The document provides a list of seasonal words to help readers refresh their vocabulary for the winter holidays and new year. It then offers discounts of 50% off resume and cover letter editing services for newsletter subscribers through December 10th. Finally, it reviews the basic rules for using the articles "a/an", "the", and no article in English, and provides a practice activity for readers to fill in articles in a paragraph.

1. Issue 3 December 1, 2015
Seasonal Vocabulary
With the holidays upon us and New Year right around the corner,
this is a great time to refresh your seasonal vocabulary. Below are
a few, hopefully new words to look up, practice with, and
memorize this winter season. If you’re not sure how to practice
with these words, please review 6 Steps to Boosting Your Vocabulary
in the October issue of News&InSight!
Blustery Poinsettia Yuletide Partridge
Hibernate Toboggan Anorak Fireworks
Extravaganza Noisemaker Mistletoe
Brisk Frostbite Eggnog Tinsel
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2. Issue 3 December 1, 2015
Understanding Articles
Like much of English grammar, articles can be tricky. In fact, articles
are often the last grammar point really mastered by nonnative English
speakers. Difficulty sometimes arises from the fact that there are some
exceptions to the rules of articles, which can make them challenging to
grasp or remember. However, most of the time when students use
articles incorrectly, they’re simply forgetting or ignoring one of the
basic rules.* Therefore, it is important to regularly review the rules of
articles and practice using them in sentence writing. Let’s take a look:
A/An:
-Use a/an before singular, countable nouns: Would you like a
cherry on your sundae?
-Use a/an to introduce new information: I have a new math teacher
at school.
-Use a/an to refer to people’s jobs: How long has he been a bus
driver?
-Use a before words that begin with a consonant sound: gorilla,
university, teacher, machine, etc.
-Use an before words that begin with a vowel sound: orange,
mp3 player, envelope, honor, etc.
The:
-Use the to refer to something that was previously mentioned:
I finally saw the commercial; it’s really funny.
-Use the when it’s clear to the listener what thing, place, or
person you’re talking about: The festival will be held on June 20th
this year.
-Use the when an object is unique or if you assume there is only
one in a particular place: The moon was really full last night. Where
is the bathroom?
-Use the when you’re defining or identifying a person or object:
Did you see the woman in the blue dress?
No article:
-Do not use an article with mass nouns; that is, things that
cannot be counted (water), are too small to be counted (sand),
or are abstract ideas (knowledge): She likes drinking milk. I’ll have
rice with my dinner. Honesty is an important characteristic.
-Do not use an article with most names and places: Have you
met Peter? Last year we went to Puerto Rico. I love playing chess.
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Let’s Practice!
Instructions: Choose a,
an, the, or no article to fill
in the blanks in the
following paragraph.
I was born in Seattle,
Washington. Seattle is (1)
___ city in the United
States. It is near (2) ___
border of Canada. I live
in (3)___ town called
Olympia, in (4) ___ house
on ___ (5) street in the
countryside. (6) ___
street is called "Bear
Street" and (7) ___ house
is beautiful but very old -
more than 200 years old!
I am (8) ___ English
teacher at (9) ___ school
in the center of (10) ___
town. I like books and
taking photographs. I
usually have (11) ___
lunch at 1pm and go
home by car. We have all
kinds of food in Olympia.
I like (12) ___ Italian food
very much. Sometimes, I
go to (13) ___ Italian
restaurant in Seattle.
(14)___ restaurant is
called “Luigi's." Italian
food is great!
*Note: These are the basic rules
of articles and the most
important to learn and follow.
However, there are additional
rules for articles, as well as
exceptions to the rules
mentioned. For additional
help, send us an email!