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Unit 72 · Articles and nouns

a/an and the

Study

A

Study this example:

›

I had a sandwich and an apple for lunch.

›

The sandwich wasn't very good, but the apple was nice.

Joe says 'a sandwich', 'an apple' because this is the first time he talks about them.

Joe now says 'the sandwich', 'the apple' because we know which sandwich and which apple he means – the sandwich and the apple he had for lunch.

Compare a and the in these examples:

›

A man and a woman were sitting opposite me. The man was American, but I think the woman was British.

›

When we were on holiday, we stayed at a hotel. Sometimes we ate at the hotel and sometimes we went to a restaurant.

B

We use the when we are thinking of a specific thing. Compare a/an and the:

›

Tim sat down on a chair. (maybe one of many chairs in the room)

›

Tim sat down on the chair nearest the door. (a specific chair)

›

Do you have a car? (not a specific car)

›

I cleaned the car yesterday. (= my car)

We use a/an when we say what kind of thing or person we mean. Compare:

›

We stayed at a very cheap hotel. (a type of hotel)

›

The hotel where we stayed was very cheap. (a specific hotel)

C

We use the when it is clear which thing or person we mean. For example, in a room we talk about the light / the floor / the ceiling / the door / the carpet etc. :

›

Can you turn off the light, please? (= the light in this room)

›

I took a taxi to the station. (= the station in that town)

›

(in a shop) I'd like to speak to the manager, please. (= the manager of this shop)

We also say '(go to) the bank / the post office':

›

I have to go to the bank and then I'm going to the post office.

(The speaker is usually thinking of a specific bank or post office.)

and '(go to) the doctor / the dentist':

›

Clare isn't well. She's gone to the doctor.

›

I don't like going to the dentist.

Compare the and a:

›

I have to go to the bank today.

›

Is there a bank near here?

›

I don't like going to the dentist.

›

My sister is a dentist.

D

We say 'once a week / three times a day / £1.50 a kilo' etc. :

›

I go to the cinema about once a month.

›

'How much are those potatoes?' '£1.50 a kilo.'

›

Helen works eight hours a day, six days a week.

Exercises (4)

0/4 exercises checked
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72.1

Put in a/an or the.

  1. 1
    This morning I bought book and magazine. book is in my bag, but I can’t remember where I put magazine.
  2. 2
    I saw accident this morning. car crashed into tree. driver of car wasn’t hurt, but car was badly damaged.
  3. 3
    There are two cars parked outside: blue one and grey one. blue one belongs to my neighbours. I don’t know who owner of grey one is.
  4. 4
    My friends live in old house in small village. There is beautiful garden behind house. I would like to have garden like that.
72.2

Put in a/an or the.

  1. 1
    a This house is very nice. Does it have garden?
  2. 2
    b It’s a beautiful day. Let’s sit in garden.
  3. 3
    c I like living in this house, but it’s a shame that garden is so small.
  4. 4
    a Can you recommend good restaurant?
  5. 5
    b We had dinner in very nice restaurant.
  6. 6
    c We had dinner in best restaurant in town.
  7. 7
    a What’s name of that man we met yesterday?
  8. 8
    b We stayed at a very nice hotel – I can’t remember name now.
  9. 9
    c My neighbour has French name, but in fact she’s English, not French.
  10. 10
    a Did Paula get job she applied for?
  11. 11
    b It’s not easy to get job at the moment.
  12. 12
    c Do you enjoy your work? Is it interesting job?
  13. 13
    a ‘Are you going away next week?’ ‘No, week after next.’
  14. 14
    b I’m going away for week in September.
  15. 15
    c Gary has a part-time job. He works three mornings week.
72.3

Put in a/an or the where necessary.

  1. 1
    Would you like apple?
    Would you like apple?example
  2. 2
    How often do you go to dentist?
  3. 3
    Can you close door, please?
  4. 4
    I have problem. I need your help.
  5. 5
    How far is it from here to station?
  6. 6
    I’m going to post office. I won’t be long.
  7. 7
    Paul plays tennis. He’s very good player.
  8. 8
    There isn’t airport near where I live.
  9. 9
    nearest airport is 70 miles away.
  10. 10
    There were no chairs, so we sat on floor.
  11. 11
    Have you finished with book I lent you?
  12. 12
    Chris has just got job in bank in Zurich.
  13. 13
    We live in small apartment in city centre.
  14. 14
    There’s shop at end of street I live in.
72.4

Answer these questions. Where possible, use once a week / three times a day etc.

  1. 1
    How often do you go to the cinema?
    example
  2. 2
    How often do you go to the dentist?
  3. 3
    How often do you go away on holiday?
  4. 4
    How long do you usually sleep?
  5. 5
    How often do you go out in the evening?
  6. 6
    How many hours of TV do you watch (on average)?
  7. 7
    What’s the usual speed limit in towns in your country?