Beginner Lesson 1 -
The Story of Creation - Introduction
Grammar Exercise
Articles: The, A, and An
Nouns are words that talk about things, places, or people. Many times we need the words “the,” “a,” or “an” before a noun. These little words are called “articles.” Look at these examples. The article is orange, and the noun is blue.
the beginning
the heavens
the earth
a roaring ocean
the Spirit of God
The Article The
The is called a definite article. When you use it, you are talking about a specific noun. If you say, “the apple,” people know which apple you are talking about.
The apple is red. (You are not talking about the yellow apple or the green apple.)
The boy is running. (You are not talking about the boy who is sitting or the boy who is talking.)
The TV is on. (You are not talking about the TV that is off.)
The Articles A and An
A and an are called indefinite articles. When you use a or an, you are talking about a general noun. If you say, “a tree,” people don’t know which tree you are talking about.
A tree grows slowly. (You are talking about trees in general.)
A dog is barking. (You don’t know which dog is barking.)
An ocean is deep. (You are talking about oceans in general. All oceans are deep.)
The Difference Between A and An
When a noun starts with a vowel sound, we use the article an. When the noun starts with a consonant sound, we use the article a.
A tree
A dog
An ocean
A clock
A dog
An umbrella
Remember that it is the sound that is important. The word university starts with a vowel letter (u), but the letter makes a “y” (consonant sound). We would say “a university.”
Making Articles Plural
The can be used with singular and plural words.
the cat, the cats
the glass, the glasses
The word some is used to make the articles a and an plural.
a cat, some cats
a glass, some glasses
Practice Makes Perfect!
When you learn new grammar, practice by using it as much as possible. Here is a worksheet about articles that you can do.
Now click the button to go to the writing exercise.
