Explanation and English Practice: ‘a’, ‘an’ and ‘the’ - EP2-02G

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Explanation

In English, ‘a’ means one:

 

‘Have you got a computer?’ Actually, I’ve got two.’

 

‘A’ means no particular one, any one.

 

‘I like to read a book on the train.’

 

There are lots of books, and I mean any one of them, not one in particular. We mention something for the first time using a / an, but if we say something more about it, we use ‘the’:

 

‘The book I’m reading (on the train) this week is a detective story by P.D. James.’

 

I’m now talking not about any book, but about a particular one.

 

We also use ‘the’ to talk about something we both (or all) know:

 

‘Darling, shall we go and buy a new lamp for the living room?’

‘There was a huge traffic jam all the way from the station to the theatre’

 

In these sentences, the speaker and listener(s) both know what living room, station and theatre are being talked about.

 

We us a / an to talk about jobs:

 

‘Your father’s a hairdresser, isn’t he?’

‘He is now, but he used to be a barman.’

 

We use ‘an’ in front of a vowel or vowel sound: an apple, an orange, an hour, an umbrella, an old horse, but ‘a’ before a consonant or consonant sound: a car, a rabbit, a university, a hot shower.

 

 

Practice

Now try these: Supply the definite or indefinite article (the or a / an) as required. Use NO other words.

1. A ‘I’m going down to ______ Post Office.’

    B ‘Oh, could you get _______ pound of apples from _______ greengrocer’s.’

2. I’ve just bought ______ new bike. It was _______ bargain.

3. The Prime Minister is speaking this afternoon at ________ school in West London, then in _______ evening, he’s due to address _______ group of ______ London Mayor’s special guests at _______ Guildhall.

4. A ‘Wait ______ moment, I have to turn off _______ central heating and feed _______ cat before we go out.’

    B ‘OK> I’ll get ______ car out and clean ________ windscreen. Don’t forget to lock ________ door, will you?’

5. ‘Daddy, come quick, there’s ______ dead cat in ______ pond!’

6.     _______ reason why I don’t drink coffee is that I have ______ stomach ulcer.

7. ________ trouble with my sister is that she hasn’t got ______ boyfriend.

8. I’m going to buy ______ winter coat. _______ one I want is in ______ window of the department store on the main square.

9. There was _________ time when you could buy ______ bottle of wine for _____ pound..

10. A ‘______ train was late again today.’ 

      B ‘I haven’t been on _______ train for years. Except once, last year, when ______ car broke  down.’

11. A ‘Excuse me, I’m looking for _________ taxi.’

      B. ‘Oh, ________ taxis all wait outside ________ station. Go up to _________ traffic lights there and turn left, and you’ll see them.’

12.  When I was young, I wanted to be _________ engineer, but I found _________ studies too hard, so now I’m _______ builder instead.