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GRAMMAR
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Are you looking forward to a great
lesson?
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Discuss
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Articles
■ Articles are used in English in order to define nouns as either specific or not
specific.
■ After a poor night of sleep, a ■ After the poor night of sleep, the cup of coffee
cup of coffee can be very was very useful.
useful.
With the use of the article the, the sentence refers to
This sentence uses the article a. It a specific cup of coffee on a specific morning.
is not specific. It could be any
night and any cup of coffee.
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Review: a
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Review: an
The article an is used in the same way as a, with one important difference:
■ When the object referred to starts with a vowel we use an.
■ Nouns beginning with the letters eu are pronounced with a y sound and therefore
use a, rather than an.
■ Some words have the y sound but are spelt with a U – such as university.
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Review: the
The article the is used in the same way as a, with one important difference.
■ When there is only one unique object.
■ When the object is already known or has been referred to earlier.
■ With countries that are groups of islands or states.
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Add the correct article to these sentences
1. Can you get me _______________ Can you get me the book over
book over there? there?
______________________________________________________
2. Do you have _______________
idea? __________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
5. Have you ever visited
________________ UK? __________________________________________________
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No article
■ I come from a small town in the north of the UK (here is an exception to the first rule).
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Leaving out articles
Certain words leave out the article altogether. While the article is not present it is
implied – this can be found in:
■ Nouns which are more abstract. Some examples include traits, subjects of
knowledge, sports in a general sense, languages and nationalities.
■ Paula is Argentinian.
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No article or article?
Have a look at the sentences below. Can you spot the mistakes?
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Articles
3. June is doctor with the Red Cross. 7. Director is a very interesting person.
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The definite article
We use the word the as the definite article in English. The definite article specifies one
particular thing in a sentence. If you ask could you pass me the apple, please? to your
friend, the use of the definite article refers to a specific apple that you both know about.
■ You can use the definite article with single, plural and uncountable nouns in the
same way.
■ Put the record on; it’s the only one I can listen to at this hour.
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The indefinite article
In contrast, the indefinite article can take the form of the articles reviewed earlier; a and
an. A is used when the word begins with a consonant, while we use an when it starts
with a vowel.
■ We use the indefinite article when indicating that a noun is referring to something
in general rather than a specific thing.
■ The indefinite article is only used with singular nouns.
■ Celine is a performer.
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Categorise
Categorise the sentences and fragments according to whether they use the
definite or indefinite article.
It is the most
I would love a hot Where did you put Have you ever seen
delicious curry I
dog. the hammer? a giraffe?
have ever tried.
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Rewrite these sentences using the correct article
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Using articles with pronouns
Possessive pronouns can also perform the function of referring to specific or general
things in the same way as articles.
■ Avoid combining possessive pronouns with articles.
■ Common possessive pronouns include her, his, my, our, their and its.
This sentence has used both the definite article and the possessive pronoun my. It is
confusing. Better alternatives include:
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Possessive pronouns
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Indefinite articles and uncountable nouns
Some things are difficult or impossible to quantify. We call these things uncountable
nouns. This includes nouns you cannot touch (air, oxygen, etc), liquids and things that are
too large or difficult to count.
■ The indefinite articles a and an can not be combined with uncountable nouns.
■ Indefinite articles are only used with singular nouns.
■ Some examples of uncountable nouns are music, water, money and sand.
In order to use the indefinite article in this sentence we need to attach it to something
that is countable.
A carton can be counted. The indefinite article can be used in this case.
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Modifying uncountable nouns
■ You can use indefinite articles with uncountable nouns which have been modified
with the word some.
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Explain
indefinite article
definite article
uncountable nouns
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Writing
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Get ready to listen
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Listen to your teacher reading the extract
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Let’s talk!
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Use of articles
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Reflect on the goals
yes no
_______________________________ _______________________________
_______________________________ _______________________________
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Reflect on this lesson
+ _______________________________
_______________________________
+ _______________________________
_______________________________
– _______________________________
_______________________________
– _______________________________
_______________________________
If you have time, go over
the most difficult slides again
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Exercise p. 9
2. an; 3. the, the; 4. the; 5. the
Exercise p. 12
1. Let’s go out for dinner.
2. My trip to Germany was amazing.
3. Did you go on a motorbike tour in the highlands?
4. That band is full of creativity.
5. I studied English with Lingoda.
Exercise p. 13
1. It’s a bird. It’s a plane!
2. I would like an apple.
3. June is a doctor with the Red Cross.
4. Extreme weather lashed the coast of the UK.
5. He’s an extremely funny guy.
6. The computer I bought last week is amazing.
7. The director is a very interesting person.
8. I went to Manchester last week.
Answer key (1/2)
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Exercise p. 16
Definite article:
The giraffe was so beautiful…
Remember to bring the gift tomorrow.
Where did you put the hammer?
It is the most delicious curry I have ever tried.
Indefinite article:
Remember to bring a gift tomorrow.
Do you have a hammer?
I would love a hot dog.
Have you ever seen a giraffe?
Exercise p. 17
1. It was an extremely uncomfortable experience.
2. Shaun put the gym bag in his locker.
3. The Pope greeted the crowd of pilgrims.
4. I saw a ghost walking down the corridor.
5. Fraser Island is the largest sand island.
Answer key (2/2)
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Exercise p. 25
I went to the very interesting presentation yesterday. The speaker was talking about the
importance of the internet privacy. He talked about a advantages and disadvantages of
sharing so much information online. Some people post so many pictures of their lives
on social networks and do not consider a potential risk this can pose to their privacy.
Speaker then went on to talk about impact of the social media on news and the
journalism. News can come from so many sources on an internet that it can be hard to
tell what is a reliable piece of journalism and what is not. A speaker then mentioned the
importance of knowing the source of the information you read on social media. Who
has shared the news? It is necessary to be the critical reader.
Transcription
Homework
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A or an?
A An
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I had an amazing weekend!
Write to your friend and tell them what you did last weekend. Try
to use as many definite and indefinite articles as possible.
– □ ×
myfriend@lingoda.mail
Dear Lucy,
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About this material
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