Read the rule, examples and common mistakes in the grammar reference beside practice, then try its three exercise formats.

Article sprint: a, an and the

Use the context to choose a, an, the or no article. Pick a quick sprint or practise without a timer.

Every sentence includes enough information for one answer. In sprint mode, answer as many as you can in 60 seconds. The timer never hides the explanation, and untimed practice is always available.

Choose a pace
All answers and reasons
I packed ___ umbrella because rain was likely.
an Umbrella starts with a vowel sound, so the singular noun takes an. Read the guide
Jon studies at ___ university near his home.
a University begins with the consonant sound /y/, so use a, not an. Read the guide
The repair took ___ hour.
an The h in hour is silent. Hour begins with a vowel sound, so use an. Read the guide
Priya is ___ union representative.
a Union begins with the consonant sound /y/. The sound, not the first letter, controls a or an. Read the guide
A customer left ___ phone on this empty table.
a The phone is mentioned for the first time and is not identified yet, so use a. Read the guide
I found a phone. ___ phone had a red case.
The The second sentence refers to the same phone, so use the. Read the guide
Please turn off ___ only light in this room.
the Only identifies one particular light, so use the. Read the guide
Earth moves around ___ sun.
the In this context there is one sun, so use the. Read the guide
That was ___ busiest day of the month.
the A superlative such as busiest normally takes the. Read the guide
Our office is on ___ fifth floor.
the An ordinal number that identifies one position normally takes the. Read the guide
___ bicycles need lights after dark.
No article Bicycles means bicycles in general, so the plural noun takes no article. Read the guide
___ advice can be useful when it is specific.
No article Advice is uncountable and general here, so it takes no article. Read the guide
We usually eat ___ breakfast at seven.
no article Names of routine meals normally take no article. Read the guide
Marisol speaks ___ Spanish at work.
no article The name of a language normally takes no article. Read the guide
They travelled there by ___ train.
no article Use no article in the pattern by plus a form of transport: by train. Read the guide
My neighbor plays ___ violin in an orchestra.
the In the usual expression for playing a musical instrument, use the: plays the violin. Read the guide
I check my calendar in ___ morning.
the The fixed time phrase is in the morning. Read the guide
The streets are quiet at ___ night.
no article The fixed time phrase is at night, with no article. Read the guide
Her brother is ___ electrician.
an A singular job noun needs an article. Electrician begins with a vowel sound, so use an. Read the guide
Ottawa is ___ capital of Canada.
the The phrase of Canada identifies one particular capital, so use the. Read the guide
They climbed ___ Mount Washington in July.
no article A single mountain name with Mount normally takes no article. Read the guide
___ bicycles outside the library belong to staff.
The Outside the library identifies a specific group of bicycles, so use the. Read the guide
Could I borrow ___ pen? Any pen is fine.
a Any pen is acceptable, so the speaker means one nonspecific pen: a pen. Read the guide
I left the groceries in ___ kitchen of our apartment.
the Of our apartment identifies one particular kitchen, so use the. Read the guide

Four questions to ask before you choose

  • Does a singular countable noun need a or an? Choose by the first sound, not simply the first letter.
  • Does the listener know the exact person or thing? If yes, the may be needed.
  • Is a plural or uncountable noun talking about things in general? It often needs no article.
  • Is this a fixed pattern such as at night, by train or play the violin? Learn the complete phrase.

Keep practising

try mixed grammar , practise prepositions , or build whole sentences .

Where to go next

More grammar and sentences, then a different skill.

Irregular verbs
Prepositions
Sentence builder
Fix the mistake
Quantity expressions
Grammar choices
Useful phrases by purpose

See all 54 activities