A/An/The vs. No Article – English Grammar Exercises for B1
You are telling your friends a story about a small accident you witnessed yesterday. Choose the correct article (A, B, C, or D) to complete the story naturally.
1 You guys won’t believe what happened yesterday. I was walking home and saw ______ accident on High Street.
(A) a
(B) an
(C) the
(D) no article
2 It wasn’t too serious. There was ______ car and a delivery motorcycle involved.
(A) a
(B) an
(C) the
(D) no article
3 ______ car was a bright yellow taxi, so it was very easy to spot.
(A) A
(B) An
(C) The
(D) No article
4 ______ delivery motorcycle was carrying a huge stack of pizza boxes.
(A) A
(B) An
(C) The
(D) No article
5 I saw ______ man standing outside the taxi, looking very stressed.
(A) a
(B) an
(C) the
(D) no article
6 ______ man was talking loudly on his phone, probably calling his boss.
(A) A
(B) An
(C) The
(D) No article
7 Sitting on the sidewalk was ______ young woman who had been riding the motorcycle.
(A) a
(B) an
(C) the
(D) no article
8 Luckily, ______ woman wasn’t hurt at all, just a little bit shocked.
(A) a
(B) an
(C) the
(D) no article
9 I noticed that there was ______ large dent on the front bumper of the taxi.
(A) a
(B) an
(C) the
(D) no article
10 ______ dent looked like it was going to cost a lot of money to fix.
(A) A
(B) An
(C) The
(D) No article
11 Suddenly, ______ police officer walked over from the coffee shop across the street.
(A) a
(B) an
(C) the
(D) no article
12 ______ police officer started taking notes in a small black notebook.
(A) A
(B) An
(C) The
(D) No article
13 The taxi driver tried to offer the woman ______ bottle of water to calm her down.
(A) a
(B) an
(C) the
(D) no article
14 But ______ bottle slipped from his hands and spilled all over his own shoes!
(A) a
(B) an
(C) the
(D) no article
15 In the end, it was just ______ simple misunderstanding about who had the right of way, but it caused a massive traffic jam!
(A) a
(B) an
(C) the
(D) no article
ANSWER KEY & EXPLANATIONS
1 (B) an
Explanation: This is the first time you are mentioning the accident to your friends. Because “accident” starts with a vowel sound, we use “an”.
2 (A) a
Explanation: This is the first time you are introducing the car into the story. The listeners do not know which car you are talking about yet, so we use the indefinite article “a”.
3 (C) The
Explanation: We already introduced the car in the previous sentence. Because it is the second mention, the listeners now know which specific car you are talking about. Therefore, “A car” becomes “The car”.
4 (C) The
Explanation: Just like the car, the delivery motorcycle was introduced in question 2 Now that it is a known object in the story, it takes the definite article “The”.
5 (A) a
Explanation: A new character is entering the story. You are introducing a man for the first time, so you use “a”.
6 (C) The
Explanation: This is the second mention of the man. We now know exactly who he is (the stressed man standing outside the taxi), so we use “The”.
7 (A) a
Explanation: You are introducing another new character: a young woman. First mention always takes the indefinite article “a”.
8 (C) the
Explanation: Since we already know about the young woman from the previous sentence, she is now specific. “A woman” becomes “The woman”.
9 (A) a
Explanation: You are introducing a new detail into the story: a dent (a depression in a surface made by a blow). Because it is new information, we use “a”.
10 (C) The
Explanation: This is the second mention of the dent. The listener now knows exactly which dent you mean (the one on the taxi’s bumper), so you must use “The”.
11 (A) a
Explanation: A new person arrives at the scene. Because this is the first time you are mentioning a police officer, you use “a”.
12 (C) The
Explanation: You are talking about the specific police officer who just walked over. Because this is the second mention, you use “The”.
13 (A) a
Explanation: You are introducing a new object into the narrative: a bottle of water. First mentions take “a”.
14 (C) the
Explanation: We now know exactly which bottle you are talking about (the one the taxi driver offered). Second mention takes “The”.
15 (A) a
Explanation: You are summarizing the event as a “simple misunderstanding”. You are classifying the event, introducing this descriptive noun phrase for the first time, so it takes “a”.
GRAMMAR POINTS TO REMEMBER
- The “Stranger to Acquaintance” Rule: This is the most important rule of storytelling in English. When you introduce a noun (a person, place, or thing) to your listener for the first time, it is a “stranger.” You must use a or an.
- Becoming Specific: As soon as you mention that noun for the second time, it becomes an “acquaintance.” Your listener now knows exactly what you are talking about. You must switch to the.
- Summary Pattern: “I saw a [noun]. The [noun] was [adjective].” (e.g., I saw a dog. The dog was angry.)