Lesson 13 - Articles

Articles

Lesson Objectives

Today we will:

• Look at indefinite and definite articles

• Practice using the articles; indefinite and definite.

• Practice 2 skills - Reading and Writing

Starter

Match

Match the following:

• telling everyone that something you have or did was very good, often making them feel jealous

• someone whose job is to watch over a swimming pool or part of the sea where people swim, to make sure they are safe

• be very expensive

• a message you send over the internet to tell someone about a place that you are visiting, usually as a holiday

bragging

lifeguard

cost an arm and a leg

virtual postcard

• bragging

• lifeguard

• cost an arm and a leg

• virtual postcard

How many articles are in this text?
You have 5 minutes to read.

Hello again. My friends are so lucky - they always seem to have the time and money to go on holiday to some really nice places. Rob's just put a message on Facebook...

"Hi! I'm in Sydney, Australia. Wow, what a great place this is. I've been to a concert at the famous Opera House. I went to Bondi Beach but I couldn't go in the sea because a lifeguard said he'd seen a shark. I went on an amazing trip to the Blue Mountains - it's only an hour away on the bus - and I got to stroke a koala bear. The trip's cost an arm and a leg but it's well worth it."

An arm and a leg? That sounds painful! Oh I'd love to go to Australia. How about you - where would you like to go to?

Drag and Drop

There are​

Placeholder

instances of 'the'

There are ​

Placeholder

instances of 'a/an'

There are ​

Placeholder

articles in total​



Here is the text again:

Hello again. My friends are so lucky - they always seem to have the time and money to go on holiday to some really nice places. Rob's just put a message on Facebook...


"Hi! I'm in Sydney, Australia. Wow, what a great place this is. I've been to a concert at the famous Opera House. I went to Bondi Beach but I couldn't go in the sea because a lifeguard said he'd seen a shark. I went on an amazing trip to the Blue Mountains - it's only an hour away on the bus - and I got to stroke a koala bear. The trip's cost an arm and a leg but it's well worth it."

Drag these tiles and drop them in the correct blank above

7

10

17

6

9

8

11

How many articles are in this text?
There are 7 instances of 'the'

There are 10 instances of 'a/an'

Hello again. My friends are so lucky - they always seem to have the time and money to go on holiday to some really nice places. Rob's just put a message on Facebook...

"Hi! I'm in Sydney, Australia. Wow, what a great place this is. I've been to the concert at the famous Opera House. I went to Bondi Beach but I couldn't go in the sea because a lifeguard said he'd seen a shark. I went on an amazing trip to the Blue Mountains - it's only an hour away on the bus - and I got to stroke a koala bear. The trip's cost an arm and a leg but it's well worth it."

An arm and a leg? That sounds painful! Oh I'd love to go to Australia. How about you - where would you like to go to?

Part 1 -
Indefinite Articles (a/an)

When do we use the indefinite article?

• a or an means one person or thing.

• Before singular nouns:

  I've been to a concert. (No a with plural - I've been to three concerts)

  We had a great day 

  We saw an elephant. (No an with plural - We saw many elephants)

• Before the name of a job:

  My sister wants to be an engineer.

A vs. An

• We use a before consonants:

  a chair,

  a horse,

  a laptop

• We use an before vowels (a, e, i, o, u):

  an architect,

  an idea,

  an umbrella

Fill in the Blanks

Fill in the gap with a or an:

I've just received

message from Rob.

Fill in the Blanks

Fill in the gap with a or an:

Sarah saw

elephant at the zoo yesterday.

Fill in the Blanks

Fill in the gap with a or an:

I need

orange for the recipe.

Fill in the Blanks

Fill in the gap with a or an:

I've been to 

 concert at the Opera House.

Fill in the Blanks

Fill in the gap with a or an:

She picked up

apple from the fruit bowl.

Fill in the Blanks

Fill in the gap with a or an:

She's

doctor.

A vs. An - Exceptions

• When the h is silent at the beginning of a word we use an not a:

  an hour

  an honour

• When the u or eu is pronounced /j/ or 'you' we use a not an:

  an uncle - /ʌ/ or 'uh'

  a university - /j/ or 'you'

  a user - /j/ or 'you'

  a euro - /j/ or 'you'

Multiple Choice

Which article should be used in the gap:

She received .................. hourglass as a gift for her birthday.

• a

  • - the 'h' is pronounced at the beginning of the word

• an

  • - the 'h' is silent at the beginning of the word

Multiple Choice

Which article should be used in the gap:

She bought .................. utensil set for her new kitchen.

• a

  • - u or eu is pronounced /j/ or 'you'

• an

  • - u or eu is NOT pronounced /j/ or 'you'

Multiple Choice

Which article should be used in the gap:

I need .................. umbrella.

• a

  • - u or eu is pronounced /j/ or 'you'

• an

  • - u or eu is NOT pronounced /j/ or 'you'

Multiple Choice

Which article should be used in the gap:

They spent .................. hour chatting in the garden.

• a

  • - the 'h' is pronounced at the beginning of the word

• an

  • - the 'h' is silent at the beginning of the word

Multiple Choice

Which article should be used in the gap:

Timothy has .................. uncle who lives in the city.

• a

  • - u or eu is pronounced /j/ or 'you'

• an

  • - u or eu is NOT pronounced /j/ or 'you'

Multiple Choice

Which article should be used in the gap:

He bought .................. uniform for his new job.

• a

  • - u or eu is pronounced /j/ or 'you'

• an

  • - u or eu is NOT pronounced /j/ or 'you'

Multiple Choice

Which article should be used in the gap:

He wore .................. hoodie to stay warm in the cold weather.

• a

  • - the 'h' is pronounced at the beginning of the word

• an

  • - the 'h' is silent at the beginning of the word

Multiple Choice

Which article should be used in the gap:

He's .................. heir to the family estate.

• a

  • - the 'h' is pronounced at the beginning of the word

• an

  • - the 'h' is silent at the beginning of the word

Multiple Choice

Which article should be used in the gap:

She has .................. upstairs bedroom in her house.

• a

  • - u or eu is pronounced /j/ or 'you'

• an

  • - u or eu is NOT pronounced /j/ or 'you'

Multiple Choice

Which article should be used in the gap:

They rented .................. house for the holiday.

• a

  • - the 'h' is pronounced at the beginning of the word

• an

  • - the 'h' is silent at the beginning of the word

Multiple Choice

Which article should be used in the gap:

Milly planted .................. eucalyptus tree in her garden.

• a

  • - u or eu is pronounced /j/ or 'you'

• an

  • - u or eu is NOT pronounced /j/ or 'you'

Multiple Choice

Which article should be used in the gap:

He bought .................. hat for his trip to the beach.

• a

  • - the 'h' is pronounced at the beginning of the word

• an

  • - the 'h' is silent at the beginning of the word

Articles + Adjectives

Adjectives go between a or an and the noun

• a blue unicorn - a before consonants

• an ugly duckling - an before vowels (a, e, i, o, u)

• an honest mistake - an before a silent h

• a unique idea - a when the u is pronounced /j/ or 'you'

• a euphoric experience - a when the eu is pronounced /j/ or 'you'

Multiple Select

Select all of the adjectives that could be placed in the gap.

Remember the adjective must agree with the article.

She found a .................. book on the shelf.

• mysterious

• old

• helpful

• unique

Multiple Select

Select all of the adjectives that could be placed in the gap.

Remember the adjective must agree with the article.

My neighbour is an .................. man.

• clever

• attractive

• honourable

• European

Open Ended

Please write an adjective that could be placed before the noun.

Remember the adjective must agree with the article.

I would love a .................. ice-cream.

Open Ended

Please write an adjective that could be placed before the noun.

Remember it must agree with the article.

I would love an .................. ice-cream.

Let's Review - indefinite articles

• a or an means one person or thing.

• We use a/an before singular nouns.

• We use a/an before the name of a job.

• We use a:

  before consonants

  when the u / eu is pronounced /j/ or 'you'

• Adjectives go between a/an and the noun, and the first letter of the adjective determines the article needed.

• We use an:

  before vowels (a, e, i, o, u)

  before a silent h

Part 2 -
Definite Article (the)

When do we use the definite article?

• Before singular nouns that we have already mentioned with a/an:

  I've been to a concert. The concert was very loud.

  We saw an elephant. The elephant was standing under some trees.

• Before singular, plural or uncountable nouns when we say exactly which person or thing we mean:

  I love the coffee shop next to the cinema. (referring to a specific coffee shop)

  The people in my new office are really nice. (referring to a specific group of people)

  Where's the brown sugar? (referring to a specific bag of brown sugar)

When do we use the definite article?

• We DON'T use the before plural and uncountable nouns when we are talking about things in general:

  Children need plenty of exercise and fresh air.

  (children in general; exercise in general; fresh air in general)

  Sugar isn't very good for you.

  (sugar in general)

• Adjectives go between the and the noun

  The big yellow lorry fell over.

When do we use the definite article?

• We also use the before singular, plural or uncountable nouns when it is clear which person or thing we mean:

  I'm going to the supermarket. (the one we always go to)

  The children are upstairs. (our children)

  Could you shut the door? (the door of this room)

• We also use the before singular nouns when there is only one of the noun:

  The sun is shining and there aren't any clouds in the sky.

Fill in the Blanks

Which article should be used in the gap?

It's my friend's birthday on Sunday, so yesterday evening I decided to make her

cake.

Fill in the Blanks

Which article should be used in the gap?

It's my friend's birthday on Sunday, so yesterday evening I decided to make her a cake. I started to make it, but there was no flour in

house.

Fill in the Blanks

Which article should be used in the gap?

It's my friend's birthday on Sunday, so yesterday evening I decided to make her a cake. I started to make it, but there was no flour in the house. I went to

shop, but it was closed. It's never closed!

Fill in the Blanks

Which article should be used in the gap?

It's my friend's birthday on Sunday, so yesterday evening I decided to make her a cake. I started to make it, but there was no flour in the house. I went to the shop, but it was closed. It's never closed! I walked further to find

shop that was open.

Fill in the Blanks

Which article should be used in the gap?

It's my friend's birthday on Sunday, so yesterday evening I decided to make her a cake. I started to make it, but there was no flour in the house. I went to the shop, but it was closed. It's never closed! I walked further to find a shop that was open. At last I found one. Guess what? There was no flour in

shop!

Fill in the Blanks

Which article should be used in the gap?

It's my friend's birthday on Sunday, so yesterday evening I decided to make her a cake. I started to make it, but there was no flour in the house. I went to the shop, but it was closed. It's never closed! I walked further to find a shop that was open. At last I found one. Guess what? There was no flour in the shop! So, I went to my friend's house. She had some flour and gave me

whole bag.

Fill in the Blanks

Which article should be used in the gap?

It's my friend's birthday on Sunday, so yesterday evening I decided to make her a cake. I started to make it, but there was no flour in the house. I went to the shop, but it was closed. It's never closed! I walked further to find a shop that was open. At last I found one. Guess what? There was no flour in the shop! So, I went to my friend's house. She had some flour and gave me a whole bag. I finally finished

cake

Fill in the Blanks

Which article should be used in the gap?

It's my friend's birthday on Sunday, so yesterday evening I decided to make her a cake. I started to make it, but there was no flour in the house. I went to the shop, but it was closed. It's never closed! I walked further to find a shop that was open. At last I found one. Guess what? There was no flour in the shop! So, I went to my friend's house. She had some flour and gave me a whole bag. I finally finished the cake an hour after midnight. What

evening! I hope my friend likes it.

Fill in the Blanks

Which article should be used in the gap?

It's my friend's birthday on Sunday, so yesterday evening I decided to make her a cake. I started to make it, but there was no flour in the house. I went to the shop, but it was closed. It's never closed! I walked further to find a shop that was open. At last I found one. Guess what? There was no flour in the shop! So, I went to my friend's house. She had some flour and gave me a whole bag. I finally finished the cake

hour after midnight.

Let's Review - definite articles

• Before singular nouns that we have already mentioned with a/an

• Before singular, plural or uncountable nouns when we say exactly which person or thing we mean

• We DON'T use the before plural and uncountable nouns when we are talking about things in general

• Adjectives go between the and the noun

• We also use the before singular, plural or uncountable nouns when it is clear which person or thing we mean

• We also use the before singular nouns when there is only one of the noun

That is the end of the class, but can the following student's remain in the class:
Liu Jiaming
Li Haohan
For everyone else, I will see you tomorrow