Articles (A, An, The) – English Grammar Exercises for A1
Showing off a newly bought item in a social media status update.
You just bought something new and want to share the exciting news with your friends online. Choose the correct article (a, an, the) to complete your post.
1 “Guess what? I just bought ___ new phone today!”
(a) a
(b) the
(c) an
2 “Look at this! I finally saved enough money to buy ___ smartwatch.”
(a) an
(b) a
(c) the
3 “I am so happy right now. My parents gave me ___ tablet for my birthday.”
(a) the
(b) an
(c) a
4 “I can’t wait to start taking pictures! I just ordered ___ camera online.”
(a) a
(b) the
(c) an
5 “I worked all summer, and I finally got ___ laptop for my studies.”
(a) an
(b) a
(c) the
6 “I am so excited to play this tonight! I just got ___ amazing video game.”
(a) a
(b) an
(c) the
7 “Look at my wrist, everyone! I bought ___ expensive watch today.”
(a) an
(b) the
(c) a
8 “I am typing this status update on ___ brand-new keyboard!”
(a) the
(b) an
(c) a
9 “I just came back from the bookstore. I found ___ interesting book about photography.”
(a) a
(b) the
(c) an
10 “Movie nights are going to be great! I just set up ___ big television in my living room.”
(a) a
(b) an
(c) the
11 “I passed my driving test, and I finally have ___ car of my own!”
(a) the
(b) a
(c) an
12 “Check out my outfit of the day! I am wearing ___ orange dress I just bought.”
(a) an
(b) a
(c) the
13 “I just unboxed my new tech toy. It is ___ drone!”
(a) the
(b) an
(c) a
14 “It started raining while I was shopping, so I had to buy ___ umbrella.”
(a) a
(b) an
(c) the
15 “I am listening to music on ___ iPod I found at a vintage store today.”
(a) an
(b) a
(c) the
16 “Look at my new pet! I just adopted ___ ugly but very cute little dog.”
(a) a
(b) the
(c) an
17 “I bought a new phone today. ___ phone has a fantastic camera!”
(a) A
(b) The
(c) An
18 “I just received a package in the mail. It is ___ European designer bag!”
(a) a
(b) an
(c) the
19 “I decided to treat myself today. I bought ___ extremely beautiful necklace.”
(a) the
(b) a
(c) an
20 “I am taking this photo with ___ awesome new lens for my camera.”
(a) an
(b) the
(c) a
ANSWER KEY & EXPLANATIONS
1 (a) a
Explanation: This is the first time you are telling your friends about the phone. To them, it is new information. “New” starts with a consonant sound (/n/). Option (b) “the” is a common mistake because you know which phone it is, but your readers do not know yet. Option (c) “an” is a basic grammar error.
2 (b) a
Explanation: First mention of a new possession. “Smartwatch” starts with a consonant sound (/s/). Option (c) “the” is a common mistake. Option (a) “an” is a basic error.
3 (c) a
Explanation: First mention. “Tablet” starts with a consonant sound (/t/). Option (a) “the” is a common mistake. Option (b) “an” is a basic error.
4 (a) a
Explanation: Introducing the camera to your followers for the first time. “Camera” starts with a consonant sound (/k/). Option (b) “the” is a common mistake. Option (c) “an” is a basic error.
5 (b) a
Explanation: First mention. “Laptop” starts with a consonant sound (/l/). Option (c) “the” is a common mistake. Option (a) “an” is a basic error.
6 (b) an
Explanation: First mention of the game. The adjective “amazing” comes right before the noun and starts with a vowel sound (/ə/). Option (a) “a” is a common mistake if students only look at the word “game”. Option (c) “the” is incorrect for new information.
7 (a) an
Explanation: First mention. “Expensive” starts with a vowel sound (/ɪ/). Option (c) “a” is a common mistake. Option (b) “the” is incorrect.
8 (c) a
Explanation: First mention. “Brand-new” starts with a consonant sound (/b/). Option (a) “the” is a common mistake. Option (b) “an” is a basic error.
9 (c) an
Explanation: First mention. “Interesting” starts with a vowel sound (/ɪ/). Option (a) “a” is a common mistake. Option (b) “the” is incorrect.
10 (a) a
Explanation: First mention. “Big” starts with a consonant sound (/b/). Option (c) “the” is a common mistake. Option (b) “an” is a basic error.
11 (b) a
Explanation: First mention of the car. Option (a) “the” is a common mistake because even though it’s your car, you are introducing the existence of the car to your audience for the first time. Option (c) “an” is a basic error.
12 (a) an
Explanation: First mention. “Orange” starts with a vowel sound (/ɒ/). Option (b) “a” is a common mistake. Option (c) “the” is incorrect.
13 (c) a
Explanation: Introducing the drone. “Drone” starts with a consonant sound (/d/). Option (a) “the” is a common mistake. Option (b) “an” is a basic error.
14 (b) an
Explanation: First mention. “Umbrella” starts with a vowel sound (/ʌ/). Option (a) “a” is a common mistake. Option (c) “the” is incorrect.
15 (a) an
Explanation: Introducing the item. “iPod” starts with a vowel sound (/aɪ/). Option (b) “a” is a common mistake. Option (c) “the” is incorrect.
16 (c) an
Explanation: First mention. “Ugly” starts with a vowel sound (/ʌ/). Option (a) “a” is a common mistake for students who just look at “dog”. Option (b) “the” is incorrect.
17 (b) The
Explanation: Contrast question! You already said “I bought a new phone” in the first sentence. In the second sentence, it is the second mention. Your audience now knows you are talking about the specific phone you just bought. Option (a) “A” is a common mistake (forgetting the second-mention rule). Option (c) “An” is a basic error.
18 (a) a
Explanation: Exception! “European” starts with the vowel letter ‘E’, but it is pronounced with a consonant ‘Y’ sound (/j/ – “yoo”). Option (b) “an” is a very common mistake. Option (c) “the” is incorrect for a first mention.
19 (c) an
Explanation: First mention. “Extremely” starts with a vowel sound (/ɪ/). Option (b) “a” is a common mistake. Option (a) “the” is incorrect.
20 (a) an
Explanation: First mention. “Awesome” starts with a vowel sound (/ɔː/). Option (c) “a” is a common mistake. Option (b) “the” is incorrect.
GRAMMAR POINTS TO REMEMBER
1 The “News” Rule: When you tell people about something you just bought or found, it is new information to them. Even though you know exactly what the item is, you must use “a” or “an” because your audience is hearing about it for the first time.
- Correct: I just bought a car!
- Incorrect: I just bought ~~the~~ car! (Unless you and your friends were already talking about one specific car for weeks).
2 Adjectives come first: On social media, people love to describe their new things. Remember that the article (“a” or “an”) must match the sound of the very first word after the blank, which is often an adjective.
- a game → an amazing game
- a necklace → an extremely beautiful necklace
3 The Second Mention: Once you have posted “I bought a phone,” any sentence you write after that must use “the” (e.g., “The phone is great!”).