Practice 1 | Definite and Indefinite Articles in English
Instructions
Instructions. Based on this lesson fill in the blanks with the indefinite article (a, an) or definite article (the) to complete the blank. If no article is needed, leave it blank.
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PDF Handout
I like bananas, but I prefer apples.
(Use no article before plural nouns with a general sense).
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Joe: — I have an apple and a banana.
Jackie: — I’ll have the apple, please.
(Joe is not talking about a specific apple or banana.)
(Jackie says “the apple” here because it is a specific banana that Joe is offering her.)
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Is tea a popular beverage in your country?
(You are talking about tea in general, so you do not use an article.)
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They’re both nice, but I prefer the black one.
(“The black one” is a specific jacket.)
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Carlos lives in the United States.
(The United States is one of the names of countries that uses “the.”)
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Uruguay is a small country in South America.
(“Uruguay” and “South America” are names of a geographical locations used without “the.”)
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I usually love cats, but I don’t like the neighbor’s cat. It’s very unfriendly.
The plural refers to “cats" with a general sense. “The neighbor’s cat” is a cat in particular.
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— How is the party?
— It’s okay. The people are nice, but food and drinks are terrible.
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9. (before dinner)
— What’s for dinner?
— We’re having soup.
(during dinner)
— How’s soup?
— It’s delicious!
— We’re having soup.
(It’s not any specific soup. It’s just soup.)
— How’s the soup.
(The question is about something specific: the soup you are eating now.)
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No, that’s John’s car.
(John’s car is a specific car, but you cannot use “the” before a person’s name.)
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More Practice
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