Grammar Up!

Level 1 Part 1 Articles

Articles can be tricky. Certain language-two (L2) users miss them out completely. Certain preference using one over a. Pronunciation is not always straightforward with the compressed sounding on the unstressed article. Moreover, the n in an often becomes part of the sounding of the following word. Look through these simple guidelines and try the exercise afterwards.

1:1

a/an (the indefinite article)

a is used before words beginning with a consonant, or a vowel with a consonant sound (u, eu, o ): a manager a helpdesk a union a European a one-way street an is used before words beginning with a vowel (a, e, i, o, u), or with a silent h: an account an import an upgrade an engineer an occupation an hourly rate or individual letters spoken with a vowel sound: an ID an OHP an OK an x Exercise 1 Fill the gaps with the correct form of a/an. Pay attention to the sounds.

I have .......... a.m. meeting. .......... European directive sets out emissions standards. .......... member of the helpdesk team talked me through the procedure. According to her CV she was .......... engineer. All the members of the team have access to .......... shared mailbox. Have you got .......... BA or .......... MA? He hated having to wear .......... uniform.

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He proved to be .......... enthusiastic co-worker. I am .......... union member. I need .......... mobile with WAP capabilities. It's .......... occupational hazard. It's just running .......... automatic upgrade. My colleague has spoken with .......... union representative. My manager wanted .......... estimate for the work. Self-employed workers often use .......... accountant. The costing was calculated on .......... unit. The job applicant had .......... M.A. from a top university. The letter demanded .......... immediate response. The media were predicting .......... upturn. The new consultant made quite .......... impression. The payment was .......... administrative error. The project got .......... OK from the committee members. The restaurant staff were on .......... hourly rate. The service technicians charge .......... hourly fee. The shared printer has .......... IP address. The staff member in question had been away for some time due to .......... illness. Their competitors had .......... advantage. You can also study part-time at .......... university. You have to connect to .......... network before you can go online.

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Exercise 2 Fill the gaps with the correct form of a/an. Pay attention to the sounds. Being .......... manager is not .......... easy job. It is .......... unenviable occupation. .......... manager has .......... immense task at hand, in ensuring the successful running of .......... team/project/business etc. .......... important quality in being .......... manager is having .......... positive attitude. This means bringing .......... great deal of energy and enthusiasm to the job. .......... enthusiastic manager can change .......... employee or staff members experience at work. .......... good manager can have .......... lasting impression on .......... persons career. .......... good leader also needs .......... extensive network. Communicating is .......... important element in .......... digital age. Having the right social skills is .......... must for .......... successful business leader in .......... fast-moving global environment.

Exercise 3 Now write your own text based on ours. Whats your job title? Are you a consultant? A professional? An engineer? A specialist? A designer? Think of a quality of two that are a must in your job. Pay careful attention to a/an. Use our text to inspire you. Look at The Business - Qualities and Getting It Down! Information for further inspiration.