ARTICLES

FUNCTIONS EXAMPLES
a, an and the are used with
singular countable nouns
a house, an eagle, the house
Indefinite articles !a and !an
a and an are used before singular
countable nouns
a with words that begin with
consonant sounds
an - with words that begin with vowel
sounds
a girl, a computer, a tree, a university,
a zebra, a unit, a uniform.
an egg, an igloo, an hour, an orange, an
umbrella, an idea, an owl
"efinite articles !the
is used for:
Particular thing, person or place
Superlatives
Person, place or thing mentioned
before
hings of which there is only one
Seas, rivers, mountain, people of a
place as a group.
!e saw the show, "ce #ge, last night.
$aim is the strongest boy in our class.
%e has a bicycle. The bicycle is new.
The moon is bright tonight.
hey visited the &oc'y (ountain last
year.
O#ission of articles $no articles%
!e do not use any articles before
proper nouns
!e do not use articles in front of
uncountable nouns
!e do not use any articles before
plural nouns where they are used
in a general sense
!e will meet Suhaila this evening.
#lice had rice and soup for her lunch
)ust now.
Studies show that guavas contain
more vitamin * than oranges.
Co##on errors
1. "+ll be there in a hour.
"+ll be there in an hour.
2. " met an ,uropean yesterday.
" met a ,uropean yesterday.
3. She is from United Kingdom.
She is from the United Kingdom.
4. Shasha is tallest girl in our class.
Shasha is the tallest girl in our class.
EXERCISE A: Fill in the blanks with a or an
1. __________ tailor
2. __________ egg
3. __________ umbrella
4. __________ kind uncle
5. __________ odd angle
EXERCISE B: Underline the answer
1. Aleena lives in an! a" small village in #entakab.
2. A! $he" cit% of &etaling 'a%a (as decorated (ith big )osters and bright
lights.
3. 'ade is a! an" )recious stone.
4. #% aunt is a! an" accountant.
5. *er house is the! a" one (ith the blue gate.
+. $he o)ening ceremon% (ill be held on the! ," Saturda%.
-. *e hel)ed out at the! an" or)hanage along 'alan .ndah.
/. *e (ill be here (ithin a! an" hour.
EXERCISE C: Fill in the blanks with a, an or the where neessar!"
1. Using ________ cell)hone (hile driving can be dangerous.
2. 0rite t(o sentences on _______ )iece of )a)er.
3. 1ou must com)lete _______ essa% right no(.
4. _________ e2am (ill begin at eight o3clock.
5. She s)ends several hours ______ da% stud%ing.
+. _________ chocolate is good for %ou.
-. _________ com)uter is faster and more accurate than a human.
/. 4eing ______ onl% child can be advantageous or disadvantageous.
5. 6ars in #ala%sia are driven on _______ left side of the road.
+. __________ e2)ensive
dress
-. __________ room
/. __________ interesting
movie
5. __________ 2,ra%
17. __________ em)t% can
17. 8o %ou kno( ho( to take _____ digital )hotogra)h9