Complete these sentences with a/an where necessary.

1) They have sold cargo of 6.000 tons of wheat.

2) He bought few books yesterday.

3) My friend, teacher of history, has been awarded a prize.

4) His sister has become doctor.

5) He opened the letter with excitement that he couldn't conceal.

6) We must charter second vessel.

7) I've bought pound of sugar.

8) Mrs Mirell has come while you were out.

9) What pity!

10) We're going to stay there for period of 5 days.

 

Insert a/ an if necessary

1) You'll get..... shock if you touch..... live wire with that screwdriver. Why don't you get..... screwdriver with..... insulated handle?

2) It costs fifty-five and..... half pence and I've only got..... fifty pence piece. – You can pay by..... cheque here. But can I write..... cheque for..... fifty-five and..... half pence? –

3)..... Mr Smith is..... old customer and..... honest man. – Why do you say that? Has he been accused of..... dishonesty?

4) I'm not..... wage-earner; I'm..... self-employed man. I have..... business of my own. – Then you're not..... worker; you're..... capitalist!

5) When he was charged with..... murder he said he had..... alibi.

6) –..... friend of mine is expecting..... baby. If it's..... girl she's going to be called Etheldreda. – What..... name to give..... girl!

7) I have..... hour and..... half for lunch. – I only have..... half..... hour – barely..... time for..... smoke and..... cup of coffee.

8) I wouldn't climb..... mountain for $1,000! I have..... horror of..... heights.

9)..... few people know (hardly anyone know) that there is..... secret passage from this house to..... old smugglers' cave in the cliffs.

10) I'm having..... few friends in to..... coffee tomorrow evening. Would you like to come? – I'd love to, but I'm afraid I'm going to..... concert.

11) He broke his leg in..... skiing accident. It's still in..... plaster.

12) I want..... assistant with..... knowledge of French and..... experience of..... office routine.

 

Fill in the gaps if necessary.

1) I see that your house is built of..... wood. Are you insured against..... fire?

2) The escaping prisoner camped in..... wood but he didn't light..... fire because..... smoke rising from the wood might attract..... attention.

3) I had..... amazing experience last night. I saw..... dinosaur eating..... meat pie in..... London park – You mean you had..... nightmare. Anyway, dinosaurs didn't eat..... meat.

4) I'll pay you..... hundred..... week. It's not..... enormous salary but after all you are..... completely unskilled man.

5)..... little (hardly anything) is known about the effect of this drug; yet..... chemist will sell it to you without..... prescription.

6) I have..... little money left; let's have dinner in..... restaurant.

7) Would it be..... trouble to you to buy me..... newspaper on your way home?

8)..... man is.....reasoning animal.

 

Translate from Russian into English.

1) У Анны завтра день рождения. Она собирается пригласить нескольких друзей. Ее брат собирается пойти в универмаг. Он должен купить ей подарок. Он хочет купить ей темно-синие перчатки.

2) Я попросил его купить бумагу и краски.

3) Детям необходимо молоко.

4) Добавь немного масла в кашу.

5) Поставь соль на стол.

6) Я не пью молоко, я пью только сок.

7) Вчера я купил сахар и ягоды, буду варить варенье. Я очень люблю пить чай с вареньем.

8) В этом районе производят добычу угля и нефти.

9) В этом районе добывают железную руду?

10)Генри начал работать в банке мелким служащим.

 

Unit 3 THE DEFINITE ARTICLE

Most uses of the show that I (the writer/speaker) can assume that you (the listener/ the reader) know who /what I am referring to.

 

Once a topic has been introduced, a speaker/writer can use the to refer to people/things that are normally present in that situation. For example, if someone is telling a story about a flight they were on, they can refer to the pilot, the plane, the airport, the food, etc., without having to be more explicit.

 

The is used:

 

1. To make a general statement about all things of that class (generic reference): The dolphin is an intelligent animal (a certain class of sea animals as distinct from other classes, such as the whale or the seal).

NOTE 1: The noun man is used without the when referring generically to all human beings(not only all male human beings): This will lead to a disaster if man doesn't face reality.

NOTE 2: Referring to a class is also done with:

a) a/an + singular noun: A dolphin lives in the sea (a dolphin as an example of a class of sea animals known as "dolphin");

b) no article + plural noun: Dolphins live in the sea (all creatures with the characteristics of sea animals called "dolphins").

Using the here is more formal than using a or a plural.

 

2. When it is clear from the context/ situation what person or thing is meant: Jill didn't turn round and the boy coughed quietly (the reader is supposed to know what boy). Pass me the salt, please (the one on the table).

 

3. When the noun is mentioned for a second time ("back reference"): They had a son and a daughter. The son was in the Army.

 

4. To specify the thing or person:

1) by means of clauses and phrases: The book I recommended now costs $5. The attempt to persuade her left him exhausted. He is the student you wanted to speak to.

2) by an "of" phrase: The independence of my country is of primary importance for me. The life of great people can teach us a lot.

3) with the meals when they are specified: The dinner at the Trenchers' was enjoyable.

4) with names of languages when they are specified: The English of America differs from the English of England.

NOTE special uses: It is a translation from the French. What is the English for "сосна"?

5) with plural countable nouns specified by the context: Don’t stay in that hotel. The service attendants are impolite.

5. With nouns in certain syntactical positions:

1) with nouns in apposition or nouns forming part of an apposition modified by a particularising attribute: Jenkins, the student you have mentioned, has come. Pushkin, the great Russian poet, died in 1837.

NOTE: But if the person or the work of art is not widely known the indefinite article is used: ‘Pericles’, a comedy by Shakespeare, is hardly ever staged.

2) with nouns which follow the attribute expressed by the pronouns both, all: Both the stories were interesting. All the girls looked charming.

6. With adjectives:

1) with adjectives without a noun to refer to all the people with that characteristic, e.g. the sick means "people who are sick": It seems that the unemployed can be kept out of sight. Many adjectives can be used this way. Here are some common ones: aged, dead, disabled, elderly, handicapped, homeless, old, poor, rich, sick, unemployed, young.

2) with adjectives meaning general abstract notions: No one can achieve the impossible (things which are impossible). The following adjectives are often used this way: impossible, incredible, inevitable, new, obvious, old, possible, supernatural, unexpected, unknown, unreal, unthinkable.

3) in comparative structures: The larger the biscuit, the longer the baking time.

4) with nouns modified by adjectives in the superlative degree: Clair is the prettiest girl I have ever met.

7. With ordinal numerals: Our seats were in the third row.

NOTE: In dates the is spoken, but not written: He came on March, 12^th (spoken as March the 12^th); (on a letter) 12(th) March (spoken as the 12^th of March).

8. With the words meaning time sequences: the beginning, the middle, the end; the first/last; the next; the following day; the present/ past/ future; in the past he used to be an army officer.

NOTE: next and last are used without the in time expressions (next week, last year, etc.)

9. In measuring expressions with by: by the pound/ kilo/dozen, etc.

 

10. With parts of the day in the morning/afternoon/ evening: The night was warm and beautifully still (specified by the particularising attributes).

11. With musical instruments: Chris plays the violin.

NOTE: No article is used to talk about roles in a musical group or in a piece of music: I don't know of any duets for piano and trumpet.

12. To refer to the systems of media: I don't like using the telephone (phone).

Other words of this type are: the newspapers (papers), the press, the post, the mail, the news.

NOTE: by phone (telephone), by post (mail).

13. With unique items (only one example or one set of them exists): the devil, the Earth/earth, the equator, the sun, the moon, the North/north Pole, the South/ south Pole, the Pope, the sky, the solar system, the stars, the universe, the world.

But: A/an is used when there is an attribute before the sun, the moon, the sky, etc.: A pearl-white moon smiles through the green trees.

NOTE: Some of them are like proper names and there is a tendency to use a capital letter with them.

14. With the names of the seasons the is optional: (the) spring/ summer/ autumn/ winter.

NOTE: the + weather/ climate/ temperature is used in a general sense: I believe that the weather can influence people's mood.

 

 

E x e r c i s e s

 

Choose the correct for.

1) Life/ The life would be very difficult without electricity/the electricity.

2) Skiing/The skiing is my favourite sport but I also like swimming/the swimming.

3) Second World War/The Second World War ended in 1945.

4) Do you know people/the people who live next door?

5) Are you interested in art/the art or architecture/the architecture?

6) All books/All the books on the top shelf belong to me.

7) Don't stay in that hotel. Beds/The beds are very uncomfortable.

8) Two of the biggest problems facing our society are crime/the crime and unemployment/the unemployment.

9) I hate violence/the violence.

 

Answer these questions.

1) Was it a good film? – Yes. It was the best film I've ever seen.

2) Is it a big hotel? – Yes, it is..... in the city.

3) Is he a rich man? – Yes, he is..... I've ever met.

4) Was it a bad accident? – Yes, it was..... I've ever seen.

5) Is it a cheap restaurant? – Well, it is..... you will find.

6) It's hot today, isn't it? – Yes, it is..... day of the year.

7) What is you favourite flower? – The rose.

8) What is your favourite tree? –.....

9) Which bird do you like most? –.....

10) What is your favourite car? –.....

11) What is your favourite musical instrument? -–.....

 

3.3. Complete these sentences using the with the adjectives in the box. Some of them can be used more than once.

rich, sick, blind, poor, injured, unemployed, dead, disabled

 

1) Braille is a system of reading and writing by touch for the blind.

2) Many people were killed in the plane crash. The bodies of..... were taken away...... were taken to hospital.

3) Every English child knows the story of Robin Hood. It is said that he robbed..... and gave the money to......

4) Those people with jobs have enough money but life is not so easy for......

5) Agnes has been a nurse all her life. She has spent life caring for......

6) It is said that we should never speak ill of …...

7) Buildings should be specially designed so that can be used by …...

8) It is only fair that ….. should pay higher taxes than …...

9) In St. John's Park there is a special garden for ….. with strongly scented flowers.

10) Life is found to be difficult for ……

 

3.4. Insert the where necessary.

Three learned Christian monks were travelling through Turkey hoping to meet wisest man in whole country. Monks explained that they wanted to meet him because they each had a question to ask him. Sultan sent for Nasreddin Hodja who came to palace at once. First monk stepped up and asked his question. "Where is centre of earth?" – At this moment centre of earth is exactly below front right foot of my donkey". "How can you possibly know that?" asked monk. If you measure earth carefully you'll find that I'm correct," replied Hodja. Second monk stepped up and asked his question. "How many stars are there in sky?" "As many as there are hairs on my donkey," replied Hodja. "As you'll see if you count them." Third monk came forward. "How many hairs are there in my beard?" he asked. "That is easy", said Hodja. " As many as there are hairs in donkey's tail. If you do not believe me step forward and we can pull out hairs from your beard and hairs from donkey's tail one by one and count them."

Third monk was not very keen on this idea so he had to admit he was beaten, so everyone could see that Hodja was wisest man of all.