We also use it to show that the person or thing is one of a group. Using articles a, an, the there are only two types of articles. Just like definite articles, indefinite articles indicate the gender masculine or feminine and number singular or plural of a noun and have four forms, which are listed below. A student must note that the choice between a and an is determined primarily by sound. Pdf using and translating the definite article the al. The rules for using articles in english are quite complex, so for students whose first language is not english, when to use an article, and which article to use can cause problems.
Using articles articles are used to indicate whether a noun refers to a specific or a general item. The is used to refer to specific or particular nouns. It can also be tricky to know which article to use. Articles are used before nouns or noun equivalents and are a type of adjective.
Online exercises english grammar and courses free tutorial a or an articles. You need to define them use a, the, this, that, some, my, etc. We can use the indefinite article aan with singular countable nouns. Countable nouns are the names of separate people or objects which we can count. We use the indefinite article, aan, with singular nouns when the listenerreader does not know exactly which one we are referring to. Art003 definite and indefinite articles elementary. The words a and an are the indefinite articles and the is the definite article. Jun 22, 2016 definite and indefinite articles pdf worksheets english vocabulary and grammar.
In charge 1 grammar definite and indefinite articles. To say a book refers to any book, not a single specific book. Articles are a unique type of adjectives that indicate which noun person, place, or thing youre talking about. They refer to something not specifically known to the person you are communicating with. If the noun begins with a vowel sound then the indefinite article to use is an, e. A or an articles with free online exercises, examples and sentences, questions and a or an articles negative sentences. We use a after a consonant sound a cat, a sock, a coat and an after a vowel sound an umbrella, an ant first time. The present article investigates the difficulties that encounter the arab learners of english as a foreign language, when using or translating sentences and.
The definite article and geographical terms and names. The definite article the is used before a noun to indicate that the identity of the noun is known to the reader. Italian indefinite articles masculine indefinite articles feminine indefinite articles. Here are some basic rules for understanding how to use these articles. The rules for using articles in english are quite complex, so for students whose first language is not english. Indefinite articlesa, an anused before singular count nouns beginning with a vowel a, e, i, o, u or vowel sound. Definite and indefinite articles what is an article. Indefinite articles definition of indefinite articles. According to hewson 1972, the definite and the indefinite articles are among the ten most frequent words of english discourse p. Placing a or an before a noun makes it nonspecific.
Pdf using and translating the definite article the. Mar 18, 2011 uncountable nouns are the names of materials, liquids and other things which we do not see as separate objects. Indefinite pronouns exercise 1 perfect english grammar. The indefinite article a is the same for all genders. Choosing which type to use is challenging because article rules are complex. Definite and indefinite articles in english grammar. The above grammar presentation and activities are an extract from my enotes on definite and indefinite articles. There are four types of articles in english grammar. Think of a language like english and a language like chinese. Articles in english are very important, as we use them all the time.
Thereafter the article changes to the she wore a beautiful, red dress to the. Articles about learning, using and teaching the english language, including advice, tutorials, opinions and lesson plans from various authors and contributors. Indefinite articles a and an english online grammar. The english indefinite article has two forms, a and an, while the french has three, depending on the gender and number of the noun. The present article investigates the difficulties that encounter the arab learners of english as a foreign language, when using or translating sentences and phrases, which containing the definite. The indefinite article indicates that the speaker is referring to either an unspecific noun or to onesome of something. To help explain, in this post were looking at the definite. Determiners include articles aan, the and quantifiers determiners consist of a relatively small number of mainly grammatical items. Indefinite pronouns exercise 1 put in the correct indefinite pronoun somebody something somewhere anybody anything anywhere nobody nothing nowhere everybody. This handout is an effort to simplify those rules and make them readily accessible. French definite, indefinite, and partitive articles.
Like other articles, indefinite articles are invariable. Nationalities or religions we use the article with names of days i am a housewife, she is a journalist kate is a catholic. Grammar exercise definite and indefinite articles do the exercise below on definite and indefinite articles and click on the answer button to check your answers. Articles clarify whether a noun is specific or general, singular or plural. A read is counted each time someone views a publication summary such as the title, abstract, and list of authors, clicks on a figure, or views or downloads the fulltext. While listening to two american songs, students will get familiar with compounds of every, some, any and no indefinite pronouns. But for some nonnative speakers, learning when to use a, an and the can be time consuming, and the rules themselves can seem arbitrary. We use an if the following word starts with a spoken vowel. The only definite article in english is the, and it refers to a specific noun. Articles cover topics from english grammar, spelling and punctuation, through to language teaching, career development, specialisations, and ideas and suggestions for the classroom. Art004 definite and indefinite articles intermediate. The definite and the indefinite article in this section, we offer a brief grammar of english with exercises and the key to the exercises. In english, the two indefinite articles are a and an. We call the the definite article and aan the indefinite article.
English tenses and english grammar worksheets, grammar rules, grammar exercises. An indefinite article is a part of speech that identifies a nonspecific noun. Definite and indefinite articles in english grammar tesol. Articles in english grammar university of adelaide. When using a plural noun, these two articles are unnecessary. This is a very simple worksheet for revising articles and countable and uncountable nouns. Articles the proper use of articles comes naturally to most native english speakers. English practice downloadable pdf grammar and vocabulary worksheets.
As we noted above, the articles are the, usually referred to as the definite article, and aan, theindefinite article. The words a, an, and the are special adjectives called articles. Whether a noun is definite or indefinite depends on whether you and. If you would like to become fluent in this language. Definite and indefinite articles pdf worksheets english. Articles countable and uncountable nouns worksheet. You use one or the other, depending on the first letter of the word following the article, for pronunciation reasons. Contrast the use of the indefinite and definite articles in the first two sentences below. Police are searching for a 14yearold girl we also use it to show that the person or thing is one of a group she is a pupil at london road school police have been looking for a 14yearold girl who has been missing since friday. Articles worksheets are in pdf format and consist of a worksheet and answer sheet to check your results. Uncountable nouns are the names of materials, liquids and other things which we do not see as separate objects we can use the indefinite article aan with singular countable nouns.
How to use the and no article with geographical names. Indefinite articles a or an refer to nouns more generally. Articles indefinite and definite articles basic english. Rules of articles in english grammar with examples pdf. There are two types of articles, definite and indefinite. Articles are used at the beginning of noun phrases. We only use the indefinite article aan with singular countable nouns umbrella, cat, sock, coat, ant, etc. Is this anybodys coat we use else after indefinite pronouns to refer to other people or things. Practise definite and indefinite articles in the english classroom. Article in english grammar with examples pdf parts of. Articles, indefinite and definite linkedin slideshare. Then have them read the passage on socially developed robots and fill in the blank with the correct article.
The indefinite articles a and an are used to modify singular nouns. Police have been looking for a 14yearold girl who has been. We use aan when something is mentioned the first time. English has an indefinite article and doesnt allow for bare singular. Indefinite articles a, an in the sense of one and any definite articles the in the sense of this and that rules of articles the use of indefinite articles a, an rule 1. Aan can only be used with countable, singular nouns.
It is used before singular or plural nouns that are specific or particular. Plural nouns can take either a definite article or no article at all. This worksheet includes listening and speaking tasks as well as some grammar notes and practice. The indefinite article a, an is used before a noun that is general or when its identity is not. We use pronouns ending in body or one for people, and pronouns ending in thing for things. Articles with countable and uncountable nouns english grammar.
The is used to refer to specific or particular nouns, aan is used to modify no specific nouns. A plural countable noun cannot be used with indefinite articles. We call the definite article and aan the indefinite article. A is used before any word beginning with a consonant or a consonant sound. They are known as the definite and indefinite articles. She is a colleague of john john has many colleagues. Indefinite articles block bare nominal arguments it is commonly assumed that a language that has articles doesnt allow for bare nominal arguments and vice versa. It is almost impossible to discuss the noun phrase without referring at some stage to the class of words known as determiners, since more often than not a noun will occur with one or more words from this grammatical class. I can help you reach your language goals via private one on one english lessons on the internet. English, the is referred to as the definite article, and aan as the indefinite article. We arent talking about a specific movie, as we havent said which movie we want to see. Nowadays english is an enabling tool that will help you compete globally. This is something you can check in a learners dictionary of english.
Personal pronouns 1 exercise 2 3 pdf possessive pronouns exercise 1 2 3. Online exercises with questions and a or an articles, positive and negative sentences. Definite and indefinite articles a, an, the tip sheets. A university student university does not begin with a vowel sound, but, with a consonant sound. I have been teaching english for 10 years and online since 2012. We use aan before general, nonspecific nouns or to indicate membership in a group. In this lesson, articles in english grammar, youll learn the uses of definite and indefinite articles as well as the articles grammar rules. I have written 10 stepbystep ready to teach and ready formatted lessons, with lots of fun writing and speaking activities for your students to practice. They both constitute part of the noun phrase and usually, provided there are no other determiners present, occupy the first position in the noun phrase. The indefinite articles a and an, the definite article the, and no article zero article. Spanish indefinite articles, which translate to a, an, some or a few in english, agree with the nouns they modify in both gender and number. We use the definite article the to talk about something specific i. We use indefinite pronouns to refer to people or things without saying exactly who or what they are.
949 1191 412 782 967 814 673 1407 468 1539 766 851 665 808 284 949 122 676 1228 1470 419 1197 153 1265 812 1281 1530 518 1156 1587 1480 1162 1416 1583 1187 1509 563 1335 88 791 653 875 488 984 1161 1060