Articles – a, an & the – advanced

Now that you’ve learned the basic use of the articles a, an, and the, you’re ready for a more complete understanding.

Articles are dropped when used with Proper nouns:  (Proper nouns are capitalized names.)

Examples:
Microsoft has its head office in Redmond, Washington.
George got a managerial job at McDonald’s.

Exception:  If the proper noun has a “dictionary word” as part of the name, put the before the name because the proper noun is used as an adjective.

Examples:
The Nile River is the longest river in the world.  (Nile is used as an adjective for River.)
The New York Stock Exchange is the world’s largest.
The Hawaiian Islands are in the middle of the Pacific Ocean.
The Rocky Mountains separate British Columbia from Alberta.

NOTE:  You can sometimes drop the “dictionary word” if it’s commonly known, but the is still used.

Examples:
The Nile is the longest river in the world.  (River has been dropped.)
The Rockies separate British Columbia from Alberta.  [Rockies = Rocky Mountains and mountains has been dropped.)
The Pacific is the largest ocean in the world.  (Ocean has been dropped.)

ExceptionsMount, Mountain, Lake, City, Street/Road/Avenue/Boulevard (etc.), State (when last), New, North(ern), South(ern), East(ern), and West(ern) are “dictionary words” but the is not used.

Examples:
Mount Everest is the highest mountain in the world.
Whistler Mountain is a ski resort north of Vancouver.
Lake Louise is a tourist attraction in the Rocky Mountains.
New York City has a population of over 8 million people.
BUT:  The city of Vancouver gets half of its annual rainfall from November to January. (“city” is not part of the name)
The skytrain runs under Cambie Street.
Abbey Road was an album by the Beatles.
She went to school in New York State.  (BUT …in the state of New York.)
New Brunswick has an almost equal number of French and English speakers.
The state capital of North Dakota is Bismarck.
They moved here from Northern Ireland.
South Africa has eleven official languages.

BUT:  When north, east, south and west are used as a general area, the is used.

Examples:
In the American revolution, the North fought against the South.
Many manufactured products come from the East.
For most of the 20th century, the developed countries were mostly in the West.

The is used when a proper noun is used as an adjective (to describe a noun.)

Examples:
The San Francisco earthquake of 1906 caused fires that lasted for several days
(The earthquake in San Francisco)

The Chicago fire of 1871 destroyed over 17,000 buildings.
(The fire in Chicago)

The New York countryside is full of forests.
(The countryside in New York)

No article is used with general nouns (nouns that refer to all of something):

Examples:
Gold is an expensive metal.
You should drink water everyday.
Honesty is a good quality to have.

However, if the noun isn’t used in a general way, then the is used.

Examples:
The gold in this ring is expensive.
You shouldn’t drink the water from the tap.
The honesty of that man is unquestionable.

Quiz: Articles a, an & the - exercise

  1. Question 1 of 20

    1.

    I love ________ smell of the forest after a rainfall.

    • Good for you!

    • Incorrect

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  2. Question 2 of 20

    2.

    ________ plastic bags are not good for the environment.

    • Wonderful!

    • Not good

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  3. Question 3 of 20

    3.

    She told me she needed ________ time to think about it.

    • Yes. Right!

    • Afraid not

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  4. Question 4 of 20

    4.

    If you have ________ good reason, I’ll support you.

    • That’s it!

    • That’s not it

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  5. Question 5 of 20

    5.

    That’s ________ interesting point you make.

    • Way to go!

    • Sorry. Not correct

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  6. Question 6 of 20

    6.

    That wonderful smell is coming from ________ hyacinth flower on my desk.

    • Excellent!

    • No way

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  7. Question 7 of 20

    7.

    The most expensive houses are found in ________ west part of Vancouver.

    • Superb!

    • Try again

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  8. Question 8 of 20

    8.

    ________ rubber, natural latex, is used to make many products.

    • Nicely done!

    • No good

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  9. Question 9 of 20

    9.

    ________ San Andreas fault runs under Los Angeles.

    • Good answer!

    • Wrong answer

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  10. Question 10 of 20

    10.

    I love ________ good book.

    • Bravo!

    • Not so good

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  11. Question 11 of 20

    11.

    She knows he’s ________ honest person.

    • You got it!

    • Not this time

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  12. Question 12 of 20

    12.

    They’re staying just off ________ Las Vegas Boulevard.

    • Great!

    • Sorry. No

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  13. Question 13 of 20

    13.

    ________ New Jersey beaches are some of the best in the world.

    • That’s right!

    • That’s not right

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  14. Question 14 of 20

    14.

    ________ sugar is one of the ingredients in chocolate bars.

    • Well done!

    • Mistake

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  15. Question 15 of 20

    15.

    On her birthday she wants to ride ________ elephant.

    • Great job!

    • Not so good

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  16. Question 16 of 20

    16.

    One of ________ answers that he got wrong was number 10.

    • Nice job!

    • No way

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  17. Question 17 of 20

    17.

    ________ city of Toronto is Canada’s largest.

    • Perfect!

    • No. Not it

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  18. Question 18 of 20

    18.

    He’s attending ________ university somewhere in the eastern United States.

    • Correct!

    • Incorrect

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  19. Question 19 of 20

    19.

    It’s healthier to drink ________ water that has been filtered.

    • That’s it!

    • Not it

    << BACKNEXT >>Check My Answer!
  20. Question 20 of 20

    20.

    ________ fir is a type of evergreen tree.

    • Very good!

    • Wrong this time

    << BACKNEXT >>Check My Answer!

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