Definite and Indefinite Articles (ESL)

A, An, The, or Leave it alone

100

For ____ dinner I had ___ soup and ___salad.

For dinner I had soup and a salad.

200

My name starts with ________ L and ends with ________U.

My name starts with an L and ends with a U.

300

"Have you got these shoes in ___ size 43?

"Have you got these shoes in size 43?

400

That hooting sound you heard was ___ owl.
___ owl is a large predatory bird.

That hooting sound you heard was an owl. The owl is a large predatory bird.

500

My cousin wanted to be ___ surgeon, but he fainted at ___ sight of blood. So, he decided to become _ teacher instead.

My cousin wanted to be a surgeon, but he fainted at the sight of blood. So, he decided to become a teacher instead. 

Varia

100

(1) _________ firefighters face dangers.
(2) _________ firefighters were the first to arrive at the scene of the accident.

(1) Firefighters face dangers.
(2) The firefighters were the first to arrive at the scene of the accident.

200

My dream is to see __ Empire state building in __ NY, feel the academic atmosphere in __ Oxford University, walk on _ Broadway street and visit __ Bahamas.

My dream is to see the Empire state building in NY, feel the academic atmosphere in Oxford University, walk on Broadway street and visit the Bahamas.

300

After leaving from ___ Victoria station, we decided to go to ___ Hyde Park and after __ lunch visit __ Westminster Abbey and ___ Natural History museum. 

After leaving from Victoria station, we decided to go to Hyde Park and after lunch visit Westminster Abbey and the Natural History museum. 

400

Joe had an accident this morning and was taken to__ hospital. His mother is in ___ hospital with him right now. I don't think she'll come to __ church for her regular service tomorrow morning nor dine with you at __ Brown's restaurant. 

Joe had an accident this morning and was taken to hospital. His mother is in the hospital with him right now. I don't think she'll come to church for her regular service tomorrow morning nor dine with you at Brown's restaurant. 

500

I'll tell you what I know: __ Times Square is in NY; __ Eiffel tower is in Paris; __ Gatwick airport is in near London, __ Harold's department store is in London, __St Patricks's Cathedral is in Dublin, and __Amazon river does not only run in __eastern Brazil but through the entire country. 

I'll tell you what I know: the Times Square is in NY; the Eiffel tower is in Paris; Gatwick airport is near London, Harold's department store is in London, St Patricks's Cathedral is in Dublin, and the Amazon river does not only run in eastern Brazil but through the entire country. 

Correct the mistakes or say "Correct"!

100

We wanted to go to movies, but instead we stayed home and watched the TV.

We wanted to go to the movies, but instead we stayed home and watched TV.

200

She graduated with a major in the mathematics and physics.

She graduated with a major in mathematics and physics.

300

I love the rock music; my favorite group is Beatles.

I love rock music; my favorite group is the Beatles.

400

Calcium is a mineral.

Correct.

500

"Even though the sugar is not very good for me, can you pass sugar, please."

"Even though sugar is not very good for me, can you pass the sugar, please."

Geography

100

___ Jordan is a country in ___ Middle East.

Jordan is a country in the Middle East.

200

My brother is ___ mountain climber; he has climbed ___ Mount Everest. His next goal is to explore ___ Urals. 

My brother is a mountain climber; he has climbed Mount Everest. His next goal is to explore the Urals. 

300

___ Museum of Modern Art is on ___ 53rd Street in New York City.

The Museum of Modern Art is on 53rd Street in New York City.

400

___ Hague is ___ city in ___ Netherlands.

The Hague is a city in the Netherlands.

500

___ Dominican Republic is on ___ island in ___ Caribbean.

The Dominican Republic is on an island in the Caribbean.

What is the rule? Justify the usage.

100

Everyone in the class missed_______ question number 20 on the test.

Key: Everyone in the class missed question number 20 on the test.

Rule 48: Do not use an article when referring to numbers or letters in a list. We do not use THE before noun+number. 

200

"There are millions of stars in __ space. "

" Who cares about that, my concern at the moment is finding ___ space for our parking, dreamer".

"There are millions of stars in space. "

" Who cares about that, my concern at the moment is finding the space for our parking, dreamer".

Rule: We say SPACE without THE when we mean 'space in the universe' but use THE when talking about space around us in daily life. 

300

Henry won_______ second prize in the university jeopardy contest.

Key: Henry won second prize in the university jeopardy contest.
Rule 24: Use "the" with ordinal numbers and other ranking words like "next" and "last".

Exception: Do not use "the" with ordinal numbers when referring to names of prizes.

400

I will stay in____ Hilton Hotel, but my conference will be held at the Anthropology Department which is located in ____ Lincoln Hall.

Key: I will stay in the Hilton Hotel, but my conference will be held at the Anthropology Department which is located in Lincoln Hall.

Rule 32: Use the with the names of hotels, pubs, restaurants, motels, theaters, cinemas, bridges and buildings.

Exception: Do not use an article with the names of halls/hospitals/building names that start with a place/person name.

500

The ship sailed out of the harbor and headed____north.
If you look into____north on a clear night, you will see the North Star.

Key: The ship sailed out of the harbor and headed north. If you look into the north on a clear night, you will see the North Star.
Rule 42: Do not use an article if a compass direction immediately follows an action verb like go, travel, turn, look, sail, fly, walk, or move.

Rule 41: Use the for compass directions if they follow prepositions like to, in, on, at or from.