interesting book

animal

a small animal

1 Do you have ____ umbrella?

a or an?

2 I’d like to buy ____ hat, please.3 I’ll see you in ____ hour.

4 UWS is ____ university.

1 Do you have an umbrella?

a or an?

2 I’d like to buy a hat, please.

3 I’ll see you in an hour.

4 UWS is a university.

an before a e i o u sounds

a /an for occupations

‘What do you do?’‘I’m a bus driver.’

‘What does she do?’‘She’s an electrician.’

a/ an and the 1 2 3

Can you open a window?

There are three windows here.

a window = window 1, 2 or 3

a / an and the

Can you open the window?

There is only one window – the window.

I’ve got a dog.(there are many dogs and I’ve got one)

I’m going to take the dog for a walk.(the dog = my dog)

Is there a dentist in Granville?(there are many dentists – is there one here?)

I went to the dentist yesterday.(the dentist = my dentist)

Sydney is a beautiful city.(there are many beautiful cities, Sydney is one)

Sydney is the capital of NSW.There is only one capital of NSW.

a / an and the

I bought __sandwich and __ milkshake. ___sandwich was nice but __ milkshake was horrible.

I bought a sandwich and a milkshake. The sandwich was nice but the milkshake was horrible.

the sandwich and the milkshake = my sandwich and my milkshake

a / an or the

We use the when it is clear which person or thing we mean. For example:

the roof, the backyard, the kitchen (house)

‘Where’s Sam?’ ‘He’s in the kitchen.’

the station, the airport, the bank (city or town)

the door, the ceiling, the light ( a room)

The

the same

Peter and Brian live in the same street.

(not in same street)

the sun/the moon/ the sky / the city / the country

I live in the city. (not - I live in city)

the police / the airforce / the army

the top / the bottom / the left / the right

Do not use the with:

• Names of people and names of places.

• I went to Canberra yesterday. • I went to the Canberra yesterday. X

• I saw Sue last week.• I saw the Sue last week. X

• breakfast / lunch / dinner

• days / months/ years

Quick Quiza / an / the or nothing.

1. Last night I stayed home and watched ____ television.2. ____ Mary used to live in ____ country.3. What do you usually eat for ____ breakfast?4. ‘What’s Sue doing?’ ‘She’s on ____ phone.’5. ____Mike is ____ good student.6. ____Peter is _____ youngest student in the class.7. ____ Sydney is ____ interesting city.8. This class is ____ best class at using articles.

Quick Quiza / an / the or nothing.

1 Last night I stayed home and watched television.2 Mary used to live in the country.3 What do you usually eat for breakfast?4 ‘What’s Sue doing?’ ‘She’s on the phone.’5 Mike is a good student.6 Peter is the youngest student in the class.7 Sydney is an interesting city.8 This class is the best class at using articles.