Talking about the articles «a», «an», «the»

— Hello, boys and girls! My name is Kyle. And this is Sophia.

— Hello, friends! I’m Melanie. And this is Jackson.

— Welcome to our lesson!

— Guys, today we have a guest.

— It’s our friend Jenny.

— Hello, everyone! I’m happy to see you.

— We are happy to see you too, Jenny!

— Guys, I’m here today, because I need your help.

— Oh, okay. What kind of help do you need?

— Well… I know nothing about the articles “a”, “an”, “the”. And I don’t know when to use each of them.

— Oh, Jenny, don’t worry. We will explain this rule to you!

— Oh, guys, thank you so much!

— No problem, Jenny!

— All right, boys and girls! Let’s start!

So, today in the lesson we will:

● learn the meaning of the word “articles”;

● talk about the types of articles;

● talk about the articles “a”, “an”, “the”;

And

● put the knowledge into practice.

Jenny, first of all, let’s learn the meaning of the word “articles”.

Articles are the words that define a noun as specific or unspecific. We always put articles in front of a noun.

There are two types of articles:

The definite article

Определённый артикль

And

The indefinite article

Неопределённый артикль

The definite article is the word “the”.

For example:

The dog

The cat

The indefinite article has two forms.

The first form is the word “a”.

For instance:

A book

A gift

As you can see, the article “a” is used when the next word begins with a consonant sound.

The second form is the word “an”.

For example:

An orange

An animal

As you can see, the article “an” is used when the next word begins with a vowel sound.

— Jenny, now you know more about articles.

— Yes, that’s right! But I still don’t understand when to use “a”, “an” and “the”.

— Oh, don’t worry, Jenny. We will explain everything to you right now.

— Great!

First, let’s answer the question:

When do we use the indefinite article “a” or “an”?

We use the indefinite article “a” or “an” only with singular countable nouns when we mention something for the first time.

For example:

I can see an orange rabbit.

The indefinite article can be used when it means “one” and refers to a single object or person.

For instance:

Frank, I would like a pineapple and three lemons, please!

We can also say:

Frank, I would like one pineapple and three lemons, please!

We can also use the indefinite article if we talk about a person or a thing which we can’t be more specific about, because we don’t have enough information.

For example:

A man called you three hours ago.

Now let’s answer the following question:

When do we use the definite article “the”?

We use the definite article “the” with countable and uncountable nouns when it’s clear which person or thing we mean.

For instance:

The dog on the sofa is brown.

The article “the” is used when a particular noun has already been mentioned previously.

For example:

I bought a cake yesterday. The cake was really delicious.

The definite article “the” is used when the noun refers to something or someone that is unique.

For instance:

The sun is very bright today.
4. We can use the article “the” when we talk about national groups.

For example:

The Chinese eat long noodles and red eggs on their birthdays.

The definite article can be used to talk about musical instruments.

For instance:

Stephanie can play the drums, but she can’t play the guitar.

— Jenny, we’ve told you when to use the indefinite articles “a” and “an”.

— We’ve also discussed when to use the definite article “the”.

— Yes, that’s right!

— Now, Jenny, you need to know one more thing about the article “the”.

— Look at the blackboard, please!

— Oh, okay.

The definite article “the” can be pronounced in two different ways:

[ðə] – if it comes before a consonant sound.

For example:

The weather is snowy today.

The dog is really friendly.

The boy is so handsome.

We can also pronounce the definite article as:

[ði:] – if it comes before a vowel sound.

For instance:

The elephant is really beautiful.

The orange is so delicious.

The apple is on the table.

— Jenny, that’s all you need to know about the articles “a”, “an” and “the”.

— Oh, guys, thank you so much for the information!

— You’re welcome!

— Jenny, now we would like to check your knowledge if you don’t mind.

— Oh, sure! No problem!

— Great!

Look at the pictures and complete the sentences. Use the indefinite article “a” or “an”!

The pictures are…

And the sentences are…

Check yourselves!

The right answers are:

It’s a tiger.

It’s an elephant.

It’s an umbrella.

It’s a dolphin.

It’s an orange.

It’s a watermelon.

It’s a crocodile.

It’s an ice cream.

Now…

Listen to six short dialogues and complete them. Use the article “a”, “an” or “the”!

The first dialogue is…

Check yourselves!

The right answer is:

Jenson, look! The sun is shining and the sky is blue. It’s a great time to go outside and play football.

Oh, Finley, I don’t like playing football, but I really like playing the drums.

The second dialogue is…

Let’s check!

The right answer is:

Maddison, look! There is an orange cat on my bicycle.

Oh, wow! The cat is really beautiful. Jessica, we need to find its owners!

The third dialogue is…

Check yourselves!

The right answer is:

Mr. Wilson, could you give me an orange, an apple, a lemon and two pineapples, please?

Yes, of course, Freddie. Here you are!

The following dialogue is…

Let’s check!

The right answer is:

Millie, look! There is a man in the kitchen. The man is really handsome!

Oh, yes, I agree! Let’s come closer and talk to him.

The fifth dialogue is…

Check yourselves!

The right answer is:

Charles, a man called you two hours ago. The man didn’t introduce himself.

Oh, okay, Stanley. Thank you for the information.

The last dialogue is…

Let’s check!

The right answer is:

Teddy, I saw a girl yesterday. She bought twenty packets of tea.

Oh, wow! That’s a lot! I think she’s from Britain. The British like drinking tea.

— Well done, Jenny!

— Thank you! Guys, now I know everything about the articles “a”, “an” and “the”.

— Oh, we are happy to hear that.

— Thank you so much for your help. I really appreciate that!

— No problem, Jenny!

— All right! Now it’s time to say goodbye to everyone.

— Goodbye, friends!

— Goodbye, boys and girls!

— See you soon.