2. Did you know that the definite
article is the most common
word in the English language,
while the indefinite article is
the sixth most common?
3. 1.There was _____ knock on ______ door. I opened and
found _______ small dark man in _____ blue overcoat
and ______ woollen cap.
2. He said he was _____ employee of _____ gas
company and hac come to read ______ meter.
3. But I had _____ suspicion that he wasn’t speaking
____ truth because ____ meter readers usually wear
_____ peaked caps.
a the
a a
a
an the
the
a
the
4. 4. However, I took him to____ meter, which is in ____
dark corner under _____ stairs.
5. I asked if he had ____ torch; he said he disliked the
torches and always read _____ meters by ____ light of
____ match.
6. I remarked that if there was ____ leak in _____
gaspipe there might be _____ explosion while he was
reading _____ meter.
the a
the
a
the
a
a a the
an
the
5. 7. He said, “As ____ matter of ____ fact there was ___
explosion in ____ last house I visited; and Mr Smith,
____owner of _____house, was burnt in_____ face.”
8. “ Mr Smith was holding ____lighted match at ____
time of ____ explosion.
9. To prevent ____ possible repetition of this accident,
I lent him _____ torch.
10. He switched on _____ torch, read ____ meter and
wrote ____ reading down on ____ back of _____
envelope.
a an
the
the the the
a the
the
a
a
the the
the
the an
6. 11. I said in_____ surprise that _____ meter readers
usually put _____ readings down in _____ book.
12.He said that he had had ____ book but that it had
been burnt in____ fire in _____ Mr. Smith’s house.
13.By this time I had come to ____ conclusion that he
wasn’t _____ genuine meter reader; and _____
moment he left I rang _____ police.
14. Are John and Mary _____ cousins?
No, they aren’t _____ cousins; they’re ____
brother and _____ sister.
the a
a
the
the
a the
the
7. ARTICLE
AGONY
15. _____ fog was so thick that we couldn’t see _____
side of _____ road. We followed _____ car in front of us
and hoped that we were going _____ right way.
16. I can’t remember _____exact date of_____ storm,
but I know it was _____ Sunday because everybody
was at _____ church. On _____ Monday _____ post
didn’t come because _____ roads were blocked by
_____ fallen trees.
17. Peter thinks that this is quite _____ cheap
restaurant.
the the
the
the
the
the the
a
the
the
a
When a day of the week refers
to a specific thing or situation,
it is used as a countable noun,
i.e. either the indefinite article
is used or the noun is
pluralized.
8. ARTICLE
AGONY
I don't care if Monday's blue
Tuesday's grey and Wednesday too
Thursday I don't care about you
It's Friday I'm in love….
BUT
The Cure
The Beatles
The Rolling Stones
The Clash
The Smiths
The Bangles
The Who
The Cranberries
The Temptations
10. 18. There’s been _____murder here.
Where’s _____ body?
There isn’t ____body.
Then how do you know there’s been _____ murder?
19. Number _____ hundred and two, _____ house next
door to us, is for sale. It’s quite _____ nice house
with _____ big rooms. _____ back windows look out
on _____ park.
20. I don’t know what _____ price _____ owners are
asking. But Dry and Rot are _____ agents. You
could give them _____ ring and make them
_____ offer.
a
the
a
a
a the
a
the
the
the
the
a
an
11. 21. _____ postman’s little boy says that he’d rather be
_____ dentist than _____ doctor, because _____ dentists
don’t get called out at _____ night.
22. Just as _____ air hostess ( there was only one on
the plane) was handing me _____ cup of _____ coffee
_____ plane gave _____ lurch and _____ coffee went all
over _____ person on _____ other side of _____ gangway.
lurch - an act or instance of swaying abruptly
gangway - a passageway, especially a narrow
walkway
the
a a
the
a
the a the
the the the
12. 23. There was _____ collision between _____ car and
_____ cyclist at _____ crossroads near _____ my house
early in _____ morning. _____ cyclist was taken to____
hospital with _____ concussion. _____ driver of _____
car was treated for _____ shock. _____ witnesses say
that _____ car was going at _____ seventy miles ____
hour.
concussion - injury to the brain or spinal cord due to
jarring from a blow, fall, or the like
a a
a the
the the
the the
the
the an
13. 24. Professor Jones, _____ man who discovered _____
new drug that everyone is talking about, refused
to give _____ press conference.
25. Peter Piper, _____ student in _____ professor’s
college, asked him why he refused to talk to ____
press.
26.We’re going to _____ tea with _____ Smiths today,
aren’t we? Shall we take ____ car?
We can go by ____ car if you wash _____ car first.
We can’t go to ____ Mrs Smith in _____ car
covered with _____ mud.
the the
a
a the
the
the
the
the
a
14. 27. He got _____ job in _____ south and spent _____ rest
two years doing _____ work he really enjoyed.
28. It is _____ pleasure to do _____ business with such
____ efficient organization.
29. _____ day after _____ day passed without _____
news, and we began to lose _____ hope.
a the the
a
an
15. 30. Would you like to hear ____ story about _____
Englishman, _____ Irishman and _____ Scotsman?
No. I’ve heard _____ stories about _____
Englishmen, _____ Irishmen and _____ Scotsmen
before and they are all _____ same.
31. But mine is not _____ typical story. In my story
_____ Scotman is generous,_________ Irishman is
logical and _____ Englishman is romantic.
Oh, if it’s _____ fantastic story I’ll listen with
_____ pleasure.
a an
an a
the
a
the the
the
a
16. 32. My anunt lived on _____ ground floor of _____ old
house on _____ River Thames. She was very much
afraid of _____ burglars and always locked up _____
house very carefully before she went to _____ bed.
She also took _____ precaution of looking under _____
bed to see if _____ burglar was hiding there.
33. “ _____ modern burglars don’t hideunder _____
beds,” said her daughter. “I’ll go on looking just _____
same, “ said my aunt.
the an
the
the
the the
a
the
17. 34.One morning she rang her daughter in _____
triumph. “I found _____ burglar under _____ bed _____
last night, “ she said, “ and he was quite _____
young man.”
35._____ apples are sold by _____ pound. These are
forty pence _____ pound.
36.It was _____ windy morning but they hired ____ boat
and went for _____ sail along _____ coast. In _____
afternoon _____ wind increased and they soon
found themselves in _____ difficulties.
a the
a
the
a
a a
a the the
the
18. ARTICLE
AGONY
Dear all,
"Fruits are usually sold by the pound.“ Is is correct if
I say "by pound" in this example? Why do we use
"the" here? Is it because it is used to specifically
refer the way of using the unit pound?
Thank you!
helentse, Chinese Aug 19, 2014
Hi!
It is not correct to omit THE in your sentence. I do
not really know why, but the convention / idiom is
to say things are sold by the pound and I have
never heard it said any other way.
Suzi, Stroke on Trent, England and Englsh
It's correct to say "sold by weight" or "sold by
volume", but it's "sold by the pound", "by the
kilo", by the ton", etc. I'd say it's because the
unit of weight is countable.
velisarius, Aug 19, 2014 British English (Sussex)
19. ARE THE SENTENCES TRUE OF FALSE?
CORRECT THE FALSE ONES!
1. Do you have a reservation?
2. In my grandfather’s time, children usually left
school at 14.
3. My youngest brother is medical student.
4. Could you close a door when you go out?
a
the
20. ARE THE SENTENCES TRUE OF FALSE?
CORRECT THE FALSE ONES!
5. The most people like watching football.
6. Computers can do nearly everything.
7. I lived in the North Wales for a few years.
8. How’s the Peter’s new job going?
9.Have you got an aspirin? I’ve got a headache.
21. ARE THE SENTENCES TRUE OF FALSE?
10. A camel can go for days without water.
11. Child needs to feel secure.
12. The elephant is a protected species.
13. An elephant is a protected species.
14. Elephants are protected species.
A
22. ARTICLE
AGONY
Hospital, school, church, prison etc…
We only drop articles when talking about the
typical use of the places:
I’ll be at school all day tomorrow.
I’ll meet you at the school at 4.30.
Note that in
American English
articles are
always used with
hospital!
23. NEWSPAPERS
ARTICLE
AGONY
SEASONS
When we talk in general about the seasons, the
and no article are both possible.
England is beautiful in (the) spring.
(The) summer is always a very busy time for us.
Newspapers usually have the, magazines vary.
The Guardian The Times The New Yorker
New Scientists Spotlight Daily Mirror
25. THE+JOB/ROLE USED TO IDENTIFY
“I met Joe Martin on holiday.”
“What, Joe Martin the writer?”
Titles, jobs and positions…
We do not use the in titles like President Lincoln,
Queen Elisabeth. “THE” is not normally used when
we say that somebody has or gets a unique position
(the only one in organisation).
John as been appointed Sales Director.
She was elected President in 2009.
Michael Swan, Oxford English Grammar Course, Advanced
26. 1. This house is really cold in ….
a) winter
b) the winter
c) Both
2. Victoria became ……….. In 1837.
a) Queen
b) the Queen
c) both
27. 3. My friend Greg plays ….. in ….small orchestra.
a) violin……a
b) the violin ……a
c) Both
4. I heard … funny programme on…. this morning
a) a…….the radio
b) a……radio
c) both
28. 5. What newspapers do you read?
a) Independent
b) The Independent
c) Both
6. I need …. taxi to ….at 5.15.
a) a…….Didcot Station
b) a……the Didcot Station
c) both
29. 7. Millions of people worldwide still die of
a) malaria
b) the malaria
c) Both
8. I have always wanted to work in….
a) theatre
b) the theatre
c) both
30. The snow glows white on the mountain tonight,
Not a footprint to be seen.
A kingdom of isolation and it looks like I'm the
queen.
The wind is howling like this swirling storm inside.
Couldn't keep it in, Heaven knows I tried.
Don't let them in, don't let them see,
Be the good girl you always have to be.
Conceal, don't feel, don't let them know.
Well, now they know….
31. Lay beside me, tell me what they've done
Speak ___ words I wanna hear, to make my demons
run
_______ door is locked now, but it's opened if you're
true
If you can understand ________ me, then I can
understand ________ you
the
The
the
the
32. The is used for currencies.
The U.S. dollar has risen
against the yen but fallen
against the euro.
33. Every cloud has ______ silver lining.
Slow and steady wins ______ race.
_______ little bit of knowledge is ______
dangerous thing.
a
the
A a
34. Don't judge ______ man until you have
walked ______ mile in his shoes.
"What's good for ______ goose is good for
______ gander."
All is fair in _______ love and ______ war.
Birds of ______ feather flock together.”
a
a
the
the
a
35. You can't teach ______ old dog new tricks.
_______ apple doesn't fall far from ______ tree.
Don't put ______ cart before ______ horse.
The the
an
the the
