Articles
First the good news:There are only three articles in English: a, an and the.
There are two types of articles indefinite 'a' and 'an' or definite 'the'. You also need to know when not to use an article.
The bad news is that their proper use is complex, especially when you get into the advanced use of English. Quite often you have to work it out by what sounds right, which can be frustrating for a learner.
Indefinite articles - a and an (determiners)
A and an are the indefinite articles. They refer to something not specifically known to the person you are communicating with.
A and an are used before nouns that introduce something or someone you have not mentioned before:-
| For example: | "I saw an elephant this morning." "I ate a banana for lunch." |
A and an are also used when talking about your profession:-
| For example: | "I am an English teacher." "I am a builder." |
Note! | You use a when the noun you are referring to begins with a consonant (b, c, d, f, g, h, j, k, l, m, n, p, q, r, s, t, v, w, x, y or z), for example, "a city", "a factory", and "a hotel". You use an when the noun you are referring to begins with a vowel (a, e, i, o, u) Pronunciation changes this rule. It's the sound that matters, not the spelling. If the next word begins with a consonant sound when we say it, for example, "university" then we use a. If the next word begins with a vowel sound when we say it, for example "hour" then we use an. We say "university" with a "y" sound at the beginning as though it were spelt "youniversity". So, "a university" IS correct. We say "hour" with a silent h as though it were spelt "our". So, "an hour" IS correct. |
Definite Article - the (determiners)
You use the when you know that the listener knows or can work out what particular person/thing you are talking about.
| For example: | "The apple you ate was rotten." "Did you lock the car?" |
You should also use the when you have already mentioned the thing you are talking about.
| For example: | "She's got two children; a girl and a boy. The girl's eight and the boy's fourteen." |
We use the to talk about geographical points on the globe.
| For example: | the North Pole, the equator |
We use the to talk about rivers, oceans and seas
| For example: | the Nile, the Pacific, the English channel |
We also use the before certain nouns when we know there is only one of a particular thing.
| For example: | the rain, the sun, the wind, the world, the earth, the White House etc.. |
However if you want to describe a particular instance of these you should use a/an.
| For example: | "I could hear the wind." / "There's a cold wind blowing." "What are your plans for the future?" / "She has a promising future ahead of her." |
Note - The doesn't mean all:-
| For example: | "The books are expensive." = (Not all books are expensive, just the ones I'm talking about.) "Books are expensive." = (All books are expensive.) |
No article
We usually use no article to talk about things in general:-
| Inflation is rising. People are worried about rising crime. (Note! People generally, so no article) |
You do not use an article when talking about sports.
| For example: | My son plays football. Tennis is expensive. |
You do not use an article before the names of countries except where they indicate multiple areas or contain the words (state(s), kindom, republic, union). Kingdom, state, republic and union are nouns, so they need an article.
| For example: | No article - Italy, Mexico, Bolivia, England Use the - the UK (United Kingdom), the USA (United States of America), the Irish Republic Multiple areas! the Netherlands, the Philippines, the British Isles |
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Comparatives and Superlatives
Form the comparative and superlative forms of a one-syllable adjective by adding –er for the comparative form and –est for the superlative.
| One-Syllable Adjective | Comparative Form | Superlative Form |
|---|---|---|
| tall | taller | tallest |
| old | older | oldest |
| long | longer | longest |
- Mary is taller than Max.
- Mary is the tallest of all the students.
- Max is older than John.
- Of the three students, Max is the oldest.
- My hair is longer than your hair.
- Max's story is the longest story I've ever heard.
If the one-syllable adjective ends with an e, just add –r for the comparative form and –st for the superlative form.
| One-Syllable Adjective with Final -e | Comparative Form | Superlative Form |
|---|---|---|
| large | larger | largest |
| wise | wiser | wisest |
- Mary's car is larger than Max's car.
- Mary's house is the tallest of all the houses on the block.
- Max is wiser than his brother.
- Max is the wisest person I know.
If the one-syllable adjective ends with a single consonant with a vowel before it, double the consonant and add –er for the comparative form; and double the consonant and add –est for the superlative form.
| One-Syllable Adjective Ending with a Single Consonant with a Single Vowel before It | Comparative Form | Superlative Form |
|---|---|---|
| big | bigger | biggest |
| thin | thinner | thinnest |
| fat | fatter | fattest |
- My dog is bigger than your dog.
- My dog is the biggest of all the dogs in the neighborhood.
- Max is thinner than John.
- Of all the students in the class, Max is the thinnest.
- My mother is fatter than your mother.
- Mary is the fattest person I've ever seen.
Two-syllable adjectives.
With most two-syllable adjectives, you form the comparative with more and the superlative with most.
| Two-Syllable Adjective | Comparative Form | Superlative Form |
|---|---|---|
| peaceful | more peaceful | most peaceful |
| pleasant | more pleasant | most pleasant |
| careful | more careful | most careful |
| thoughtful | more thoughtful | most thoughtful |
- This morning is more peaceful than yesterday morning.
- Max's house in the mountains is the most peaceful in the world.
- Max is more careful than Mike.
- Of all the taxi drivers, Jack is the most careful.
- Jill is more thoughtful than your sister.
- Mary is the most thoughtful person I've ever met.
If the two-syllable adjectives ends with –y, change the y to i and add –er for the comparative form. For the superlative form change the y to i and add –est.
| Two-Syllable Adjective Ending with -y | Comparative Form | Superlative Form |
|---|---|---|
| happy | happier | happiest |
| angry | angrier | angriest |
| busy | busier | busiest |
- John is happier today than he was yesterday.
- John is the happiest boy in the world.
- Max is angrier than Mary.
- Of all of John's victims, Max is the angriest.
- Mary is busier than Max.
- Mary is the busiest person I've ever met.
Two-syllable adjectives ending in –er, -le, or –ow take –er and –est to form the comparative and superlative forms.
| Two-Syllable Adjective Ending with -er, -le, or -ow | Comparative Form | Superlative Form |
|---|---|---|
| narrow | narrower | narrowest |
| gentle | gentler | gentlest |
- The roads in this town are narrower than the roads in the city.
- This road is the narrowest of all the roads in California.
- Big dogs are gentler than small dogs.
- Of all the dogs in the world, English Mastiffs are the gentlest.
Adjectives with three or more syllables.
For adjectives with three syllables or more, you form the comparative with more and the superlative with most.
| Adjective with Three or More Syllables | Comparative Form | Superlative Form |
|---|---|---|
| generous | more generous | most generous |
| important | more important | most important |
| intelligent | more intelligent | most intelligent |
- John is more generous than Jack.
- John is the most generous of all the people I know.
- Health is more important than money.
- Of all the people I know, Max is the most important.
- Women are more intelligent than men.
- Mary is the most intelligent person I've ever met.
Exceptions.
Irregular adjectives.
| Irregular Adjective | Comparative Form | Superlative Form |
|---|---|---|
| good | better | best |
| bad | worse | worst |
| far | farther | farthest |
| little | less | least |
| many | more | most |
- Italian food is better than American food.
- My dog is the best dog in the world.
- My mother's cooking is worse than your mother's cooking.
- Of all the students in the class, Max is the worst.
Two-syllable adjectives that follow two rules. These adjectives can be used with -er and -est and with more and most.
| Two-Syllable Adjective | Comparative Form | Superlative Form |
|---|---|---|
| clever | cleverer | cleverest |
| clever | more clever | most clever |
| gentle | gentler | gentlest |
| gentle | more gentle | most gentle |
| friendly | friendlier | friendliest |
| friendly | more friendly | most friendly |
| quiet | quieter | quietest |
| quiet | more quiet | most quiet |
| simple | simpler | simplest |
| simple | more simple | most simple |
- Big dogs are gentler than small dogs.
- Of all the dogs in the world, English Mastiffs are the gentlest.
- Big dogs are more gentle than small dogs.
- Of all the dogs in the world, English Mastiffs are the most gentle.
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Verb Tense Review and Exercises
Here is a helpful table with the tenses, a quick explanation and some helpful words/phrases associated with each of them.
.
Past | Present | Future | |
| Simple | An action that ended at a point in the past. | An action that exists , is usual, or is repeated. | A plan for future action. |
| cooked | cook / cooks | will cook | |
| (time clue)* | e.g. He cooked yesterday. | e.g. He cooks dinner every Friday. | e.g. He will cook tomorrow. |
| Progressive be + main verb +ing | An action was happening (past progressive) when another action happened (simple past). | An action that is happening now. | An action that will be happening over time, in the future, when something else happens. |
| was / were cooking | am / is / are cooking | will be cooking | |
| (time clue)* | e.g. He was cooking when the phone rang. | e.g. He is cooking now. | e.g. He will be cooking when you come. |
| Perfect have + main verb | An action that ended before another action or time in the past. | An action that happened at an unspecified time in the past. | An action that will end before another action or time in the future. |
| had cooked | has / have cooked | will have cooked | |
| (time clue)* | e.g. He had cooked the dinner when the phone rang. | e.g. He has cooked many meals. | e.g. He will have cooked dinner by the time you come. |
| Perfect Progressive have + be + main verb + ing | An action that happened over time, in the past, before another time or action in the past. | An action occurring over time that started in the past and continues into the present. | An action occurring over time, in the future, before another action or time in the future. |
| had been cooking | has / have been cooking | will have been cooking | |
| (time clue)* | e.g. He had been cooking for a long time before he took lessons. | e.g. He has been cooking for over an hour. | e.g. He will have been cooking all day by the time she gets home. |
*Time clues: these are words that give some information about when an action occurs. Some examples are:
yesterday every day tomorrow while now | simple past simple present simple future past progressive present progressive |
| There are many words that are time clues; some can be used to indicate a number of tenses, for instance that something happened in the past or that it will happen in the future. If you learn to recognize these time clues, you will find them very helpful. Note that some time clues can be used with more than one verb tense and also that this table is not a complete listing of all the time clues that can be used with all of the tenses |
CHART—TIME CLUES AND VERB TENSE
| Past | Present | Future | |
| Simple | Simple Past | Simple Present | Simple Future |
yesterday last year/ month/ etc. before for five weeks/days/etc. one year/ month ago | every morning / day / etc. always usually frequently sometimes | tomorrow tonight next week/month/etc. soon in the future | |
| Progressive | Past Progressive | Present Progressive | Future progressive |
| while when | now right now this week/minute/etc. | when after as soon as before | |
| Perfect | Past Perfect | Present Perfect | Future Perfect |
| before already by the time until then/last week/etc. after | until now since ever never many times/ weeks/years/etc. for three hours/ minutes/etc/ | by the time you go (somewhere) by the time you do (something) already | |
| Perfect Progressive | Past Perfect progressive | Present Perfect Progressive | Future Perfect Progressive |
| before for one week/hour/etc. since | for the past year/ month/ etc. for the last 2 months/ weeks/etc. up to now for 6 weeks/hours/etc. since | by the time for ten days/weeks/etc. by |
Adjectives
