Grammar - Articles - a, an, or the

oxford practice grammar

articles (1): a, an, or the

#49

first, let’s compare a and an

oxford grammar practice #49

we use a before words which begin

with consonants

(b,c,d,f…)

oxford grammar practice #49

a doctor a big car

a girl

oxford grammar practice #49

we also use a

before u when it sounds like the word ‘you’ and

before euoxford grammar practice #49

sounds like ‘you’starts with u =

university a university

oxford grammar practice #49

sounds like ‘you’ starts with = eu

a European city

oxford grammar practice #49

we use an before words which begin with vowels

(a,e,i,o,u)

oxford grammar practice #49

an applean interesting film

oxford grammar practice #49

we also use an before words that begin with a silent

hoxford grammar practice #49

silent ‘h’ = houran hour

oxford grammar practice #49

hard ‘h’ = housea house

oxford grammar practice #49

next, let’s compare

a/an and theoxford grammar practice #49

Mary: I bought a CD player and a TV

yesterday.

Joe: Was the CD player expensive?

oxford grammar practice #49

we usually use a/an with a noun

to talk about a person or thing for

the first timeoxford grammar practice #49

a CD player

oxford grammar practice #49

we usually use the when we talk about the person or

thing again

oxford grammar practice #49

the CD player = the one that Mary

bought

oxford grammar practice #49

however, there are some special uses

of a/an and the

oxford grammar practice #49

we use a/an with prices, frequency

and speeds

oxford grammar practice #49

pricesIt costs £2 a litre

oxford grammar practice #49

frequencyI drink about three

cups of coffee a day

oxford grammar practice #49

speedsYou’re driving at

ninety miles an hour

oxford grammar practice #49

we use a/an before hundred, thousand, and

million

oxford grammar practice #49

a hundred peoplea thousand days

oxford grammar practice #49

we use a/an for talking about jobs

oxford grammar practice #49

I’m a bank manager

oxford grammar practice #49

we use the when there is only one of

something

oxford grammar practice #49

May I turn on the TV?

oxford grammar practice #49

Where’s Mary?She’s in the

kitchen.

oxford grammar practice #49

we use the with musical instruments

oxford grammar practice #49

I play the guitar.

Jane plays the violin.

oxford grammar practice #49

works citedCoe, Norman, Mark Harrison, and Ken Paterson. Oxford Practice Grammar Basic with Answers. Oxford, England: Oxford University Press, 2006.