A1: Articles III
Below is an A1 level ESL grammar lesson related to articles. .You will practice when to use them and when not to use them. Good luck and enjoy!
Articles, when to use them and when not to use them
Articles are small words (a, an, the) used before nouns to show if something is specific or general. They are called definite (the) and indefinite (a, an).
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When to use articles
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Use a / an with singular, countable nouns when the thing is not specific or it is mentioned for the first time: “I saw a dog,” “She ate an apple.”
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Use the when the listener/reader knows which specific thing you mean, or it is unique: “Close the door,” “The sun is bright today.”​
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Use a before a consonant sound (a car, a university) and an before a vowel sound (an apple, an hour).​
When not to use articles
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Do not use a / an with uncountable or abstract nouns in general meaning: say “I need information,” not “an information”; “She gave me advice,” not “an advice.”
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Do not use articles before most proper names: “I live in Mexico,” “She works at Google,” not “the Mexico” or “the Google” (except in special names like the United States, the United Kingdom).​
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Often no article is used to talk in general about things in plural or uncountable form: “Dogs are friendly,” “Water is essential,” not “The dogs are friendly” when you mean dogs in general.
5 Common Article Mistakes Made by ESL Students
Here are some of the most common article mistakes English learners make, with corrected examples.
1. Using a/an with plurals or uncountables
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Mistake: “I have a good news.” / “She gave me an advice.”
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Correct: “I have good news.” / “She gave me advice.”
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Tip: Do not use a/an with plural nouns (books, cars) or uncountable nouns (news, advice, information, furniture).
2. Forgetting the article with jobs and singular count nouns
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Mistake: “I am engineer.” / “He is teacher.”
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Correct: “I am an engineer.” / “He is a teacher.”
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Tip: Use a/an with singular jobs or roles: a doctor, an artist, a manager.
3. Using the when speaking in general
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Mistake: “The dogs are friendly” (meaning dogs in general).
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Correct: “Dogs are friendly.”
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Tip: For general statements, use plural or uncountable nouns with no article: Dogs are…, People are…, Water is….
4. Choosing a vs. an by letter instead of sound
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Mistake: “He is a honest man.” / “She is an university student.”
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Correct: “He is an honest man.” / “She is a university student.”
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Tip: Use a before a consonant sound (a university), an before a vowel sound (an hour, an honest person).
5. Missing the with specific places
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Mistake: “I’m going to grocery store.” / “She is at library.”
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Correct: “I’m going to the grocery store.” / “She is at the library.”
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Tip: Common specific public places usually take the: the bank, the supermarket, the station, the park.
Provided by the Academic Center for Excellence 6 ESL: Use of Articles
Summer 2014
Practice Exercise
Directions: Fill in the blank with the appropriate article, a, an, or the, or leave the space blank if no article is needed.
1. I want ____ apple from that basket.
2. ____ church on the corner is progressive.
3. Miss Lin speaks ____ Chinese.
4. I borrowed ____ pencil from your pile of pencils and pens.
5. One of the students said, "____ professor is late today."
6 Eli likes to play ____ volleyball.
7. I bought ____ umbrella to go out in the rain.
8. My daughter is learning to play ____ violin at her school.
9. Please give me ____ cake that is on the counter.
10. I lived on ____ Main Street when I first came to town.
11. Albany is the capital of ____ New York State.
12. My husband's family speaks ____ Polish.
13. ____ apple a day keeps the doctor away.
14. ____ ink in my pen is red.
15. Our neighbors have ____ cat and ____ dog.
Answer Key
1. I want an apple from that basket.
2. The church on the corner is progressive.
3. Miss Lin speaks Chinese. (no article needed)
4. I borrowed a pencil from your pile of pencils and pens.
5. One of the students said, "The professor is late today."
6. Eli likes to play volleyball. (no article needed)
7. I bought an umbrella to go out in the rain.
8. My daughter is learning to play the violin at her school.
9. Please give me the cake that is on the counter.
10. I lived on Main Street when I first came to town. (no article needed)
11. Albany is the capital of New York State. (no article needed)
12. My husband's family speaks Polish. (no article needed)
13. An apple a day keeps the doctor away.
14. The ink in my pen is red.
15. Our neighbors have a cat and a dog.
This exercise was originally published by the Purdue OWL.
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