1. oxford practice grammar
articles (1): a, an, or the
#49

2. first, let’s compare a and an
oxford grammar practice #49

3. consonants we use abefore words which begin with (b,c,d,f…)
oxford grammar practice #49

4. a doctor a big car
a girl
oxford grammar practice #49

5. we also use abefore u when it sounds like the word ‘you’ and before eu
oxford grammar practice #49

6. sounds like ‘you’ starts with u = university
auniversity
oxford grammar practice #49

7. sounds like ‘you’ starts with = eu a European city
oxford grammar practice #49

8. we use an before words which begin with vowels (a,e,i,o,u)
oxford grammar practice #49

9. an apple an interesting film
oxford grammar practice #49

10. we also use an before words that begin with a silent h
oxford grammar practice #49

11. silent ‘h’ = hour an hour
oxford grammar practice #49

12. hard ‘h’ = house
a house
oxford grammar practice #49

13. next, let’s compare a/anand the
oxford grammar practice #49

14. Mary: I bought a CD player and a TV yesterday.
Joe: Was the CD player expensive?
oxford grammar practice #49

15. we usually use a/anwith a noun to talk about a person or thing for the first time
oxford grammar practice #49

16. a CD player
oxford grammar practice #49

17. we usually use thewhen we talk about the person or thing again
oxford grammar practice #49

18. the CD player = the one that Mary bought
oxford grammar practice #49

19. however, there are some special uses of a/an and the
oxford grammar practice #49

20. we use a/anwith prices, frequency and speeds
oxford grammar practice #49

21. prices It costs £2 a litre
oxford grammar practice #49

22. frequency I drink about three cups of coffee a day
oxford grammar practice #49

23. speeds You’re driving at ninety miles an hour
oxford grammar practice #49

24. we use a/an before hundred, thousand, and million
oxford grammar practice #49

25. a hundred people a thousand days
oxford grammar practice #49

26. we use a/anfor talking about jobs
oxford grammar practice #49

27. I’m a bank manager
oxford grammar practice #49

28. we use the when there is only one of something
oxford grammar practice #49

29. May I turn on the TV?
oxford grammar practice #49

30. Where’s Mary? She’s in the kitchen.
oxford grammar practice #49

31. we use the with musical instruments
oxford grammar practice #49

32. I play the guitar. Jane plays the violin.
oxford grammar practice #49

33. works cited
Coe, Norman, Mark Harrison, and Ken Paterson. Oxford Practice Grammar Basic with Answers. Oxford, England: Oxford University Press, 2006.