We use “a” with words beginning with a consonant
( b, c, d, f , g … ):
a map a pencil a lorry a diamond
We also use”a” before “u” when it is pronounced like
the word “you” and before “eu”:
a university a European country
 “A” is also used before “h” when it is sounded:
a house a horse a hole
 “An” is used before words beginning with vowels (a,
e, i, o u):
an exam an arrow an orange
 “An” is also used before words that start with a silent
“h”:
an hour an honour an heir
We usually use “a/an” to talk about a person or thing
for the first time. Ex: I found a book under the desk.
We also used “a/an” with prices and speeds:
It is 2 euros a kilo. /He was driving at 140 km an hour!
We use “a/an” before hundred, thousand, million:
a hundred dollars a thousand people
We always use “a/an” when talking about jobs:
She is a nurse. / I’m a teacher.
When the word is plural and indefinite we use no
article (usually an X):
She is a nurse >> they are nurses/ he bought apples.
We use “the” to refer to a specific person, thing or
object that has been mentioned before or that is clear
from the context.
I bought a cd last week. The cd cost me 10€.
We also use “the” when there is only one of
something:
Turn on the radio, please.
The earth goes round the sun.
 “The” is also used in the following cases:
Before musical instruments (never before the names
of sports)
Ex: I play the guitar and he plays football.
Before geographical nouns like mountain groups,
rivers, island groups, seas, deserts:
They live in a village by the Mediterranean sea.
The Nile is the longest river in the world.
Before the names of most hotels, cinemas, theatres,
museums:
We went to the Odeon theatre last weekend.
The Hilton is a very expensive hotel.
Before the names of newspapers:
She always reads the Guardian
Before the superlative form of an adjective:
Peter is the tallest boy at school.
 “The” can also be used before ordinal numbers:
This is the second time I have visited Rome.
1. ____ axe can be used to cut down trees.
2. ____ wheel is always round.
3. I wanted to be ____ actor when I was young.
4. You can write things on ____ notebook.
5. Mechanics wear ____ uniforms at work.
6. ____cars are faster than a bicycles.
7. There is ____ ashtray on the kitchen table.
8. You can take ____ laptop everywhere you go.
9. ____ armchair is more comfortable than a chair.
10. ____ apple a day keeps the doctor away.
11. Women put a lot of things in ____ handbag.
12. ____ highlighter is used for marking things in a book.
13. ____ hammers are used for hitting nails into wood.
14. ____ octopus is a sea creature with eight tentacles.
15. You use ___ iron for making clothes smooth.
Fill in the blanks with “a-an” or “the” when necessary. Then
match to the pictures.
1. I bought ____ new bicycle yesterday.
2.
They went to ____ Louvre when they were in Paris.
3.
Sandra has been ____ doctor for eight years.
4.
They saw ____ tigers when they were on holiday in India.
5.
My brother plays ____ guitar much better than you.
6.
When they arrived at ____ Sunset hotel, they couldn’t open
their bedroom door.
7.
He turned on ____ TV to watch his favourite programme.
8.
This is ____ first time he has been punished by his teacher.
9.
They had ___ romantic dinner in ___ Thai restaurant in Anfa.
10. ____Himalayas are ____ highest mountains in the world.
11. He goes to ____ gym every day and also plays ____ tennis.
12. I rarely go to ____ cinema. I prefer going to ___ cafés.
13. He reads ____ Daily Mail newspaper at breakfast every day.
14. They’ve got ____ house in Holland.
15. There are ____ people knocking at the door.
16. Where is Lisa? –She’s in ______ garden watering the flowers.
We use “a” with words beginning with a consonant (
b, c, d, f , g … ):
a map a pencil a lorry a diamond
We also use”a” before “u” when it is pronounced like
the word “you” and before “eu”:
a university a European country
 “A” is also used before “h” when it is sounded:
a house a horse a hole
 “An” is used before words beginning with vowels (a,
e, i, o u):
an exam an arrow an orange
 “An” is also used before words that start with a silent
“h”:
an hour
We usually use “a/an” to talk about a person or thing
for the first time. Ex: I found a book under the desk.
We also used “a/an” with prices and speeds:
It is 2 euros a kilo.
He was driving at 140 km an hour!
We use “a/an” before hundred, thousand, million:
a hundred dollars a thousand people
We always use “a/an” when talking about jobs:
She is a nurse.
I’m a teacher.
We use “the” to refer to a specific person, thing or
object that has been mentioned before or that is clear
from the context.
I bought a cd last week. The cd cost me 10€.
We also use “the” when there is only one of
something:
Turn on the radio, please.
The earth goes round the sun.
 “The” is also used in the following cases:
Before musical instruments (never before the names
of sports)
Ex: I play the guitar and he plays football.
Before geographical nouns like mountain groups,
rivers, island groups, seas, deserts:
They live in a village by the Mediterranean sea.
The Nile is the longest river in the world.
Before the names of most hotels, cinemas, theatres,
museums:
We went to the Odeon theatre last weekend.
The Hilton is a very expensive hotel.
Before the names of newspapers:
She always reads the Guardian
Before the superlative form of an adjective:
Peter is the tallest boy at school.
 “The” can also be used before ordinal numbers:
This is the second time I have visited Rome.
1. ____ axe can be used to cut down trees.
2. ____ wheel is always round.
3. I wanted to be ____ actor when I was young.
4. You can write things on ____ notebook.
5. Some people wear ____ uniform at work.
6. ____car is faster than a bicycle.
7. There is ____ ashtray on the kitchen table.
8. You can take ____ laptop everywhere you go.
9. ____ armchair is more comfortable than a chair.
10. ____ apple a day keeps the doctor away.
11. Women put a lot of things in ____ handbag.
12. ____ highlighter is used for marking things in a book.
13. ____ hammer is used for hitting nails into wood.
14. ____ octopus is a sea creature with eight tentacles.
15. You use ___ iron to for making clothes smooth.
Fill in the blanks with “a-an” or “the” when necessary. Then
match to the pictures.
1. I bought ____ new bicycle yesterday.
2.
They went to ____ Louvre when they were in Paris.
3.
Sandra has been ____ doctor for eight years.
4.
They saw ____ thousand different things when they were on
holiday.
5.
My brother plays ____ guitar much better than you.
6.
When they arrived at ____ Sunset hotel, they couldn’t open
their bedroom door.
7.
He turned on ____ TV to watch his favourite programme.
8.
This is ____ first time he has been punished by his teacher.
9.
They had ____ romantic dinner in ____ restaurant in town.
10. ____ Gobi is ____ largest desert region in Asia.
11. He goes to ____ gym every day and also plays ____ tennis.
12. I rarely go to ____ cinema. I prefer going to ___ disco.
13. He reads ____ Sun at breakfast time every day.
14. They’ve got ____ house in Holland.
15. There is ____ man knocking at the door.
16. Where is Lisa? –She’s in ___ garden watering the flowers.