Put in A / AN or THE. Sometimes you don’t need either word – you leave it blank.
1. John Colloway is ……a……. bank manager. He works in ……a…… bank in ……the… center of ……… London. Every morning he gets up at seven o’clock, has ……… breakfast and ……… cup of ……….. coffee, and reads ……….”Times”. Then he goes to ………. work by …….. bus. In ………. morning, he usually makes ……….. telephone calls, sees ……….. customers and ………… dictates ………… letters. He has ………. lunch at ……….. restaurant near ……… bank. In ……….. afternoon he works until five or five-thirty, and then goes ………. home. He doesn’t work on ……….. Saturdays or Sundays; he goes to ………… cinema or reads. He likes …………. novels and ……….. history. He is not married. He has ……….. sister in ………. Oxford and ……….. brother in ……….. London.
2. Have you got ……….. camera?
3. You need ………. visa to visit ……….. foreign countries, but not all of them.
4. When we reached the city center, ………… shops were still open but most of them were already closed.
5. Jack has got ……….. very long legs, so he’s ……….. fast runner.
6. I’m looking for ………… job. And did Ann get ………. job she applied for?
7. Did ………. police find ………. person who stole your bicycle?
8. We went out for ………… meal last night. ………… restaurant we went to was excellent.
9. This morning I had ……….. boiled egg and toast for breakfast.
10. Tom always gives Ann …………. flowers on her birthday.
11. I went into the shop and asked to speak to ……….. manager.
12. There’s no need to buy any milk. …………. milkman brings it every morning.
13. It was warm and sunny, so we decided to sit in ………… garden.
14. Jane is ……….. teacher. Her parents were ……….. teachers too.
15. Bill’s got ……….. big feet.
16. Would you like to be ……….. actor?
Explanation:
- We use "a" before bank manager because it is not specific.
- We use "a" before bank because it is not a specific bank.
- We use "the" before center of London because it is a specific location.
- We leave it blank before London because it is not a specific London.
- We use "the" before breakfast because it is a specific meal.
- We use "a" before cup of coffee because it is not a specific cup.
- We use "the" before Times because it is a specific newspaper.
- We use "a" before work because it is not a specific work.
- We use "the" before bus because it is a specific mode of transportation.
- We use "the" before morning because it is a specific time period.
- We use "a" before telephone calls because it is not specific.
- We use "the" before customers because they are specific customers.
- We use "the" before dictates because it is a specific action.
- We use "a" before lunch because it is not a specific meal.
- We use "a" before restaurant because it is not a specific restaurant.
- We use "the" before bank because it is a specific bank.
- We leave it blank before afternoon because it is not specific.
- We use "the" before home because it is a specific place.
- We leave it blank before Saturdays because it is not specific.
- We use "the" before Sundays because they are specific days of the week.
- We use "the" before cinema because it is a specific place.
- We use "the" before novels because it is a specific genre of books.
- We use "a" before history because it is not a specific history.
- We use "a" before sister because it is not a specific sister.
- We use "in" before Oxford because it is a specific location.
- We use "a" before brother because it is not a specific brother.
- We use "in" before London because it is a specific location.
2. Have you got a camera?
Explanation:
- We use "a" before camera because it is not a specific camera.
3. You need a visa to visit foreign countries, but not all of them.
Explanation:
- We use "a" before visa because it is not a specific visa.
- We use "the" before foreign countries because it refers to all foreign countries in general.
4. When we reached the city center, the shops were still open but most of them were already closed.
Explanation:
- We use "the" before city center because it is a specific location.
- We use "the" before shops because they are specific shops.
5. Jack has got very long legs, so he's a fast runner.
Explanation:
- We use "very long" before legs because it describes the length of the legs.
- We use "a" before fast runner because it is not a specific runner.
6. I'm looking for a job. And did Ann get the job she applied for?
Explanation:
- We use "a" before job because it is not a specific job.
- We use "the" before job because it refers to the specific job that Ann applied for.
7. Did the police find the person who stole your bicycle?
Explanation:
- We use "the" before police because it refers to a specific group of police.
- We use "the" before person because it refers to a specific person.
8. We went out for a meal last night. The restaurant we went to was excellent.
Explanation:
- We use "a" before meal because it is not a specific meal.
- We use "the" before restaurant because it refers to the specific restaurant that they went to.
9. This morning I had a boiled egg and toast for breakfast.
Explanation:
- We use "a" before boiled egg because it is not a specific boiled egg.
10. Tom always gives Ann flowers on her birthday.
Explanation:
- We leave it blank before flowers because it is not specified whether they are specific flowers or not.
11. I went into the shop and asked to speak to the manager.
Explanation:
- We use "the" before shop because it refers to the specific shop that the person went into.
- We use "the" before manager because it refers to the specific manager of the shop.
12. There's no need to buy any milk. The milkman brings it every morning.
Explanation:
- We use "the" before milkman because it refers to the specific milkman who brings the milk.
13. It was warm and sunny, so we decided to sit in the garden.
Explanation:
- We use "the" before garden because it refers to a specific garden.
14. Jane is a teacher. Her parents were teachers too.
Explanation:
- We use "a" before teacher because it is not a specific teacher.
- We use "the" before parents because they are specific parents.
15. Bill's got big feet.
Explanation:
- We leave it blank before big feet because it is not specified whether they are specific feet or not.
16. Would you like to be an actor?
Explanation:
- We use "an" before actor because it is not specified whether it is a specific actor or not.