Test it, Fix it. English grammar - Kenna Bourke 2003
Articles (3)
Test it ✓
1 Choose the correct sentence in each pair.
a John's in the hospital because he's broken his leg.
b John's in hospital because he's broken his leg.
c What funny boy you are!
d What a funny boy you are!
e We'll have a salad for lunch.
f We'll have a salad for the lunch.
g We're going to London by the car.
h We're going to London by car.
i To get to Broad Street, take the second turning on the left.
j To get to Broad Street, take the second turning on left.
2 Write a, an or the where necessary.
a Mickey James is in ... prison again.
b Hey, look! My watch is ... same as yours!
c Emma's only five and she can already count to ... hundred.
d The children go to school by ... bus.
e Would you like to win ... million dollars?
f Julian! What ... amazing surprise!
g What do you want for.. ... breakfast?
h Patrick Leigh Fermor travelled from London to Istanbul on ... foot.
i Sandy's working as ... assistant until she goes to Australia.
j Take the third turning on ... right.
Test it again ✓
1 Find and correct the mistake in each sentence.
2 Match the two halves of each sentence. Add a, an or the where necessary.
a Do you ever go to
b The post office is over there on c We often go to the beach in
c Most people dislike being in
e I'm busy. I’ve got
f Harry! What
g He's working as
h They do mountain rescues by
i After
j I like
1. ... helicopter.
2. ... waiter at the moment.
3. ... hospital.
4. ... church?
5. ... June.
6. ... lunch we'll play football.
7. ... coast more than the mountains.
8. ... million things to do.
9. ... surprise to see you again!
10 ... right next to the bank.
Fix it
Answers to Test it
Check your answers. Wrong answer?
Read the right Fix it note to find out why.F
Answers to Test it again
2. a 4 —
b 10 the
c 5 —
d 3 —
e 8 a
f 2 a
h 1 —
i 6 —
j 7 the
nFix it notes
A
Use the before some common expressions, e.g. the left, the right, the same.
В
Don’t use an article with some common expressions relating to particular places, e.g. in bed, at home, in hospital, in prison, to work.
C
Don't use an article with meals, days, months, or with holidays, festivals and special days.
D
Use a or an before a singular countable noun after as.
E
Don't use an article with methods of transport, e.g. by bus, by car, on foot.
F
Use a or an before a singular countable noun in exclamations with What ... !
G
Use a before hundred, thousand, million when you mean 'one hundred', 'one thousand’, etc.
Review
Articles (3)
A and an
• You use a or an before singular countable nouns after as.
I'm using my spare bedroom as an office.
• You use a or an before singular countable nouns in exclamations that start with What.
What a surprise!
What an amazing car!
What a funny dream!
• You use a before the words hundred, thousand, million, billion, etc. when you mean 'one hundred', 'one thousand', etc.
Jill's won a hundred euros.
A thousand years ago there was a forest here.
The
• You use the before some common expressions, e.g. the same, the cinema, the theatre, the right, the left, the top, the coast, etc. You need to learn these.
You're wearing the same jacket as me.
Shall we go to the cinema?
My house is on the left.
No article
• You don't use an article with some common expressions relating to particular places.
to, in or out of: bed, church, hospital, prison
to, at or from: college, school, university, work
• You don’t use an article with meals, days, months, holidays, festivals and special days.
Let’s have lunch together.
I hate Mondays.
My birthday's in June.
The kids love Christmas.
We always have a party on New Year's Day.
• You don't use an article with methods of transport.
I get to work by train.
Helen loves going everywhere on foot.
It's quicker by car.
The Prime Minister travels by plane.