Unit 72: A/an and the

English Grammar in Use With Answers » Unit 72: A/an and the

Study this example:

JOE: I had a sandwich and an apple for lunch.
=> Joe says 'a sandwich', 'an apple' because this is the first time he talks about them.

JOE: The sandwich wasn't very good, but the apple was nice.
=> Joe now says 'the sandwich', 'the apple' because Karen knows which sandwich and which apple he means - the sandwich and the apple that he had for lunch.

Compare a and the in these examples:

A man and a woman were sitting opposite me. The man was American, but I think the woman was British.
When we were on holiday, we stayed at a hotel. Sometimes we ate at the hotel and sometimes we went to a restaurant.

We use the when we are thinking of a specific thing. Compare a/an and the:

Tim sat down on a chair. (perhaps one of many chairs in the room)
Tim sat down on the chair nearest the door. (a specific chair)
Paula is looking for a job. (not a specific job)
Did Paula get the job she applied for? (a specific job)
Do you have a car? (not a specific car)
I cleaned the car yesterday. (= my car)

We use the when it is clear in the situation which thing or person we mean. For example, in a room we talk about the light / the floor / the ceiling / the door / the carpet etc. :

Can you turn off the light, please? (= the light in this room)
I took a taxi to the station. (= the station in that town)
(in a shop) I'd like to speak to the manager, please. (= the manager of this shop)

In the same way, we say (go to) the bank / the post office:

I have to go to the bank and then I'm going to the post office.
(The speaker is usually thinking of a specific bank or post office.)

We also say (go to) the doctor / the dentist:

Clare isn't very well. She's gone to the doctor. (= her usual doctor)
I don't like going to the dentist.

Compare the and a:

I have to go to the bank today.
Is there a bank near here?
I don't like going to the dentist.
My sister is a dentist.

We say 'once a week / three times a day / £1.50 a kilo' etc. :

'How often do you go to the cinema?' 'About once a month.'
'How much are those potatoes?' '£1.50 a kilo.'
Helen works eight hours a day, six days a week.

72.1 Put in a/an or the.

This morning I bought ⁽¹⁾ newspaper and ⁽²⁾ __________ magazine. ⁽³⁾ __________ newspaper is in my bag, but I can't remember where I put ⁽⁴⁾ __________ magazine.
I saw ⁽⁵⁾ __________ accident this morning. ⁽⁶⁾ __________ car crashed into ⁽⁷⁾ __________ tree. ⁽⁸⁾ __________ driver of ⁽⁹⁾ __________ car wasn't hurt, but ⁽¹⁰⁾ __________ car was badly damaged.
There are two cars parked outside: ⁽¹¹⁾ __________ blue one and ⁽¹²⁾ __________ grey one. ⁽¹³⁾ __________ blue one belongs to my neighbours; I don't know who ⁽¹⁴⁾ __________ owner of ⁽¹⁵⁾ __________ grey one is.
My friends live in ⁽¹⁶⁾ __________ old house in ⁽¹⁷⁾ __________ small village. There is ⁽¹⁸⁾ __________ beautiful garden behind ⁽¹⁹⁾ __________ house. I would like to have ⁽²⁰⁾ __________ garden like that.

72.2 Put in a/an or the.

This house is very nice. Has it got ⁽¹⁾ garden?
It's a beautiful day. Let's sit in ⁽²⁾ __________ garden.
I like living in this house, but it's a shame that ⁽³⁾ __________ garden is so small.
Can you recommend ⁽⁴⁾ __________ good restaurant?
We had dinner in ⁽⁵⁾ __________ very nice restaurant.
We had dinner in ⁽⁶⁾ __________ best restaurant in town.
She has ⁽⁷⁾ __________ French name, but in fact she's English, not French.
What's ⁽⁸⁾ __________ name of that man we met yesterday?
We stayed at a very nice hotel - I can't remember ⁽⁹⁾ __________ name now.
There isn't ⁽¹⁰⁾ __________ airport near where I live. ⁽¹¹⁾ __________ nearest airport is 70 miles away.
Our flight was delayed. We had to wait at ⁽¹²⁾ __________ airport for three hours.
Excuse me, please. Can you tell me how to get to ⁽¹³⁾ __________ airport?
'Are you going away next week?' 'No, ⁽¹⁴⁾ __________ week after next.'
I'm going away for ⁽¹⁵⁾ __________ week in September.
Gary has a part-time job. He works three mornings ⁽¹⁶⁾ __________ week.

72.3 Answer these questions about yourself. Where possible, use the structure in Section D (once a week / three times a day etc.).

How often do you go to the cinema?
.
How often do you go to the cinema?
__________ .
How often do you go away on holiday?
__________ .
What's the usual speed limit in towns in your country?
__________ .
How much sleep do you need?
__________ .
How often do you go out in the evening?
__________ .
How much television do you watch (on average)?
__________ .
How much does it cost to rent a small car in your country?
__________ .

Answer Key

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