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Grammar Articles

INTRO

Source: Word Document: File:Articles a and the BBC Урок 10 The indefinite article - in 90 seconds (updated).docx

In English there are three articles: a, an, and the.

  1. Definite articles, (the)
  2. indefinite articles (a and an).

Indefinite articles (a and an). are used in a number of ways.

BBC VIDEO

Activity 1

BBC English Class

Урок 10: The indefinite article - in 90 seconds

VIDEO: https://www.bbc.com/learningenglish/russian/course/upper-intermediate/unit-10/session-1

Dan challenges himself to explain some of these uses in 90 seconds.

Can he do it? Watch the video to find out.

Watch the video and complete the activity

Hi guys, Dan from BBC Learning English here. In this lesson I’m going to talk to you about the indefinite article.
Now I'm not going to waste your time telling you that English has two indefinite articles – a and an. And I’m also not going to waste your time telling you that the indefinite article is only used with singular countable nouns.
For example
Look – a cup.
That means no plural nouns, so no pens and no uncountable nouns, so no tea.
And all in 90 seconds! I hope. Are you ready? Here we go.
(1) We use the indefinite article with:
Singular countable nouns when we introduce something to someone for the first time.
Often in the context of stories, but not always.
For example
I have a really big house and in my house is a big TV.
And a big dog – so don't touch my TV!
OK?
Good.
(2) When classifying nouns into groups.
This is very common when we talk about people's jobs:
For example
I'm a teacher. Hey, don't laugh! I am. I can prove it. Oh, it doesn’t matter.
Look, OK. Oranges are a fruit. Tigers are a dangerous animal.
(3) Finally, we use the indefinite article
When making exclamations particularly with the word ‘what’.
For example
What a lovely day! What an interesting teacher! What a useful video!
So: What a lovely day it is! What an interesting teacher he is! What a useful video this is!

Summary

Indefinite articles are not used with plural nouns or uncountable nouns.
They are used when a singular countable noun is talked about for the first time:
  • I took a taxi from the station.
  • I had to buy a new computer after I dropped my old one in the bath.
They can be used when classifying, describing and generalizing:
For Example
  • It's a dog.
  • It's an enormous dog.
  • A'' dog is a man's best friend.
They are commonly used in exclamations following words such as 'what' and 'such'.
For Example
  • What a'' fantastic present!
  • It was such a loud noise I had to sleep with my pillow on my head.
Indefinite articles are also found in expressions like: 'a kind of', 'a sort of' and 'a type of'.
For Example
  • It was a kind of brown color.
  • It is a sort of bread, but not one I'd ever tried before.
  • It's made in a special type of oven.


ARTICLES – TEST

English Current: Articles: Exercises for Advanced Students

OTHER RESOURCES

Advanced Article Usage

https://www.englishpage.com/articles/advanced-articles.htm

Introduction

File:Introduction to Articles Mastering A An The pages 13.pdf

<pdf>File:Introduction to Articles Mastering A An The pages 13.pdf</pdf>


Examples 66 -78

File:Articles Mastering A An The Examples 65-78.pdf

<pdf>File:Articles Mastering A An The Examples 65-78.pdf</pdf>

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