The use of articles in English

There are three articles in English – “a”, “an” and “the”.

A.   “A” is used before an indefinite noun/noun phrase beginning with a consonant sound.

e.g. – I want to buy a big house.  (“b” is a consonant)

In the above example, your listener/reader doesn’t know which big house you want to buy.  Maybe you don’t know which big house you want to buy either.

 

B.  “An” is used before an indefinite noun/noun phrase beginning with a vowel sound.

e.g. – I want to buy an older house because it’s cheaper. (“o” is a vowel)

In the above example, your listener/reader doesn’t know which older house you want to buy.  Maybe you don’t know which older house you want to buy either.

 

C.  “The” is used before a noun/noun phrase that is specific to both the listener/reader and the speaker/writer.

e.g. – The house at 62 Overland Drive has recently been renovated.

 

In the above example, the listener/reader knows which house the speaker/writer is talking about (i.e. – the one at 62 Overland Drive).

 

D.  No article is used when the speaker/writer is referring to a concept/thing/phenomena in a general way.

e.g. – ______ Houses in Toronto are generally expensive.

 

Exercise:

Do the exercise below.  Write “a”, “an” or “the” in the blanks below.  Afterwards, check your answers below.

1. _______ Condos are usually much cheaper than _______ houses.
2. _______ cost of condo fees discourages some people from buying _____ condos.
3. _______ Semi-detached houses are generally cheaper than _______ detached houses.
4. _______ Homeowners have to pay _______ property taxes.
5. Many, perhaps most, people who are selling their home employ _______ real estate agent.
6. ________ cost of housing in Toronto is generally quite high.
7. ________ cost of housing in ________ eastern suburbs of Toronto is generally cheaper than in ________ city of Toronto itself.
8. If you are _______ first-time homebuyer in Canada, you may be able to withdraw money from your RRSP for your mortgage.
9. If you buy ______ home, you’ll have to get _______ real estate lawyer to finalize _______ transaction.
10. _______ Mortgage rates in Canada are presently rather low.

 

 

 

 

Answers:

1. _______, _________
2. The, __________
3. ________, ________
4. __________, _________
5. a
6. The
7. The, the, the
8. a
9. a, a, the
10. _______