English articles exercise (ESL): A or THE? 1 (Beginners)

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ONLINE ENGLISH GRAMMAR QUIZ
topic: Articles: A or THE? | level: Beginner

1. Did you see ________ man that I told you about?
  the
  a

2. Did you get ________ birthday card that I sent you?
  a
  the

3. He is ________ very good friend.
  the
  a

4. We ate ________ wonderful meal yesterday.
  a
  the

5. ________ meal that we ate yesterday was wonderful.
  The
  A

6. I have ________ test tomorrow morning.
  the
  a

7. Which shirt do you like? ________ blue one?
  The
  A

8. I have three shirts - a yellow one, an orange one, and ________ black one.
  the
  a

9. You must always tell ________ truth!
  a
  the

10. I cannot understand how ________ person like him can become president.
  a
  the

CHECK ANSWERS

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Four situations (out of many more :) when you shouldn't use articles:

1. Before abstract nouns used in a general sense.
ex. Happiness is hard to find, Crime is up this year.

2. With many cities or countries.
ex. I live in London, She is from France.

3. With names of sports.
ex. I play tennis, He played volleyball.

4. In front of company names.
ex. She works at Walmart, He got fired from Sony.

This can be a fairly difficult topic for ESL students, but there are many sites that can clarify it for you :) If you'd like more information about articles (definite and indefinite) and their usage (or in this case non-usage), check out the Use and Non-Use of Articles (Purdue University) page.