Articles: a, an, the (Unit 3)

A. Read the text and notice the words in bold.

This is Asma Ahmed's bed room. The room is very neatly made. It has a bed with pillows, cushions, and a colorful, flowery bed-cover. There's a rug in front of the bed with another big cushion. An excellent painting of the sea is hanging from the wall while another small painting is kept on the top of the right side-table. The room has a rocking chair and a sofa at the left corner. The windows are covered with large heavy curtain. Can you see a mask somewhere around the bed?
The bold words in the passage are examples of articles in English. Can you find out any principle or rule about the use of a, an, and the in the passage .

Use of articles

1. We use a/an to talk about something for the first time.
   e.g. a bed, a bed-cover, a rug, a rocking chair, a sofa, a mask In the text above when the speaker uses any singular countable noun, s/he uses either a or an before it.
2. We also use a/an to refer to something unspecified, e.g. not particular or specific.
   She bought some apples from a shop in the new market. In this sentence the shop in the new market is not specific as there are many shops in the new market. So, article has been used before it.
3. a is used before consonants and 'an' is used before vowel
4. a is used before vowel 'U' when it is pronounced as 'you'. So, a university, not an university.
5. an is used before consonant if the first 'h' of a word is silent: an hour, an honest man etc...
6. We use the when we refer to something for the second time .g. This is Asma Ahmed's bed room. The room is very neatly made. (room:1st time) (room: 2nd time)
7. We use the when we refer to any person or object specifically. e.g. There are few windows in the room. The windows are covered with large heavy curtain.
   In the second sentence, the windows are specific in the sentence: which windows the speaker is referring to? The windows are the windows of Asma Ahmed.
8. We also use the to refer to something that has no alternative. e.g. The sun is the source of energy in the earth.

B. Fill in the blanks in the following conversation with a, an, or the, if necessary

: Do you like banana?
: Hmmm...not exactly.
: Would you like to have _____ (a) banana now?

: Since you don't have anything else and I'm hungry, so yes, please.
: Which ______ banana would you like to have? I have local
banana and the imported banana.

: _______ : Ok, here you are. Now I'll have the imported one. That is bigger.(The) local banana, please.

C. Here are a few things that people generally like or dislike. Think about them and make your own statements. An example is given for you.
I usually don't like apples because they aren't fresh but yasterday the apple I ate was so fantastic.

i) __________
ii)__________
iii)__________
iv)__________
v)___________
vi)__________

D. Fill in the blank spaces with a, an, the, or a cross (x) mark.

i) ______ motor vehicles and _______ greenhouses cause pollution and it damages ______ environment.

ii). All pollutions are bad but _______ pollution we cause in _______ water is perhaps the worst.

iii) I love watching _______ movies. movies are good sources of entertainment. Last week I saw a movie - Troy. It was fantastic.

iv. ________ Honesty and ________ sincerity are two great qualities of human life.

v) However, sometimes it appears that ________ honesty and ________ sincerity our farmers are showing everyday are not evaluated.

vi) I am a food taster. I like even ________ food of small ethnic groups. Last time _______ foods I tried in Rangamati and Khagrachari were great.

vii) _____ world is yet to ensure _____ food for all.

viii) My brother is studying ______ history. His special interest are _______ history of the Faraoh and ______ history of _________Post-Communist Era.

Now write two sentences using a/an in one sentence and using the in the other.

F. Two friends are talking to each other. Read their conversation and fill in the gaps with a, an, the, or a X.

Sara: If you have _______ flu, do you go to ______ bed or you continue your ______ study as well?

Merry: Horrible flu! Sorry, I usually go to ______ But this time I had to study as _____ exam was very near.

Sara: we meet each other after a long time. Let's celebrate. Would you like to eat ________ lunch at a nearby restaurant, or go to ______ posh one?

Merry: Let's go to _______ one we explored last time. It should be near here.

Sara: How do you like to learn ______ English? Do you go to _______ specialist teacher or you prefer ______ coaching centres?

Merry: _____ teachers in my school are fluent as well as helpful. I also watch ______ English channels.

Sara: How do you go to your school? By _____ CNG, _______ rickshaw, or on ______ bus?

Merry: I just walk.

G. Read the following text. Follow the use of articles. If they are correct, put a tick mark (v) in the blank space. If wrong, correct them. The first one is done for you.

Waiter : Do you have a reservation?
Customer : Oh yes. My name is Jonathan Gomes.
Waiter : You have booked a table for six, right?
Customer : Yes. But can I have a larger table please, a table for eight?
Waiter : The table in the north is booked for you. And it can accommodate 8 persons.
Customer : That's great.
Waiter : Would you like a drink, first?
Customer : Yes, water please...And may I have a menu please.
Waiter : The menu is just beside the napkins.
Customer : Ok, please give us the fried rice, the mutton kabab, the vegetable with chicken, nuns and chicken sizzling.
Waiter : Would you like a dessert?.
Customer : A ice cream for each. By the way, manager is known to me. Can I speak to him?
Waiter : He is not here. You can speak to a floor supervisor.

After some time

Customer : Can I have a bill now?. ________
Waiter : Sure. I'll be back in an minute ______

H) Read the following text and fill in the blank spaces with appropriate articles.

My father is ________ (i) fisherman and we live in ________ (ii) coastal area. Every day my father goes to _______ (iii) sea with some other fishermen. Sometimes they go early in ______(iv) morning and come back at late night. Sometimes they do not return ________ (v) couple of days. ______ (vi) most joyful moment in our life is when we hear ______ (vii) voice of our father at______ (viii) end of _______ (ix) day. Often he comes back with some fresh fishes for us. We pass time in anxiety when ________ (x) Kalboishakhi comes. Any natural disaster is terrible. Every year some of our near and dear ones are washed away by ________ (xi) sea. They are ______ (xii) victims either of (xiii) cyclones or tidal surge, or Kalboishakhi. Our women are very brave and so are we. We say good bye to ________ (xiv) men every day and don't know when they will be back. Yet we wait. Sometimes we wait for _______ (xv) whole life but they never come back.