«A» is an article
Theory and Practice for English Learners
Volha Hurskaya
This book covers fundamental rules for using articles in the English language. Each lesson contains theoretical material presented in tables to facilitate language learners comprehension. The exercises are designed to reinforce acquired knowledge and develop skills in article usage. The guide is intended for a broad audience of English self-learners and can also be utilized in schools and universities.
© Volha Hurskaya, 2024
ISBN 978-5-0062-6448-9
Created with Ridero smart publishing system
Article a/an
Exercise 1. Fill in the blanks with a or an.
1. cat, 2. elephant, 3. lion, 4. bear; 5. owl, 6. dog, 7. eagle, 8. zebra, 9. antelope, 10. kangaroo.
Exercise 2. Fill in the blanks with a or an.
In the bowl, there are various types of vegetables: 1. potato, 2. carrot, 3. eggplant, 4. zucchini, and many more. Some vegetables are commonly found in salads: 5. cucumber, 6. tomato, 7. pepper, 8. onion, 9. cabbage, 10. radish, etc.
Exercise 3. Fill in the blanks with a or an.
1. hill, 2. hotel, 3. horse; 4. hamburger, 5. holiday, 6. heart, 7. honest man, 8. hour, 9. helmet, 10. hammer.
Exercise 4. Fill in the blanks with a or an.
1. umbrella, 2. university, 3. utterance, 4. utensil, 5. uprising, 6. username, 7. upgrade, 8. universe, 9. uncle, 10. united effort.
Exercise 5. Fill in the blanks with a or an.
Unexpected friends
In 1. usual town, there was 2. artist named Lily. Lily loved painting colorful pictures. One day, after finishing 3. painting by the peaceful pond, 4. puppy appeared.
Wagging its tail, the puppy accidentally bumped into Lilys easel, knocking over the painting. Lily felt a bit upset, but the puppy looked sorry. Suddenly, dark clouds gathered, and it started to rain.
Lily didnt have 5. umbrella and her paintings were getting wet. Surprisingly, the puppy fetched a small umbrella and offered it to Lily. Grateful for the unexpected help, Lily and the puppy became fast friends.
As time passed, Lily faced 6. challenge when her art supplies accidentally spilled. The puppy, always ready to assist, fetched the brushes and paints. Lily appreciated the puppys friendly gestures.
Later, during 7. festival, Lilys artwork was on display. The unexpected wind threatened to ruin everything. The puppy, quick on its paws, helped secure the paintings, saving the day.
From then on, Lily and the puppy became friends. In summer, they spent lazy afternoons lying under 8. tree, appreciating the beauty around them. In winter, they built 9. snowman together, using 10. carrot for its nose and colorful scarves for decoration. Lily and the puppy learned that true friends can be found in unexpected places, making life in their cheerful town even brighter.
Exercise 6. Fill in the blanks with a or an where necessary.
He is 1. architect. I am 2. scientist. We are 3. mechanics. You are 4. engineer. They are 5. doctors. She is 6. painter. Sarah and Jessica are 7. librarians. Mike is 8. chef. Alex and Emily are 9. pilots. Lisa is 10. nurse.
Exercise 7. Fill in the blanks with a or an where necessary.
1. The dog is playful. Its playful dog.
2. The book is interesting. Its interesting book.
3. Her cat is fluffy. She has fluffy cat.
4. The mountain is high. Its high mountain.
5. The flower is colorful. Its colorful flower.
6. The song is catchy. Its catchy song.
7. His idea is unique. He has unique idea.
8. The beach is sandy. Its sandy beach.
9. The game was intense. It was intense game.
10. The boy is smart. He is smart boy.
Exercise 8. Paraphrase as in the example: This tangerine is ripe. Its a ripe tangerine.
1. This woman is elderly.
2. This building is tall.
3. This task is challenging.
4. This gadget is innovative.
5. This painting is colorful.
6. This car is luxurious.
7. This singer is famous.
8. This fragrance is pleasant.
9. This game is entertaining.
10. This tortoise is slow.
Exercise 9. Fill in the blanks with a, an, some, or any.
1. Ive got book. 2. Ive got books. 3. She hasnt got dog. 4. He hasnt got pets. 5. Have you got pen? 6. Have you got pens? 7. Weve got garden in the backyard. 8. Theyve got flowers in their garden. 9. You havent got laptop. 10. You havent got laptops.
Exercise 10. Find and correct the mistakes.
1. Ive got any cookies for you.
2. Its an thrilling movie.
3. Shes got a aunt.
4. Weve got a movies at home.
5. Have you got a siblings?
6. Shes a intelligent woman.
7. They havent got some pets at home.
8. These flowers are a beautiful.
9. Hes got exciting adventure to share.
10. I havent got some concerns about it.
Exercise 11. Fill in the blanks with a, an, the, some, or any.
1. There is cat on roof. 2. There are cats on roof. 3. There are interesting books and boring books on shelf. 4. There is playground in park. 5. There is jug of milk on kitchen table. 6. There are employees in office. 7. There is coffee table in living room. 8. There is cozy cafe near cinema. 9. There are shoes in closet. 10. There is bench by river.
Exercise 12. Find and correct the mistakes.
1. There is a vase on a shelf.
2. There is some bird in the cage.
3. There are a flowers in the vase.
4. There are cars in a parking lot.
5. Is there any student in the library?
6. Are there some cookies on the plate?
7. There is a laptop on a desk.
8. There isnt some cat in the basket.
9. There is a blanket on a bed.
10. There are a papers on the desk.
Exercise 13. Define a noun as countable or uncountable.
Desk, lamp, salt, fork, air, music, meat, shirt, frog, book, knowledge, shoe, map, rubbish, water, coffee, window, computer, happiness, time, bicycle, information, Geography, day.
Exercise 14. Where necessary, fill in the blanks with a, an, the, or some.
1. There is desk, lamp, and chairs in room.
2. The final lecture today is History of Art.
3. What extraordinary cuisine were savoring today!
4. How about cup of hot cocoa? No, I think Ill go for coffee.
5. Theres beef in the fridge. You can marinate it in soy sauce and grill it later.
6. Can you pick up carton of orange juice, please?
7. Im not fan of humidity. It makes me feel sad.
8. I left pen at home. Can I borrow yours for moment, please?
9. Lenas got beautiful hair.
10. I want to make apple pie. Can you buy flour and apples, please?
Exercise 15. Find and correct the mistakes.
1. The bouquet has various flowers: some rose, a tulip, a daisy, and even an sunflower.
2. What a delightful scenery we had today!
3. Ive got a neighbor. She is a unusual musician.
4. I relax on some sofa and watch a movie at night.
5. I enjoy a History. Last week, we studied a intriguing ancient civilization.
6. This novel is about a time-traveling adventures.
7. Ill wrap up this assignment in a hour.
8. I love a orange juice. How about you?
9. My sister is a economist, and my brother is a engineer.
10. Would you like a salmon?
Exercise 16. Answer the questions using expressions from the table above.
1. How often do you check your social media accounts?
2. How often do you eat out at restaurants?
3. How often do you go for a health check-up?
4. How often do you visit your family or relatives?
5. How much screen time do you have on electronic devices?
6. How much water do you drink daily?
7. How much do you spend on groceries per week?
8. How often do you cook at home?
9. How often do you listen to music?
10. How much sleep do you get on average each night?
Article the
Exercise 17. Fill in the blanks with a, an, or the.
1. owl is nocturnal bird.
2. whale is marine mammal.
3. butterfly is colorful insect.
4. There is banana in basket.
5. There is lion in safari park.
6. Ive bought new book.
7. Lets go out and find gift for you.
8. I always prefer bowl of soup for lunch.
9. This is tree. tree is beautiful.
10. This is bicycle. bicycle is old but reliable.
11. This is bus. bus goes to airport.
12. Heres ball. boy enjoys playing with ball.
13. Look at this hat. hat is very fashionable.
14. Japanese are typically hardworking.
15. Brazilians are excellent soccer players.