Articles ESL Library

Articles
Grammar Practice Worksheets
Table of Contents
Using the
Using a or an
When no articles are used
Exercise 1:
6
Choose the correct article.
Exercise 2:
7
Pay close attention to the sound at the beginning of the word and choose a or an.
Exercise 3:
Lakes, rivers, mountains, deserts, and oceans Place the or / for no article before the nouns.
Exercise 4:
Plural nouns at the beginning of the sentence. Place the or / for no article before the nouns.
Exercise 5:
Error Correction. Use the article charts in the Quick and Handy Grammar Review
to analyze each sentence. Underline the mistakes, then write the sentence correctly.
10
Exercise 6:
11
Using articles with time expressions. Choose the correct article.
Exercise 7:
12
Insert the correct form of the articles the, a, an or / in the story.
Exercise 8:
Insert the correct form of the articles the, a, an or / in the story.
13
Answer Key
14
Copyright 2011, Red River Press Inc. For use by members of ESL-library.com in accordance with membership terms.
Articles
Quick and Handy Grammar Review Articles:

When you first learn vocabulary words in English, you are pleasantly surprised to know how simple articles are.
There are only three. A and an are indefinite articles, and the is the only definite article. Because there is
no gender in nouns in English (no masculine, feminine, or neuter forms), it is not difficult to choose an article.
If you have studied German, Italian, French, or Spanish, you probably remember how complicated articles are.
However, while the forms of the articles are easy, the use of articles in English is very complex. It is one aspect
that must be memorized. Fortunately (or unfortunately), there are many rules to follow. You must become
familiar with the rules. Articles are part of almost every sentence in the language. The charts below show the
rules for how and when and when not to use articles.
Using the
with time periods:
in the morning, in the summer.
Bob skis in the winter.
Mary sleeps in the afternoon.
Note: Do not use an article with
night. My sister works at night.
when the noun is made definite by
a prepositional phrase:
The woman in the blue suit is the
manager of the office.
The back of the car has fast food
bags all over it.
The bottom of the vase has the
manufacturers name.
when the noun has already been

mentioned:
I saw a cat. The cat was tiny.
The police chased a man. The
man robbed a bank.
Jon read a book. The book was
good.
when the noun is made definite by
an adjective phrase or an
adjective clause:
The person standing over there
comes from Israel.
The book that John is reading is
long and interesting.
when the noun that follows is

obvious or understood:
His hat fell on the floor.
There is no one in the house.
I walked to the other side of the
room and turned the tv on.
with the superlative degree of
adjectives:
Bill Gates is the richest man in
America.
Bo is the most intelligent man.
Note: Do not use the with the
comparative degree.
Beer is cheaper than wine.
Articles
Continued: Using the

with the names of oceans, seas,
deserts, and rivers:
with musical instruments:
The Amazon is longer than the

Mississippi.
The Pacific is the largest ocean.
The Dead Sea is between Israel
and Jordan
Ken plays the piano.

Marta is learning the guitar.
I can play the accordion.
The flute is a wind instrument.
with ordinal numbers and ranking

words:
with theatres, bridges, hotels, and

buildings:
I fell in love the first time I saw

her.
The next time you see John, tell
him I miss him.
That was the second book he
bought for the course.
The Chrysler Building is tall.

The Golden Gate Bridge was built
in the 1930s.
The Mia Hotel is in Miami.
The Loews Theatre in Jersey City
was built in 1934.
with abstract adjectives (to form

nouns describing people):
with historical periods of time:
The poor live on the west side.

This program is for the aged.
The young should help the old.
The Ice Age lasted many years.

There were two terrible wars in
the twentieth century.
Dante lived in the Middle Ages.
with country adjectives to describe

people:
with eye, ear, nose, and face when

hit by a foreign object:
The French drink a great deal of

wine.
The Spanish love soccer.
The Chinese invented pasta.
A rock hit him in the ear.

Hank punched Jeb in the face.
The ball hit Lester in the nose.
The door hit Luisa in the eye.
with inventions:
The radio was invented in 1920.
Marconi invented the telegraph.
The ipad was invented in 2009.
The electric light bulb was
invented by Edison.
with museums, gardens, and zoos:

The San Diego Zoo is great.
The Metropolitan Museum is on
museum mile in New York.
The Botanical Gardens has
hundreds of kinds of flowers.
with police, fire department, and
branches of the military:
The police are coming right now.
Barbara is in the army.
The navy and the air force are
attacking the port.
Note: do not use the with There
+ to be
There is a cat in the closet.
There are people in the mosque.
Articles
Using a or an
when a singular noun is indefinite
(not already known or mentioned):
a. use a before a consonant sound
b. use an before a vowel sound
They bought a new car.
Vancouver is a beautiful city.
Ms. Han is an energetic woman.
That is an unusual pair of shoes.
to mean each or per:

My father was driving 55
kilometers an hour.
Victoria makes $120 a day.
The hotel costs $200 a night.
The minimum wage is $7.25 an
hour.
Do not use a or an with plural

nouns:
He has cousins in Australia.
She has friends in China.
I love books.
Note: It is the sound, not the

letter, that determines a or an
Mina is in a union. [union begins
with /y/, a consonant sound]
There is a hair on the plate. [hair
begins with /h/, a consonant
sound]
Ken in an honest person. [the /h/ at
the begin of honest is silent]
That is an ugly car. [ugly begins
with a vowel sound]
after there + to be (in the
singular):
There is a car in the driveway.
There was a woman looking for
you.
Note: Do not use the with there +
to be
Do not use a or an with noncount nouns:
My father drinks coffee in the
morning.
We need air to breathe.
Love will keep them together.
with numbers and letters:

a. use a before a consonant sound
b. use an before a vowel sound
Hal got an A on the exam.
Lee got a B on the exam.
You must put an L in that word.
Maria earned an 8 out of 10.
The figure skater received a 7.
New begins with an N.
with little or few (with a positive
meaning):
Maya has a few close friends.
She wants to have a little fun.
Note: Do not use an article with
little or few for a negative
meaning:
Han has very few friends.
Dr. Co has little free time.
Use a with count nouns to quantify
non-count nouns:
a glass of milk, a cup of tea, a can
of soda, a teaspoon of sugar, a
pound of coffee, a bottle of wine,
a gallon of water
Articles
When no articles are used

with a general abstract noun:
with indefinite non-count nouns:
Mona loves to drink tea.
Bill puts sugar in his coffee.
I have to put flour, butter, and
water in the cake.
Love is a powerful emotion.

Jealousy is the cause of problems.
Note: Use the when the abstract
noun is definite:
The wisdom of that woman is
amazing.
with the names of roads,

boulevards, streets, avenues, and
lanes:
She lives on 27th street.
King Boulevard is a mile away.
The White House is on
Pennsylvania Avenue.
Dr. Dolce lives on Kingsbridge
Lane.
with the name of colleges and

universities:
with the names of cities, countries,

and states:
She studies at Rider College.

Nan lives at Miami University.
Walter goes to Burlington
Community College.
Note: When the name includes
the word of, use the:
Vics daughter goes to the
University of Pennsylvania.
Texas has many oil wells.

Japan is located in Asia.
Note: Use the with country
names containing Union,
Republic, or Kingdom
The Republic of South Korea
The Kingdom of Morocco
The Soviet Union
with individual lakes, islands, and

mountain peak:
with languages and religions:
when generalizing in the plural:

Cats will not come when you call
them.
People are generally honest.
Taxi cabs are usually yellow.
Tigers are ferocious animals.
with forms of go in certain

expressions:
go to church, go to bed, go to jail,
go to college, go to school, go to
class
I went to bed early last night.
with numbers and letters in a list:

Please do number 1, Erika.
B and C are correct.
Number 6 in the recipe tells you to
broil the fish for 10 minutes.
Lake Chad is in Africa.

We took a boat ride on Lake
Como.
Bermuda is a beautiful island.
Sicily is in the Mediterranean.
Mount Everest is the tallest
mountain in the world.
Islam is the second largest religion

in the world.
Hinduism is the leading religion in
India.
Spanish is the number one
language in South America.
Many writers around the world use
English.
with the name of diseases:

Cancer is a terrible disease.
Many children get the chicken
pox.
Note: Use the with the flu, the
mumps, and the measles.
Articles
An
The
//
(no article)
Exercise 1:
Choose the correct article.
1. It is not difficult to play ____ guitar.
14. ____ Taj Mahal is located in India.
2. _____ wolves are very dangerous animals.
15. _____ Mississippi River is very long.
3. Who invented _____ light bulb?
16. ____ lakes are usually cleaner than ____ rivers.
4. Have you ever eaten _____ Indian food?
17. ____ northern part of China is very cold.
5. ______ computers are really useful tools.
18. She gave me ____ advice.
6. ______ personal computer was first used in 1982.
19. I ate ___ apple for lunch.
7. The fastest animal in the world is _______ cheetah.
20. He was born in _____ taxicab.
8. _____ Nile River is the longest river in Africa.
21. I ate ____ breakfast at seven o'clock.
9. _____ river which is polluted is not safe for fishing.
22. Chile is located in _____ South America.
10. ____ movie that I saw last night was very good.
23. My sister had ____ x-ray of her arm taken.
11. I really hate _____ scary movies.
24. Not everyone can be ____ pilot.
12. The conference will be held at _____ Regis Hotel.
25. I have never eaten _____ bread from Afghanistan.
13. The victim was taken to _____ Hackensack Hospital.
Articles
an
Exercise 2:
Pay close attention to the sound at the beginning of the word and choose a or an.
1. Senator Jackson is _________ honest woman.

2. The teachers at Trinity College belong to _______ union.
3. The manager found _______ hair in her soup.
4. That is really _______ ugly bag. I cant believe you paid $200 for it.
5. Mildreds son attends _________ university in Houston, Texas.
6. Can you give me ________ hand. I cant do this by myself.
7. George was driving very fast, more than 95 miles ____ hour.
8. Basil is _________ herb. It has a wonderful flavor.
9. Chemistry is ________ hard course.
10. It is very difficult to get _______ A in Physics.
Articles
the
/
an
(no article)
Exercise 3:
Lakes, rivers, mountains, deserts, and oceans Place the or / before the nouns.
1. ______ Lake Titicaca is located on the border between Peru and Bolivia.
2. There are three states located on _____ Pacific Ocean: California, Oregon, and Washington.
3. _________ Sahara desert is located in northern Africa.
4. __________ Rocky Mountains pass through Idaho, Wyoming, and Colorado.
5. ________ Nile is the longest river in the world.
6. Many people in Chicago take boat rides on ________ Lake Michigan.
7. China has one of the largest deserts in the world: _______ Gobi desert.
8. Now that it has been cleaned up, people go swimming in ______ Hudson River.
9. _________ Indian Ocean is the third largest ocean in the world.
10. The 2006 Winter Olympics were held in ________ Alps in northern Italy.
11. _________ Greenland is the largest island in the world. It is seldom green.
12. _______ Mojave Desert is located in California, Nevada, and Utah.
13. Sochi, on __________ Black Sea in Russia, will host the 2014 Winter Olympics.
14. ________ St. Lawrence River flows through Ontario and Quebec, Canada.
15. ________ Himalayas are the highest mountains in the world.
Articles
the
/
an
(no article)
Exercise 4:
Plural nouns at the beginning of the sentence. Place the or / for no article before the nouns.
1. ________ elephants that we saw on the safari were drinking water from the lake.
2. ________ lions, which are called the kings of the jungle, are very aggressive.
3. ________ compact cars, which consume less gas than SUVs, also cost less.
4. ________ dogs, which are called peoples best friends, are excellent companions.
5. ________ cats that live in Ms. Adams house are of all colors and types.
7. ________ wines that come from Chile are fresh, light, and inexpensive.
8. ________ cups that we bought at the garage sale were made in England.
9. ________ cell phones, which are also used for text messaging, are the cause of many traffic accidents.
10. _______ people who live next door to us come from Albania.
Articles
Exercise 5:
Error Correction. Use the article charts in the Quick and Handy Grammar Review to analyze
each sentence. Underline the mistakes. Then write the sentence correctly.
1. George Washington Bridge is not as long as Golden Gate Bridge.
2. Harold puts a sugar in his coffee.
3. Uzbecki does not eat a seafood.
4. The beaches in the Cuba have the white sand.
5. Momoko goes to the Norwalk Community College.
6. His Porsche can go 100 miles the hour.
7. Personal computer was invented by I.B.M.
8. I usually work in afternoon, and my friend works in morning.
9. My counselor always gives me an advice about my courses.
10. The lions love to eat the meat.
10
Articles
an
the
//
(no article)
Exercise 6:
Using articles with time expressions. Choose the correct article.
1. In ______ summer, we always go to the beach.

2. I will meet you at ______ 8:00 in front of the library.
3. George loves to go skiing in _____ winter.
4. The architect scheduled the meeting for ______ Monday, July 6.
5. I cant believe that you came at 7:00 oclock in ______ morning. What a wild night!
6. The American Revolution took place during ___________ eighteenth century.
7. _______ last time I saw Raymond, he was working in a coffee shop.
8. Kristin does not work on ___________ weekends. She works on Mondays.
9. Michelangelo and Leonardo Da Vinci painted in ________ Renaissance.
11
Articles
Exercise 7:
Insert the correct form of the articles the, a, an in the story. If no article is required, insert /.
Snow Day
!
Last Tuesday was _______ first day of _______ school for _______ Spring semester. However,
when I woke up and looked out _______ window, I noticed that there was _______ lot of _______ snow
outside. _______ snow was so high that I couldnt see _______ my car. It was covered with _______
snow. I got dressed, but I couldnt find my boots. _______ boots were under _______ bed. I went
outside and found _______ shovel next to _______ door. There was a strange sight in front of _______
house. _______ deer was standing on _______ lawn, looking at me. _______ deer did not move, and I
did not move either. We looked at each other for _______ few minutes. Then _______ deer ran down
_______ street. I was ready to shovel and I saw two squirrels next to _______ tree. There were
_______ animals everywhere. _______ Squirrels love to run around, even in _______ snow.
I shoveled _______ driveway and found _______ car. In _______ winter, I usually park in
_______ garage, but last night I forgot. It took me _______ long time to clean the snow off _______
car. It was _______ unusual morning. After one hour of work, I was ready to go to _______ school. I
got into _______ car and drove 20 miles _______ hour down _______ street. It took me _______ fifty
minutes to get to _______ school building. I had _______ cup of coffee. They did not have _______
sugar or _______ milk because _______ delivery truck got stuck on _______ Kennedy Boulevard, so I
drank _______ black coffee. When I came into _______ room, there was _______ notice on _______
board. _______ professor was not coming to _______ school. He had _______ accident. What
_______ bad luck! Now I had to fight _______ snow and drive _______ home again.
12
Articles
Exercise 8:
Insert the correct form of the articles the, a, an in the story. If no article is required, insert /.
Lake Tahoe
!
Lake Tahoe is located on _______ border between _______ California and _______ Nevada. It
is _______ four-season paradise. In _______ winter, people come to ski in _______ high mountains.
_______ Sierra Nevada Mountains provide excellent skiing, and there are _______ many lifts. Squaw
Valley, _______ second largest ski area, was _______ site of _______ 1960 Winter Olympics. In
_______ spring, _______ snow begins to melt and run down _______ mountain. Much of _______
melted snow ends up in _______ lake. In _______ summer, _______ Lake Tahoe is used for swimming
and boating. _______ lake water is clean and cool.
On _______ Nevada side, there are _______ casinos. _______ casinos attract many visitors to
_______ area. Most are in _______ Stateline, Nevada, which borders _______ lake. _______
combination of blue water, white mountaintops, and green grass is _______ unusual sight of beauty.
_______ people return year after year to enjoy _______ vacation spot.
13
Articles
Answer Key
Exercise 1: Choose the correct article.
1. c
2. d
3. c
8. c
9. a
10. c
15. c
16. d
17. c
22. d
23. b
24. a
4. d
11. d
18. d
25. d
5. d
12. c
19. b
6. c
13. d
20. a
7. c
14. c
21. d
Exercise 2: Pay close attention to the sound at the beginning of the word and choose a or an.
1. b
2. a
3. a
4. b
5. a
6. a
7. b
8. b
9. a
10. b
Exercise 3: Lakes, rivers, mountains, deserts, islands, and oceans - Place the or / for no article
before the nouns.
1. b
2. a
3. a
4. a
5. a
6. b
7. a
8. a
9. a
10. a
11. b
12. a
13. a
14. a
15. a
Exercise 4: Plural nouns at the beginning of the sentence. Place the or / for no article before the nouns.
1. a
2. b
3. b
4. b
5. a
6. a
7. a
8. a
9. b
10. a
Exercise 5: Error Correction. Use the article charts in the Quick and Handy Grammar Review to analyze
each sentence. Underline the mistakes. Then write the sentence correctly.
1. The George Washington Bridge is not as long as the Golden Gate Bridge.
2. Harold puts sugar in his coffee.
3. Uzbecki does not eat seafood.
4. The beaches in Cuba have white sand.
5. Momoko goest to Norwalk Community College.
6. His Porsche can go 100 miles an hour.
7. The personal computer was invented by I.B.M.
8. I usually work in the afternoon, and my friend works in the morning.
9. My counselor always gives me advice about my courses.
10. Lions love to eat meat.
Exercise 6: Using articles with time expressions. Choose a, an, the, or / for no article in the
following sentences.
1. c
2. d
3. c
4. d
5. c
6. c
7. c
8. d
9. c
14
Articles
Exercise 7: Insert the correct form of the articles the, a, an or / in the story.
Snow Day
Last Tuesday was [the] first day of [no article] school for [the] Spring semester. However, when I
woke up and looked out [the] window, I noticed that there was [a] lot of [no article] snow outside. [the] snow
was so high that I couldnt see [no article] my car. It was covered with [no article] snow. I got dressed, but I
couldnt find my boots. [the] boots were under [the] bed. I went outside and found [a] shovel next to [the]
door. There was [a] strange sight in front of [the] house. [a] deer was standing on [the] lawn, looking at me.
[the] deer did not move, and I did not move either. We looked at each other for [a] few minutes. Then [the]
deer ran down [the] street. I was ready to shovel and I saw two squirrels next to [the] tree. There were [no article] animals everywhere. [no article] Squirrels love to run around, even in [the] snow.
I shoveled [the] driveway and found [the] car. In [the] winter, I usually park in [the] garage, but last
night I forgot. It took me [a] long time to clean the snow off [the] car. It was [an] unusual morning. After one
hour of work, I was ready to go to [no article] school. I got into [the] car and drove 20 miles [an] hour down
[the] street. It took me [no article] fifty minutes to get to [no article] school. I had [a] cup of coffee. They did
not have [no article] sugar or [no article] milk because [the] delivery truck got stuck on [no article] Kennedy
Boulevard, so I drank [no article] black coffee. When I came into [the] room, there was [a] notice on [the]
board. [the] professor was not coming to [no article] school. He had [an] accident. What [no article] bad
luck! Now I had to fight [the] snow and drive [no article] home again.
Exercise 8: Insert the correct form of the articles the, a, an or / in the story.
Lake Tahoe
Lake Tahoe is located on [the] border between [no article] California and [no article] Nevada. It is [a] fourseason paradise. In [the] winter, people come to ski in [the] high mountains. [the] Sierra Nevada Mountains
provide excellent skiing, and there are [no article] many lifts. Squaw Valley, [the] second largest ski area, was
[the] site of [the] 1960 Winter Olympics. In [the] spring, [the] snow begins to melt and run down [the] mountain. Much of [the] melted snow ends up in [the] lake. In [the] summer, [no article] Lake Tahoe is used for
swimming and boating. [the] lake water is clean and cool.
On [the] Nevada side, there are [no article] casinos. [the] casinos attract many visitors to [the] area.
Most are in [no article] Stateline, Nevada, which borders [the] lake. [the] combination of blue water, white
mountaintops, and green grass is [an] unusual sight of beauty. [no article] people return year after year to enjoy
[the] vacation spot.
15

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Articles

Grammar Practice Worksheets

When no articles are used

Choose the correct article.

Using articles with time expressions. Choose the correct article.

Insert the correct form of the articles the, a, an or / in the story.

Grammar Practice Worksheets

Quick and Handy Grammar Review Articles:

when the noun has already been

when the noun that follows is

Grammar Practice Worksheets

Continued: Using the

with musical instruments:

The Amazon is longer than the

Ken plays the piano.

with ordinal numbers and ranking

with theatres, bridges, hotels, and

I fell in love the first time I saw

The Chrysler Building is tall.

with abstract adjectives (to form

with historical periods of time:

The poor live on the west side.

The Ice Age lasted many years.

with country adjectives to describe

with eye, ear, nose, and face when

The French drink a great deal of

A rock hit him in the ear.

with museums, gardens, and zoos:

Grammar Practice Worksheets

to mean each or per:

Do not use a or an with plural

Note: It is the sound, not the

with numbers and letters:

Grammar Practice Worksheets

When no articles are used

Love is a powerful emotion.

with the names of roads,

with the name of colleges and

with the names of cities, countries,

She studies at Rider College.

Texas has many oil wells.

with individual lakes, islands, and

with languages and religions:

when generalizing in the plural:

with forms of go in certain

with numbers and letters in a list:

Lake Chad is in Africa.

Islam is the second largest religion

with the name of diseases:

Grammar Practice Worksheets

1. It is not difficult to play ____ guitar.

14. ____ Taj Mahal is located in India.

2. _____ wolves are very dangerous animals.

15. _____ Mississippi River is very long.

3. Who invented _____ light bulb?

16. ____ lakes are usually cleaner than ____ rivers.

4. Have you ever eaten _____ Indian food?

17. ____ northern part of China is very cold.

5. ______ computers are really useful tools.

18. She gave me ____ advice.

6. ______ personal computer was first used in 1982.

19. I ate ___ apple for lunch.

7. The fastest animal in the world is _______ cheetah.

20. He was born in _____ taxicab.

16. lakes are usually cleaner than rivers.