A/An/The vs. No Article – English Grammar Exercises for B1
You are giving your younger brother some serious advice about his future, his education, and his life choices. Choose the correct article (A, B, C, or D) to complete the conversation naturally.
1 “Listen to me, Leo. If you want a good career, you need to go to ______ university after you finish high school.”
(A) a
(B) an
(C) the
(D) no article
2 “Our dad didn’t have ______ chance to get a higher education when he was your age.”
(A) a
(B) an
(C) the
(D) no article
3 “Because of that, he always told us that ______ education is the absolute key to success.”
(A) a
(B) an
(C) the
(D) no article
4 “Do you remember when Dad was very sick and had to stay in ______ hospital for a month?”
(A) a
(B) an
(C) the
(D) no article
5 “I was so worried. I used to drive to ______ hospital every single evening just to bring him dinner and visit him.”
(A) a
(B) an
(C) the
(D) no article
6 “If you don’t study and get a good job, life will be hard. You don’t want to end up in ______ prison like our cousin, do you?”
(A) a
(B) an
(C) the
(D) no article
7 “His poor mother is exhausted. She takes a bus to ______ prison every Sunday just to talk to him for an hour.”
(A) a
(B) an
(C) the
(D) no article
8 “I know studying is exhausting. I see that you usually go to ______ bed very late nowadays.”
(A) a
(B) an
(C) the
(D) no article
9 “But please, don’t just leave your textbooks and dirty clothes lying all over ______ bed!”
(A) a
(B) an
(C) the
(D) no article
10 “Tomorrow morning, I have a meeting. I am going to ______ school to talk to your math teacher about your grades.”
(A) a
(B) an
(C) the
(D) no article
11 “You are still in ______ high school, so you have plenty of time to improve your test scores.”
(A) a
(B) an
(C) the
(D) no article
12 “However, yesterday afternoon, I saw you and your friends smoking behind ______ school instead of studying!”
(A) a
(B) an
(C) the
(D) no article
13 “You have so much potential. Have you thought about becoming ______ engineer?”
(A) a
(B) an
(C) the
(D) no article
14 “Or maybe you could work in ______ IT industry? It pays very well.”
(A) a
(B) an
(C) the
(D) no article
15 “If you pass all your final exams, I promise I will buy you ______ laptop you wanted.”
(A) a
(B) an
(C) the
(D) no article
16 “Anyway, it is 7:00 AM. It’s time for ______ breakfast.”
(A) a
(B) an
(C) the
(D) no article
17 “Sit down. I made ______ eggs and bacon for you.”
(A) a
(B) an
(C) the
(D) no article
18 “Could you please pass me ______ salt from the counter?”
(A) a
(B) an
(C) the
(D) no article
19 “Let’s go to ______ church this Sunday to clear our minds and pray for a good year.”
(A) a
(B) an
(C) the
(D) no article
20 “After the service, we can meet my friends next to ______ church and get some coffee.”
(A) a
(B) an
(C) the
(D) no article
ANSWER KEY & EXPLANATIONS
1 (D) no article
Why it is correct: This tests the Institution Rule. When you talk about attending an institution (like university, school, college) for its primary purpose (to study and be a student), you use no article. “Go to university” means to become a university student.
2 (A) a
Why it is correct: “Chance” is a singular countable noun. You are introducing it generally, meaning “one opportunity.” Therefore, it takes “a”.
3 (D) no article
Why it is correct: “Education” is an abstract, uncountable noun. When speaking generally about a concept, we use no article.
4 (D) no article
Why it is correct: Just like university, “hospital” is an institution. If someone is there for its primary purpose (as a sick patient receiving treatment), we use no article (Note: This is standard British English, which is the baseline for CEFR exams. US English often uses “the hospital” for patients).
5 (C) the
Why it is correct: You were NOT a patient. You went there as a visitor. When you visit an institution just as a physical building, you must use “the”. You went to the hospital to visit someone else.
6 (D) no article
Why it is correct: The cousin is an inmate. He is there for the primary purpose of the institution (punishment). Therefore, he is “in prison” (no article).
7 (C) the
Why it is correct: His mother is NOT a prisoner. She is just visiting the building. Because she is going to the physical location and not serving a sentence, she goes to “the prison”.
8 (D) no article
Why it is correct: “Go to bed” is a fixed expression meaning “to go to sleep” (the primary purpose of a bed). It takes no article.
9 (C) the
Why it is correct: Here, you are not talking about sleeping. You are talking about the bed as a specific piece of physical furniture in the room. Therefore, it takes “the”.
10 (C) the
Why it is correct: You (the older brother) are not a student. You are going to the building for a meeting. Because you are visiting the physical building, you go to “the school”.
11 (D) no article
Why it is correct: Leo is a student. He is attending for the primary purpose of learning. Therefore, he is “in high school” (no article).
12 (C) the
Why it is correct: “Behind the school” refers to the physical location/building. You are using the school as a geographical landmark, so it requires “the”.
13 (B) an
Why it is correct: When stating a person’s singular profession (engineer), you must use an indefinite article. Because “engineer” starts with a vowel sound, you use “an”.
14 (C) the
Why it is correct: There is only one global “IT industry.” Because it is a specific, unique sector, it takes “the”.
15 (C) the
Why it is correct: You are not talking about any random laptop. You are talking about the specific “laptop you wanted.” The relative clause makes it specific, requiring “the”.
16 (D) no article
Why it is correct: Routine meals (breakfast, lunch, dinner) take no article when discussed generally (e.g., “It’s time for breakfast”).
17 (D) no article
Why it is correct: “Eggs and bacon” are plural/uncountable food items mentioned generally. They take zero article here.
18 (C) the
Why it is correct: Shared Context Rule. You are both in the kitchen, and there is only one salt shaker on the counter. You both know which one it is, so it takes “the”.
19 (D) no article
Why it is correct: “Go to church” means attending for its primary purpose (worship/prayer). It takes no article.
20 (C) the
Why it is correct: You are meeting “next to the church.” You are using the church purely as a physical meeting point/building, so you must use “the”.
GRAMMAR POINTS TO REMEMBER
At the B1 level, you must master the difference between visiting an Institution (for its purpose) versus a Building (just a physical location). This rule applies to words like: University, School, College, Hospital, Prison, Church, and Bed.
- No Article (Zero Article): Use this when the subject is using the place for its primary intended purpose.
- Student: “I go to university.”
- Patient: “I am in hospital.”
- Criminal: “He went to prison.”
- Sleeper: “I go to bed.”
- The (Definite Article): Use this when the subject is visiting the place just as a physical building, as a visitor, or using it as a geographical landmark.
- Plumber: “I am going to the university to fix the pipes.”
- Visitor: “I went to the hospital to visit my sick friend.”
- Visitor: “She drove to the prison to see her son.”
- Furniture: “Don’t jump on the bed.”