MIXED ENGLISH ARTICLES EXERCISE 1 (ESL)

Grammar review Mixed articles — a, an, the, or no article?

This exercise covers all article choices in English. The core questions to ask for each sentence:

Is the noun specific and known to both speaker and listener?
→ Use the: “Pass me the salt.” (we both know which one)

Is it being introduced for the first time, or is it one of many?
→ Use a/an: “She bought a new car.”

Is it a general, uncountable, or abstract noun used in a broad sense?
→ No article: “She loves music.”   “He works in sales.”

Quick reference:
the = specific, identified, unique, or already mentioned
a/an = unspecific, first mention, one of many, job/role descriptions
No article = proper nouns (most), sports, languages, subjects, uncountable nouns in general sense