Articles (A, An, The) – English Grammar Exercises for A1
Showing off your new pets to your friends.
Choose the correct article (a, an, the) to fill in the blank.
1 Come into my room! I have ___ dog.
(a) an
(b) a
(c) the
2 Look at this cage. It is ___ iguana!
(a) a
(b) the
(c) an
3 I also have ___ cat. She is sleeping on my bed right now.
(a) a
(b) an
(c) the
4 In that small bowl, there is ___ orange fish.
(a) a
(b) an
(c) the
5 Look over there! I have ___ bird too.
(a) the
(b) an
(c) a
6 I have a dog. ___ dog is very friendly and loves to play.
(a) A
(b) The
(c) An
7 Look at my new pet. It is an iguana. ___ iguana is bright green.
(a) The
(b) An
(c) A
8 I bought a fish yesterday. ___ fish swims very fast.
(a) An
(b) A
(c) The
9 We have a cat and a mouse. Surprisingly, ___ cat is afraid of the mouse!
(a) A
(b) The
(c) An
10 There is a parrot in my room. ___ parrot can say my name.
(a) The
(b) A
(c) An
11 I found a turtle in the garden. ___ turtle is eating some grass right now.
(a) A
(b) An
(c) The
12 My sister has a rabbit. ___ rabbit really loves carrots.
(a) The
(b) A
(c) An
13 I am holding a snake! Don’t worry, ___ snake is not dangerous.
(a) a
(b) the
(c) an
14 We just adopted a puppy. ___ puppy is chewing on my shoe!
(a) An
(b) A
(c) The
15 I have a pet owl and a pet mouse. Oh no, ___ owl is looking hungrily at the mouse!
(a) A
(b) An
(c) The
16 My uncle gave me ___ unusual pet for my birthday. It’s a tarantula!
(a) a
(b) the
(c) an
17 I want to buy ___ unicorn, but my mom says they don’t exist!
(a) a
(b) an
(c) the
18 It takes me half ___ hour every morning to feed all my pets.
(a) the
(b) an
(c) a
19 I have a huge aquarium. There is an eel hiding in ___ aquarium.
(a) the
(b) a
(c) an
20 My parrot is ___ honest bird; he always mimics exactly what I say!
(a) a
(b) the
(c) an
ANSWER KEY & EXPLANATIONS
1 (b) a
Explanation: This is the first time you mention the dog, so it is non-specific to the listener. We use “a” before a consonant sound (/d/ in dog). Option (c) “the” is a common mistake because students often overuse “the”, but the listener doesn’t know which dog yet. Option (a) “an” is a basic grammar error because “dog” does not start with a vowel sound.
2 (c) an
Explanation: First mention of a singular noun. “Iguana” starts with a vowel sound (/ɪ/), so we must use “an”. Option (a) “a” is a basic grammar error. Option (b) “the” is a common mistake as the pet is being introduced for the first time.
3 (a) a
Explanation: First mention of the cat. “Cat” starts with a consonant sound (/k/). Option (c) “the” is a common mistake. Option (b) “an” is a basic structural error.
4 (b) an
Explanation: First mention. The adjective “orange” starts with a vowel sound (/ɒ/), so the article must be “an”. Option (a) “a” is a basic error. Option (c) “the” is a common mistake for first mentions.
5 (c) a
Explanation: First mention of the bird. “Bird” starts with a consonant sound (/b/). Option (a) “the” is a common mistake. Option (b) “an” is a structural error.
6 (b) The
Explanation: This is the second time the dog is mentioned. The listener now knows which dog you are talking about. Option (a) “A” is a common mistake (forgetting to switch to “the” after the first mention). Option (c) “An” is a basic grammar error.
7 (a) The
Explanation: Second mention of the iguana. It is now specific. Option (b) “An” is a common mistake by students who only look at the vowel sound but forget the second-mention rule. Option (c) “A” is a structural error.
8 (c) The
Explanation: Second mention of the fish. Option (b) “A” is a common mistake (failing to recognize it’s now specific). Option (a) “An” is a basic grammar error.
9 (b) The
Explanation: Second mention of the cat. Option (a) “A” is a common mistake. Option (c) “An” is a structural error.
10 (a) The
Explanation: Second mention of the parrot. Option (b) “A” is a common mistake. Option (c) “An” is a basic error.
11 (c) The
Explanation: Second mention of the turtle. Option (a) “A” is a common mistake. Option (b) “An” is a basic error.
12 (a) The
Explanation: Second mention of the rabbit. Option (b) “A” is a common mistake. Option (c) “An” is a basic grammar error.
13 (b) the
Explanation: Second mention of the snake (it was introduced in the previous sentence). Option (a) “a” is a common mistake. Option (c) “an” is a structural error.
14 (c) The
Explanation: Second mention of the puppy. Option (b) “A” is a common mistake. Option (a) “An” is a basic grammar error.
15 (c) The
Explanation: Second mention of the owl. Option (b) “An” is a common mistake because students see the vowel ‘o’ and automatically pick ‘an’, forgetting the context makes it specific. Option (a) “A” is a grammar error.
16 (c) an
Explanation: First mention. The word “unusual” starts with a vowel sound (/ʌ/). Option (a) “a” is a common mistake because students sometimes don’t check the sound of adjectives placed before the noun. Option (b) “the” is incorrect for a first mention.
17 (a) a
Explanation: First mention. Although “unicorn” starts with the vowel letter ‘u’, it is pronounced with a consonant sound (/j/ – “yoo”). Therefore, we use “a”. Option (b) “an” is a very common mistake. Option (c) “the” is incorrect because it is a general, non-specific unicorn.
18 (b) an
Explanation: The word “hour” starts with a silent ‘h’, so the first sound is a vowel (/aʊ/). We must use “an”. Option (c) “a” is a common mistake. Option (a) “the” is a grammar error in this fixed expression (“half an hour”).
19 (a) the
Explanation: Second mention of the aquarium (it was introduced as “a small aquarium” in the first sentence). Option (b) “a” is a common mistake. Option (c) “an” is a basic error.
20 (c) an
Explanation: First mention describing the bird. The word “honest” starts with a silent ‘h’, making the first sound a vowel (/ɒ/). Option (a) “a” is a common mistake. Option (b) “the” is incorrect because we are classifying the bird, not specifying it.
GRAMMAR POINTS TO REMEMBER
1 First Mention (A/An): Use “a” or “an” when you introduce a singular noun for the very first time. The listener doesn’t know exactly which one you mean yet.
2 Second Mention (The): Once you have introduced the noun, it becomes “specific.” You and the listener now know which object or animal it is. You MUST switch to “the” for the second and all future mentions.
3 Sound, not spelling: Use “a” before a consonant sound (a dog, a unicorn) and “an” before a vowel sound (an iguana, an honest bird, an hour). Beware of silent letters!