A, an, the: a new apartment – a, an and the exercises for beginners
About this lesson
This A1 drill lesson gives a, an and the exercises: a or an by sound, the first and the second mention, and nouns that take no article at all.
- Grammar
- An hour but a university, an adjective that changes the article, jobs with a / an, the sun and the kitchen, and no article with names, my or general plurals.
- Topic
- Apartment hunting in Denver: an invented landlord's ad, Zoe's messages from the visit, his welcome note, Kai's post and a tour in the chat.
- Activities
- Sorting, choices, a table of adjectives, gap-fills, drag-and-drop texts, word order, true or false, rule matching, quizzes, a chat and a final test.
What's inside
Chapter 1The rule
Chapter 2A or an? Listen to the sound
- Sort the words: a or an? Listen to the first soundSort into columnsUnlock
- Choose a or an: listen to the first soundChoose the optionTry it
- Fill in the table: a or an?Fill in the tableUnlock
- Read about Paige's bag and fill in the gapsFill in the gapsUnlock
- Put the words in the right orderUnjumbleUnlock
- Find the mistake: a or an?QuizUnlock
Chapter 3A / an or the?
- Choose a, an or theChoose the optionUnlock
- Fill in the gaps with the right articleFill in the gapsTry it
- Drag the words into the gaps: the first and the second timeDrag and dropUnlock
- Choose the right answer: a, an or the?QuizUnlock
- Is the article right? Mark true or falseTrue or falseUnlock
- Sort the sentences: a, an or the?Sort into columnsUnlock
- Read about Quinn's new room and fill in the gapsFill in the gapsUnlock
Chapter 4No article: names, my, plurals
- Sort the words: the or no article?Sort into columnsUnlock
- Choose the right wordsChoose the optionUnlock
- Find the mistakes and write the right wordsFill in the gapsUnlock
- Find the mistake and choose the right wordsQuizUnlock
- Put the words in order: names, my, pluralsUnjumbleUnlock
- Read Gus's message and drag a, an or the into the gapsDrag and dropTry it
- Match the rules and the examplesMatchUnlock
Chapter 5Real life: Apartment hunting
- Read the apartment adReal-life documentUnlock
- Read the ad again: true or false?True or falseUnlock
- Read Zoe's messages to Kai and fill in the gapsFill in the gapsUnlock
- Read Mr. Novak's note and drag a, an or the into the gapsDrag and dropUnlock
- Read Kai's post and choose the right wordsChoose the optionUnlock
- Choose the right replies: Mr. Novak shows you the apartmentChatTry it
- Test yourself: choose the right answerQuizUnlock
Chapter 6Homework
- Choose a or an: things at homeChoose the optionUnlock
- Drag a or an into the gaps: people and jobsDrag and dropUnlock
- Sort the words: a or an? Look at the next wordSort into columnsUnlock
- Choose a, an or the: more practiceChoose the optionUnlock
- Fill in the gaps with articles: everyday sentencesFill in the gapsUnlock
- Drag the words into the gaps: a or the?Drag and dropUnlock
- Mark true or false: is the sentence correct?True or falseUnlock
- Choose the correct sentenceQuizUnlock
- Put the words in the right order: sentencesUnjumbleUnlock
- Fill in the table: one thing and many thingsFill in the tableUnlock
- Match the questions and the answersMatchUnlock
- Find the mistakes in the sentencesQuizUnlock
- Read Daisy's postcard and fill in the gapsFill in the gapsUnlock
- Read the notice and drag a, an or the into the gapsDrag and dropUnlock
- Read the café's post and choose the right wordsChoose the optionUnlock
Grammar: a, an and the
A and an go with one thing the listener doesn't know yet, and with jobs: I have a cat. She's an artist. The is for the one we both know: The cat is black. Names, my or your, and plurals in general take no article.
A, an, the: which one?
a / an = one thing, the first time. the = the one we both know. No article with names, my / your and plurals in general.
A or an? Listen to the sound
The first sound of the next word decides, not its letter: a house, a university, a European city, but an apple, an umbrella, an hour. An adjective in front can change the article: an apartment, a small apartment.
a / an + (adjective) + one thing
a / an(adjective)one thing
a car · an old car
an apple · a big apple
a house · an hour
a or an? The SOUND of the next word
| Article | The next word starts with | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| a | a consonant sound: b, c, d, h, k, m, p, s, t… | a car, a house, a big apple, a new oven |
| a | a "you" sound: u, eu | a university, a uniform, a European city |
| an | a vowel sound: a, e, i, o, u | an apple, an egg, an umbrella, an old car, an orange cat |
| an | a silent h | an hour (say: "our") |
First time a, second time the
Say a or an when something comes up for the first time, for a job and in What a nice room! Use the the second time, for the only one (the sun, the moon) and for the one in this place: the kitchen, the door.
a / an
- one of many, the first time: I have a cat and a dog.
- jobs: He's a cook. She's an artist.
- what it is: It's an umbrella. What a nice room!
the
- the second time: The dog is big.
- the only one: the sun, the moon, the sky
- the one we both know, in this place: the kitchen, the door, the bank on Elm Street
No article: names, my and plurals in general
Plurals in general, names, and words like my or this take no article: Cats are cute. We're from Mexico. my car, this apartment. And a / an never goes with two or more: two cars, not a cars.
- plurals, in general: Cats are cute. Apples are good for you.
- names of people, cities, states and countries: Zoe, Denver, Colorado, Mexico
- after my, your, his, her, our, their, this, that: my car (not: the my car), this apartment
- a / an only with ONE thing: a car, but two cars (not: a cars)
Common mistakes
Watch for She is nurse, It's a hour from here, She's from the Denver and This is the my room. Also The cats are cute about all cats, and It's cozy house with the article missing.
Common mistakes
She is nurse.
She is a nurse.
a job needs a / an
It's a hour from here.
It's an hour from here.
the h is silent: an
She's from the Denver.
She's from Denver.
no article with names of cities
This is the my room.
This is my room.
no article before my, your, his…
Watch out!
a / an goes only with ONE thing: a cat, two cats (not: a cats). a or an? Listen to the SOUND: an hour, a university. Don't forget a / an: It's a cozy house (not: It's cozy house). The first time, say a / an, not the. All cats, in general: Cats are cute (not: The cats are cute).
Examples
- I have a cat and a dog. The dog is very big.first time: a · second time: the
- It's a small apartment. The kitchen is very nice.the kitchen of this apartment
- The sun is hot, and the sky is blue.the only one
- My sister is an engineer.a job
- Dogs are friendly. The dogs on my street are very loud.all dogs · these dogs
- We're from Mexico. Our apartment is in Denver.names and our: no article
More lessons on this grammar: Articles lessons and exercises
Try the a, an and the exercises
Try them yourself: these are the same exercises your students do in edio.
What's in the lesson
- 42 auto-checked exercises
- 3 games
- 1 real-life document
- 1 grammar scheme
- 1 picture
The main objectives of this lesson are to:
- choose a or an by the first sound of the next word: an hour, a university student, an old house but a small apartment
- name a job with a or an: Her husband is a pilot. My brother is an engineer, not My uncle is dentist
- say a the first time and the the second: Theo has a cat and a dog. The dog is very lazy.
- use the for the only one: The sun is very hot today. The moon is full tonight.
- leave out the article with names, my and plurals in general: Denver is in Colorado. Is that your phone? Rabbits are quiet animals.
- Grammar:
- articles · a / an · the · no article
- Topic:
- grammar practice · home · apartment hunting · jobs
Teaching tips
- Sort by ear before the eye: say words aloud, hour, house, uniform, umbrella, and students raise one hand for a and two for an before they see the words written.
- Build a two-line chain: each student names a thing they have and adds one fact about it (I have a bike. The bike is red.), and the next student repeats it before adding their own.
- Give a tour of a room at home: after Mr. Novak's chat, pairs show each other a room they know (This is the kitchen. It's a small room. The window is big.), and the partner checks every article.
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The whole course: English Grammar Practice · A1
English Grammar Practice · A1 has 24 drill lessons for adult beginners, one grammar point each, from the verb to be and the present simple to can, was and were and telling the time. Each has the rule as a scheme, 43 to 47 exercises that check themselves, 15 of them for homework, and no new words, so it works next to any course.See the course
- 1To be: I am, you are, she is
- 2To be negatives and questions: is it your bag?
- 3Subject pronouns and possessive adjectives: I, my, she, her
- 4This, that, these, those: what's this?
- 5Plural nouns: one box, two boxes
- 6A, an, the: a new apartment
- 7There is, there are: what's in the hotel?
- 8Have and has: she has a dog
- 9Present simple: she works, they work
- 10Present simple: don't, doesn't, do you…?
- 11Adverbs of frequency: always, usually, never
- 12In, on, at: times, days and months
- 13Prepositions of place: in, on, under, next to
- 14Can and can't: I can swim
- 15Imperatives: open, don't run, let's go
- 16Object pronouns: me, him, her, them
- 17Possessive 's: whose bag is this?
- 18Present continuous: what's happening now?
- 19Present simple or present continuous: every day or now?
- 20Like, love, hate + -ing: I love dancing
- 21Wh- questions: what, where, when, why?
- 22Countable and uncountable nouns: some, any, how much?
- 23Was and were: where were you yesterday?
- 24Telling the time and dates: what time is it?