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The Indefinite Article a / an
We use indefinite article a / an |
We don’t use indefinite article a / an |
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with singular countable nouns |
with uncountable nouns or plural |
when we first describe something, or |
countable nouns. We use some instead of |
make a general statement about |
a / an. |
something not known or without any |
Can you give me some information? |
details. Use an when the word following |
We have bought some flowers. |
begins with a vowel. |
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I’m going for an interview at Siemens |
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next week. |
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to describe one of a class of things |
before an adjective if it’s not |
or people. |
followed by a noun. |
Paula is an Italian. She is a lawyer. |
This ring is expensive. |
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But: it is an expensive ring. |
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before Mr. / Mrs. / Ms. When we |
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refer to an unknown person. |
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A Mrs. Jones called you that morning. |
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to mean one. |
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I get over a hundred emails every day. |
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to show: a) price in relation to |
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weight, b) distance in relation to speed, c) |
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frequency. |
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We charge ₤200 an hour. |
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Practice
Exercise 1
Match each word with the right explanation and write sentences with ‘a / an’.
Queue |
list of current prices |
Office |
commercial business |
Company |
line of people |
Price list |
room |
Manager |
piece of metal used as money |
Coin |
person in charge of the activities |
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Exercise 2
Fill the gaps with ‘a / an’ or ‘some’ where necessary.
1.We had … delicious food last night.
2.We had … delicious meal last night.
3.There is … beautiful furniture in that shop.
4.There is … beautiful chair in that shop.
5.I can’t do this job alone. I need … assistant.
6.I can’t do this job alone. I need … help.
7.She has got … important job to do.
8.She has got … important work to do.
9.They booked … room in advance.
10.They booked … accommodation in advance.
11.He found … coin on the ground.
12.He found … money on the ground.
Exercise 3
Complete each sentence with ‘a / an’ or ‘some’.
1.My shirt is dry now, but I need … iron to press it with.
2.Sorry I didn't come to the party. I had to finish … work.
3.I'd like to drink … glass of orange juice.
4.Could you buy me … paper on your way home? I want to read the sports news.
5.I need … advice about which subjects to do next year.
6.Excuse me, could you give me ... information about the trains to Rome?
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The Definite Article the
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We use the: |
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We don’t use the: |
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with nouns when the noun is |
with uncountable nouns and plural |
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mentioned for the second time or already |
countable nouns when talking about |
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known. |
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something in general. |
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We need a meeting. The meeting should |
Invoices must be paid within 30 days. |
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cover the questions of cost and timing. |
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with nouns which are unique. |
with proper names and names of |
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the sun, the Eiffel Tower |
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most companies. |
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Microsoft and Google dominate the |
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online search business. |
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with the names of cinemas (the Rex), |
with the names of sports, games, |
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hotels (the Plaza), theatres (the Globe), |
activities, days, months, meals, drinks, |
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museums |
(the |
British |
Museum), |
colours, celebrations and languages (when |
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newspapers / magazines (the Times), |
they are not followed by the word |
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ships (the Mary Rose), organizations (the |
‘language’). |
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EU), galleries (the Tate Gallery). |
He often plays chess. I speak German. |
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But: The German language is difficult to |
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learn. |
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with the geographical names of rivers |
with |
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names |
of continents |
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(the Nile), seas (the Caspian Sea), groups |
(Africa), countries (Italy but: the |
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of islands (the Canary Islands), mountain |
Netherlands, the Lebanon, the Sudan), |
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ranges (the Alps), deserts (the Sahara |
cities (London), streets (Oxford Street), |
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Desert), oceans (the Atlantic), canals (the |
squares (Trafalgar Square), parks (Hyde |
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Panama Canal), countries when they |
Park), railway stations (Victoria Station), |
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include words such as state, Kingdom, |
mountains (Ben Nevis), individual islands |
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republic (the United Kingdom). |
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(Tahiti), lakes (Lake Geneva). |
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with the names of musical |
with |
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‘church’, ‘bed’, |
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instruments and dances. |
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‘school’, ‘college’, ‘university’, ‘prison’, |
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the piano, the tango |
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‘hospital’, ‘court’ when we refer to the |
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purpose for which they exist. |
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She went to school. (She is a student) |
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But: Her father went to the school to see |
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her teacher yesterday. (He went to the |
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school as a visitor) |
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with the names of families (the |
with the word ‘work’ (place of |
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Taylors) and nationalities ending in –sh, - |
work). |
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ch or –ese (the French). |
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He is at work. |
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with titles (the King, the President). |
with by + means of transport. |
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But: The is omitted before titles with |
She travelled by bus. |
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proper names (Queen Victoria). |
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with adjectives / adverbs in the |
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superlative form. |
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He is the most respected man in the firm. |
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with |
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‘morning’, |
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‘afternoon’, ‘evening’,’ night’. |
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We have dinner in the evening. |
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But: at night, at noon, at midnight, by day |
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/ night. |
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with historical periods and events. |
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the Middle Ages, the Crimean War |
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with the words ‘only’, ‘first’, ‘last’ |
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(used as adjectives). |
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He was the first person to arrive. |
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Practice
Exercise 1
Each pair has one right and one wrong sentence. Tick the right sentence.
1.a) The shares in my portfolio have performed well over the last year.
b)The shares can be a risky investment.
2.a) Profits we made last quarter were up by 4% on the quarter before.
b)Profits are increasing in all of our major markets.
3.a) Don’t worry about him – the people can be very strange sometimes.
b)I really like the people in my office – we all get along very well.
4.a) I’m a vegetarian. I don’t eat meat.
b)Meat I had at lunchtime was delicious.
5.a) The management has offered the workers a 3% pay rise.
b)The management is an art, not a science.
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Exercise 2
Underline the correct words.
1.There’s a / the man waiting for you in a / the reception area.
2.A / The man we met yesterday has sent us an / the email asking about our service.
3.It was a / the good meeting, but I had to leave early. What happened at an / the end?
4.I had a / the great holiday. A / The weather was perfect.
5.A / The Customer Services department receives over 100 calls a / the day.
6.Can I give you a / the lift to a / the airport?
7.Tom is an / the accountant. He works on a / the fourth floor.
8.A / The presentation you gave yesterday was a / the great success.
9.We’re thinking of buying a / the new photocopier for a / the whole department.
10.Where is a / the report we were looking at? It was on my desk an / the hour ago.
11.A / The research we do in our labs is a / the very important factor in our success.
Exercise 3
Complete the texts with ‘a / an’ or ‘the’.
Memo checklist
a)The word memo is short for memorandum and it means b) … note to help as c)
…reminder. It is only used within d) … business and so there is no need for e) … full external address of f) … person you are sending it to. However, you might need to show g) … internal office address, e.g. room number and building.
There are usually just spaces for h) … names of the person sending and the person receiving i) … memo. However, copies might be sent to other people in j) … company for reference. The subject is clear from k) … heading and l) … text is brief. There is no formal signature. Sometimes m) … originator will sign their name freehand at n) … bottom.
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Business letter checklist
o) … language used in p) … business letter tends to be formal e.g. 'We regret to inform you ...'
q)… letterhead includes r) … full address and telephone number of s) … business.
t)… address of u) … recipient is also included in full on v) … left-hand side above w)
… text.
Everything is left justified (starts at x) … left-hand edge) except y) … letterhead. Letters starting 'Dear Sir' end in 'Yours faithfully'. If you start with z) … name of the person you are writing to, for example 'Dear Mr Brown', you end 1) … letter with 'Yours sincerely'. 2) ... date and any reference number are shown at 3) … top of 4) … letter.
Exercise 4
Fill in the gaps with one of the words from the list adding ‘the’ where necessary. Use each word twice.
prison, school, bed, hospital
1.I usually go to … at about 11 pm to get a good night’s sleep.
2.The cat is sitting on ….
3.The Prime Minister visited … yesterday and talked to the prisoners.
4.The man who robbed the bank is in … now.
5.The ambulance took the injured people to ….
6.I must go to … to visit my aunt. She’s had an operation.
7.We saw the children in their classrooms as we walked past ….
8.I want to go to university when I leave ….
Exercise 5
Correct the mistakes.
1.We went to Munich by the car.
2.The criminal was sentenced to ten years in the prison.
3.There is a great film on the TV tonight.
4.Jason is at the work. He will be back at 5 o’clock.
5.A lot of children learn the English nowadays.
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6.Simon was last person to visit us.
7.A tallest man in world was born in USA in 1918.
8.I usually buy Times.
9.Queen is going to open a new hospital.
10.In Stone Age people lived in caves.
Exercise 6
Complete the text by writing’ the’ or no article.
Oil and tourism in the Strait of Hormuz
About 25% of the world’s oil production passes through a narrow channel of water off the coast of … Iran called … Strait of Hormuz. It is the entrance to … Indian Ocean for oil tankers coming from countries such as … Iraq and … United Arab
Emirates. Near the coast is an interesting island called … Kish. The Iranian government is developing it as a luxury tourist destination, with a 7-star hotel to rival
… Burj al-Arab Hotel in Dubai. Project managers are … Drees & Sommer AG, a
German company.