Study the Grammar box and match the underlined words in sentences 1-8 with rules a-g. Use one rule twice. Then find more examples of the rules in the text. 1 She has won the £100…
Study the Grammar box and match the underlined words in sentences 1-8 with rules a-g. Use one rule twice. Then find more examples of the rules in the text. 1 She has won the £100 prize. 2 I'm a sales assistant. 3 The boutique specialises in fashion from Europe. 4 I'm really into clothes. 5 The most important thing to know about fashion. 6 ... is that it's like a wheel. 7 Dungarees from the 1980s are back in fashion. 8 I'm wearing a leather jacket. The jacket looks great. Articles a We use no article (0) with plurals and uncountable nouns to talk about something/someone in general. b We use no article (0) with continents, most countries and cities. c We use a/an to talk about a singular countable thing/ person when it is one of many or one of a group; not the only one. d We use a/an with occupations. e We use the to talk about a specific thing/person, e.g. because he/she/it is the only one or when it's clear which thing/person we mean. f We use the with superlatives, ordinal numbers, periods (e.g. the 1980s) and some countries (e.g. the USA). g We use a/an when we mention something/someone for the first time and the when we mention it again.
Here’s a likely way to map the underlined words to the article rules (using one rule twice):
- the → e (The prize is a specific one; definite article for a specific thing)
- a → d (a sales assistant = occupation)
- The → e (The boutique = a specific boutique; definite article for a specific thing)
- clothes → a (plurals/un/countables used generally, no article)
- The → f (The most important … uses the/definite article with a superlative)
- a → c (a wheel = singular countable thing, not a specific one)
- the 1980s (the + period) → f (the 1980s = a period; definite article with a period)
- The → g (The jacket = second mention after first reference; use the again)
If you prefer, you can treat 7 as underlining either “the” or “1980s”; in either case it illustrates the period usage with a definite article (rule f).
Find more examples of the rules in the text (from the same sentences):
- Rule a (no article with plurals/uncountables): clothes (4); fashion (5)
- Rule b (no article with continents/cities/countries): Europe (3)
- Rule c (a/an for a singular countable thing when it’s one of many): a wheel (6)
- Rule d (a/an with occupations): a sales assistant (2)
- Rule e (the for a specific thing/person): the prize (1); the boutique (3)
- Rule f (the with superlatives, periods, etc.): the 1980s (7); the most important (5)
- Rule g (a/an on first mention, the on second): The jacket (8) as the second mention
If you want, I can give a short practice set with new sentences for each rule to check you’ve got them.
