1. Look at the underlined words in the following paragraph
and complete the rules below with a/an or the.
I saw a man sitting on a bench outside the station yesterday. He had a large
bag on the bench next to him. He opened the bag and took out a complete
meal - a tablecloth, a large dish, a salad and a knife and fork. He put it on the
bench and started to eat.
• A We use _______when we introduce
a
something for the first time or to talk about
one of many.
• B We use _____to talk about something
the
again or when there is only one.

2. Read the following text. Underline the word which best fits
each space.
(0) One / A day last week I visited my local
university to have a look round. (1) A / The
university is very old and it is in (2) the / a centre of
(3) the / one city. There were lots of people who
were also interested in studying there. When I
arrived, I went to (4) a / the talk. After that (5) a / the
student showed me round. I want to study science
so I wanted to look at (6) the / one science block. I
spent (7) one / the hour there. I thought (8) a / the
university looked very interesting and I hope to go
there to study.

3. Write a / an (or nothing)
a
There were many dogs in the park. One dog was ___ Dalmatian.
-
Pandas and __ tigers are both endangered animals.
a
She is wearing ___ blue dress with red earrings
an
Hawaii is ___ island in the Pacific Ocean.
Christmas comes once ___ year.
a
___ ant is ___ insect.
An an
a
The Nile is ___ river.
I went to the shop to get ___ bread.
-
a
He broke ___ glass when he was washing dishes.
an
You should take ___ umbrella.

4. Write a / an / some (or nothing)
My wife is ______ doctor.
a
My brother is ______ artist.
an
I'm staying with ______ friends.
some
She's a writer. She writes ______ books.
-
I've got ______ car waiting outside.
a
I've got ______ more questions to ask you, if you don't
some
mind.
My cousin is married to ______ actor.
an
What ______ wonderful presentation! You were excellent.
a
an
I've got ______ idea.
______ people would like to talk to you, if you have the
Some
time.

5. I love ______ Coke.
-
I lived in Tahiti when I was ______ child.
a
I've seen ______ good films recently. "The Insider"
some
was great.
I need to buy ______ new trousers. I'm getting fat!
some
Sue and Vaughan are ______ good writers.
-
They have written ______ new book called "Inside
a
Out".
I like all animals but ______ cats are my
-
favourites.
However I like ______ cats better than others!
some
You have got ______ really nice eyes.
-
It's the last question. What ______ relief!
a

6. Fill in the blank with the appropriate article, a, an, or the, or leave the
space blank if no article is needed.
a
1. I bought _________ pair of pants and a shirt.
-
2. I saw _________ car crash last week.
a
3. They are staying _________ downtown.
-
4. I think _________ man is very unfriendly.
the
5. I don't like _________ soccer.
6. That is _________ issue between you and the boss.
an
7. _________ water is dirty. Don't drink it!
The
8. _________ price of gas keeps rising.
The
9. John moved to _________ San Francisco.
-
10. Celine is _________ French.
-
11. _________ amazing thing happened to me
An
yesterday.
12. My friend doesn't eat _________ red meat.
-

7. 1. Are there any cheap ____ hotels near here?
-
-
2. There is a modern sports centre in ____ London.
3. How many small apples are there in ____ this bag?
-
-
4. There aren't any ____ serious problems.
5. How many ____ tall players are there in your team?
-
6. There is a lot of rain in ____ winter.
-
-
7. How many planets are there in our ____ solar system?
8. There isn't enough ____ snow to go skiing.
-
-
9. Is there anyone from ____ Germany in here?
-
10. There isn't enough ____ air in the lift.

8. -
11. There aren't any interesting films on ____ TV tonight.
a
12. There is ____ big tree in the garden.
a
13. Is there ____ cheap hotel near here?
a
14. There is ____ famous university in Oxford.
15. How many days are there in ____ week?
a
16. Is there ____ tired student in the class?
a
a
17. Is there ____ good-looking man in your club?
18. There are some big trees in ____ garden.
the
the
19. There is a big black cloud in ____ sky.
the
20. Is there any water in ____ glass?

9. a
1. Albert Einstein was _______ famous scientist.
-
2. Einstein was born in ___________ Germany in 1879.
the
3. Einstein won __________ Nobel Prize in Physics in 1921.
the
4. Einstein left his country and lived in _______ States until he died in 1955.
-
5. Einstein is known for his theory of ________ relativity.
The
6. ________German physicist who discovered X-rays in 1895 was named
Wilhelm Roentgen.
-
7. Roentgen won __________ 1901 Nobel Prize.
-
8. Mandela was born in __________South Africa.

10. the
9. Mandela was _________ first President elected in South Africa after
Apartheid was revoked.
-
10. Mandela was imprisoned for _________ nearly 30 years for his anti-
apartheid activities.
11. Mother Teresa was _________ Roman Catholic nun.
a
12. Mother Teresa became famous for her hard work with ______ poor.
the
the
13. She was_______ founder of the order of nuns called the Missionaries of
Charity.
14. Mother Teresa lived in __________ Calcutta, India.
-
15. Mother Teresa received _________ her Nobel Peace Prize in 1979.
-