Articles Exercise For Class 9
The words a, an and the are called articles. Articles are a kind of determiners. They come at the beginning of nouns or noun phrases.
When to use articles?
A singular countable noun is always used with an article or another determiner. For example, we say a book, the book, this book, my book or any book. We do not just say book.
Plural nouns cannot be used with a/an. Uncountable nouns are not normally used with a/an. However, there are some exceptions to this rule. Sometimes, an uncountable noun is treated as a countable noun and in this case, we can use a/an with it.
- I would like a coffee. (Coffee is usually uncountable; however, in this case, we are treating it as a countable noun.)
When to use the?
We use the to talk about a person or thing that is known to both the speaker and the listener.
- I have been to the doctor. (Here the listener knows which doctor the speaker is talking about.)
When to use a/an?
We use a/an to talk about a person or thing when the listener does not know which person or thing we are talking about.
- I went to a dentist yesterday and he said that I should change my toothbrush. (The listener does not know which dentist I am talking about.)
Articles worksheet 1
Fill in the blanks with an appropriate article. You can learn about the correct use of articles here.
1. …………………… India, ……………………… country in South East Asia, is famous for its diversity.
2. I know …………………………… man who sells peanuts at ……………………… railway station.
3. She is ………………………… old friend of mine.
4. I had ………………………. strange experience yesterday.
5. They took ………………………… child to ……………………… counsellor.
6. I spoke to …………………………… manager yesterday.
7. …………………………. Paris, which is ……………………….. fashion capital of ………………………. world, is ……………………….. city in …………………………… Europe.
8. ……………………………. shirt which I bought yesterday is too short for me.
9. She asked me ……………………………. question which I could not answer.
10. I hired …………………………… cab to go to ………………………. airport.
Answers
1. India, a country in South East Asia, is famous for its diversity.
2. I know a/the man who sells peanuts at a/the railway station.
3. She is an old friend of mine.
4. I had a strange experience yesterday.
5. They took the child to a/the counsellor.
6. I spoke to the manager yesterday.
7. Paris, which is the fashion capital of the world, is a city in Europe. (Articles are not used before geographical names. There are a few exceptions: the US, the UK, the UAE and the Netherlands.)
8. The shirt which I bought yesterday is too short for me. (Use the here because you are talking about a particular shirt.)
9. She asked me a question which I could not answer.
10. I hired a cab to go to the airport. (Use a to mean one. When you say the airport, you are talking about an airport that is familiar to you and the listener.)
Articles worksheet 2
Fill in the blanks with an appropriate article. In some cases no articles are needed.
1. He has bought ……………………… new car.
2. Did you lock ……………………….. door?
3. ……………………… cooking gas has nearly doubled in price.
4. He shared ……………………… good recipe with me.
5. I enjoy life in ………………………… hills.
6. He didn’t show …………………………. iota of remorse.
7. He walked into my office …………………………… other day.
8. It was ………………………….. hot afternoon in summer.
9. This year we had ……………………………. very dry July.
10. I talked to him over …………………………… phone.
11. I didn’t have ……………………….. courage to speak.
12. They walked around ………………………….. car and looked at ………………………. tires.
13. She writes stories for …………………………… children.
14. I don’t mind waiting for ……………………………… hour or so.
15. Who is ………………………….. President of ……………………… United States of America?
16. I saw something moving behind …………………………. curtain.
17. She hit him in ………………………….. stomach.
18. It was ………………………. wet Monday.
19. ……………………….. Sunday is …………………….. first day of ……………………….. week.
20. I was born ……………………………… in May.
Answers
1. He has bought a new car.
2. Did you lock the door?
3. Cooking gas has nearly doubled in price.
4. He shared a good recipe with me.
5. I enjoy life in the hills.
6. He didn’t show an iota of remorse.
7. He walked into my office the other day.
8. It was .a hot afternoon in summer.
9. This year we had a very dry July.
10. I talked to him over the phone.
11. I didn’t have the courage to speak.
12. They walked around the car and looked at the tires. (We use articles with plural nouns when we are talking about particular people or things.)
13. She writes stories for children. (We do not normally use articles with plural nouns.)
14. I don’t mind waiting for an hour or so.
15. Who is the President of the United States of America?
16. I saw something moving behind the curtain.
17. She hit him in the stomach.
18. It was a wet Monday.
19. Sunday is the first day of the week. (Articles are not used before the names of days.)
20. I was born in May. (Articles are not used before the names of months.)
