Practice

Exercise 1 In the sentences below, only one of the underlined noun groups is appropriate. Cross out the one that is wrong.

1. A train/The train would be best; it leaves every hour. 2. He was a supreme master of ballet/a ballet. 3. Both of them found work in hospital/the hospital. 4. Can you play a guitar/the guitar? 5. Lithuanian borders were set up in the spring/a spring. 6. Since they built the bridge no one uses a ferry/the ferry any more. 7. She has returned to a theatre/the theatre after an absence of five years. 8. She could not imagine people going to church/the church looking so dull and unhappy. 9. I once played a guitar/the guitar which had only five strings. 10. In a summer/summer it’s hot but in winter/a winter it’s very cold. 11. Next year you’ll be able to go by hovercraft; they’re starting a new service. It’ll be much quicker than a boat/the boat. 12. Our lives are dominated by televisions/a television. 13. The door was closed when I went to bed/the bed. 14. She started learning a piano/the piano at the age of five. 15. During a day/the day it was very hectic but at the night/night it was desolate.

Exercise 2 In the sentences below, only one of the underlined noun groups is appropriate. Cross out the one that is wrong.

1. You’ll have no trouble getting home; a bus/the bus doesn’t stop running till midnight. 2. This town is boring. What we need is a cinema/the cinema. 3. We drove to university/the university, opposite which was a temple. 4. I’ve always had a flute/the flute, ever since I was a child. 5. What are you doing after lunch on Tuesday/a Tuesday? 6. There are many ways for tourists to get around London. If you don’t mind travelling in tunnels, take an underground/the underground; if you like to see where you’re going, sit on the top deck of a bus/the bus; and if you’re in a hurry, take a taxi/the taxi. 7. “You’re dressed up.” – “Yes, we’re going to opera/the opera. ” 8. Robert moved closer to the bed/bed. 9. I’m afraid a violin/the violin is an instrument I never mastered. 10. Past/The past is forgotten. 11. Film/The film is both a respected art form and a form of mass entertainment. 12. People get sent to the prison/prison for that sort of thing. 13. It was summer/a summer of intense heat. 14. “What can we do tonight? ” – “Well, we could go to movies/the movies. ” 15. How are we going to get from the church/church to the reception? 16. Air force relief flights continue in morning/the morning. 17. I wanted to go to university/the university but I wanted to be an actor more. 18. I did a lot of work in Hamburg in the eighties/eighties.

Exercise 3 Write the correct article where necessary.

The Piano and the Guitar

There are several reasons why I believe that ____ piano and ____ guitar are ____ best instruments that ____ person can learn to play. First of all, both are extremely popular and can be found nearly everywhere. This gives ____ player more opportunities to enjoy ____ instruments and to practice them. In addition, neither ____ guitar nor ____ piano will get in the way if you want to sing. Have you ever seen ____ tubist sing and play – or ____ trombone player? Whether you enjoy ____ classical music or ____ jazz is not important. All forms of music – rock, jazz, country or classical – can easily be played on either. Studying ____ piano is ____ especially good way to understand written music because of its logically arranged keys, and ____ knowledge of ____ guitar is ____ wonderful introduction to many orchestral instruments such as ____ violin, ____ cello, and ____ bass. Indeed, if I had to start again, I would certainly begin by becoming a serious student of ____ piano and ____ guitar.

Exercise 4 Write the correct article in the space.

1. There are viral and bacterial forms of ____ pneumonia. 2. ____ bubonic plague is spread by a kind of flea. 3. ____ diphtheria is a childhood disease. 4. ____ mumps is more uncomfortable for adults than for children. 5. ____ influenza is also called ____ flu. 6. ____ measles can be very serious. 7. ____ Lyme disease is spread by the bite of a tick. 8. ____ rabies is one of the most dreaded diseases. 9. ____ typhus has sometimes killed more soldiers in wars than those who died in battle. 10. Do you suffer from ____ malaria? 11. I get fed up when I have ____ cold because my nose goes bright red. 12. What is the best treatment for ____ flu? 13. I took some aspirin for ____ headache. 14. ____leukemia is ____ cancer of the blood. 15. Don’t sit in a draught or you’ll catch ____ chill. 16. She developed ____ stomach cancer a month after the marriage broke up. 17. I hope I haven’t caught ____ hepatitis.

Exercise 5 Complete the sentences using names of diseases and the ex­pressions " to have toothache, a headache, a cough, a cold, heart trouble ", etc.

1. " What is the matter with Anne? " " She is in bed with ____". 2. " You look pale. What has happened? " " I have ____." 3. " I hear John is in hospital." " Yes, he has ____" 4. Jane has a high temperature. I'm sure it is ____. 5. George has a bad cough. I'm sure it is ____. 6. Mary doesn't feel well after ____. 7. I don't feel well. I'm afraid I've caught ____. 8. Henry was taken to hospital with acute ____. 9. I'm afraid Anthony has fallen ill. It must be ____. 10. Sam was suddenly taken ill last month. It was ____. 11. I must see a dentist, I have terrible ____. 12. " Why hasn't Tom come? " " He is down with ____".

Exercise 6 In the sentences below, only one of the underlined noun groups is appropriate. Cross out the one that is wrong.

1. After a while, Maria came in, her hair/the hair freshly combed. 2. Bess kissed her on her cheek/the cheek. 3. The Baron leaned forward and looked her in the face/her face. 4. He put his hand/the hand on the shoulder/her shoulder. 5. She leaned close to him, resting her cheek/the cheek against his. 6. She slipped her arm/the arm under his and gave him a nudge. 7. The General had a pistol in the hand/his hand. 8. I kicked him hard on the leg/his leg. 9. He could have shot me in the foot/my foot. 10. Wear a hamlet when you play baseball in case you get hit on your head/the head by the ball. 11. She left the room, the face/her face red with anger. 12. After the earthquake, our hearts/the hearts went out to the families of the victims. 13. I fell down and broke the arm/my arm when I was nine years old. 14. The doctor gave me an injection in my arm/the arm. 15. The outlaw shot the sheriff in his back/the back.

Exercise 7 Supply the required articles, paying special attention to the nouns bed, table.

1. They were discussing it after ____ supper, when ____ children were in ____ bed. 2. ____ room was in ____ darkness. I dimly perceived ____ bed in ­____corner. 3. ____ doctor shrugged his shoulders and sat down beside ____ bed. 4. He would pile ____ journals and ____ newspapers, ____ books and ____ pamphlets on ____ bed, ____ table and ____ spare chairs. 5. When he finished at ____ midnight, too exhausted to read any further, he went to ____ bed. 6. ____ bed itself was wide and high. 7. His aunt urged that he should be sent to ____ bed on the spot. 8. I turned toward my own room where I assumed ____ bed would have been made up for me. 9. He worked hard and often got out of ____ bed at ____ night to make sure that he had written ____ point down. 10. I swung my feet off ____ bed. 11. In ____ few minutes she went to ____ bed. 12. I pushed off ____bedclothes and sat on ____ side of ____ bed. 13. She sat down beside ____ table and began clipping ____ stalks of ____ flowers. 14. He would not argue with ____ guest at ____ table. 15. We sat at ____ kitchen table talking about ____ things. 16. Tom, who was reading at ____ small table near him, looked up. 17. There used to be ____ table near the window.

Exercise 8 Supply the required articles, paying special attention to the nouns school, hospital.

1. Mr Peck came in. He taught us ____ algebra and ____ geometry; he was ____ man about fifty-five who had spent his whole life at ____ school. 2. This talk went on throughout ____ drive back to ____ school. 3. Paula taught Greek and Latin at ____ local school. 4. In fact, though clever, he was idle at ____ school and far from bookish. 5. ____ fees at ____ secondary school were ____ three guineas ____ term. 6. In ____ morning I went as usual to ____ school. 7. He went to ____ school to speak to ____ head-master about his son. 8. He's in ____ hospital with ____ couple of ____ ribs. 9. He lives in one wing of ____ house, and has turned the rest into ____ hospital. 10. After ____ lunch Dr. Raily went off to ____ hospital. 11. She had met his father when he was captured and brought to ____ Austrian hospital where she was ____ nurse in ____ First World War. 12. She told me that for ____while she had worked in ____ hospital. 13. On ____day he was due to attend ____ hospital she secretly phoned his doctor. 14. They had ____ hospital in ____ town during ____ war. 15. Doctor Huger is ____ best man for you but he's at ____ hospital doing ____ emergency operation. 16. He is in ____ hospital and his condition is reported as being serious.

Exercise 9 Supply the required articles, paying special attention to the nouns church, town.

1. St. Peter's is ____ church often chosen by ____ fashionable people for ____ funerals and ____ weddings. 2. They stood for ____ moment, and then all together slowly moved towards ____ church. 3. " Do you go to ____ church? " " Occasionally." 4. I could see from ____ car ____ church on ____ sharply rising slope. 5. About half past ten ____cracked bell of ____ small church began to ring. 6. They rode in ____ silence for ____ moment, ____ church disappearing behind them. 7. " Bertie, " she said to my father, " I shall go to ____ church this morning." 8. She was dressed for ____ church. 9. I'll drive you to ____ town this morning. 10. We decided to spend ____ summer in ____ sea-side town. 11. They lived in ____ same part of ____ town. 12. ____ town was not large enough for one to stay anonymous. 13. When will you drive back to ____ town? 14. Blairhill was ____ ancient town with ____winding alleys and ____ old marketplace. 15. I walked with him through ____ town. 16. I'm afraid you can't see Father today; he's out of ____ town. 17. My Aunt Milly was well known all over ____ town.

Exercise 10 Insert the right article.

1. He is ____ local priest in ____ Anglican church. 2. ____ church has a wonderful porch at the front. 3. His parents go to ____ church now and then. 4. Bruce was in ____ town with his wife to promote the film. 5. The market is an exciting and colourful part of ____ town, full of noise and bustle. 6. This is ____ small town, everybody knows everybody. 7. She went to ____ town where her aunt lived. 8.____ school was a very happy time. 9. I left ____ school exactly ten years ago. 10. We met every day after ____ school. 11. This is ____ school with more than one thousand pupils. 12.____ school was built in 1909. 13. Criminals are kept in ____ prison. 14. ____ prison was surrounded by a brick wall. 15. ____ prison is not the answer to many social problems. 16. Ben was taken to ____ hospital with appendicitis. 17. There is a well-equipped laboratory at ____ hospital. 18. Melanie went to ____ bed but couldn't fall asleep. 19. Why do you always put your shoes under ____bed? 20. Doctors advise me to sleep on ____ hard bed. 21. He went to ____ University to get education. 22. There is ____ university in this small town. 23. There is no place like ____ home.

Exercise 11 Insert the definite article or a possessive pronoun.

1. She waved ____ hand in a farewell gesture. 2. The author took the actress by ____ hand and led her across the stage to the foot-lights. 3. With ____ hair hanging in plaits down ____ back she could pass for a girl of sixteen. 4. His friend pulled him, out of the water by ____ hair. 5. The man was shaking the boy by ____ shoulder as if he was trying to shake ____ life out of him. 6. He crossed the street with ____ little brother on ____ shoulders. 7. Bill grabbed ____ shoulder and was steering her out of the room. 8. Hearing these words, the angry man became red in ____ face. 9. Doris walked over to ____ father, turned ____ face and let him kiss her on ____ cheek. 10. The teacher took Tom by ____ ear and bore him across the classroom to ____ former seat. 11. Approaching the sick boy, the doctor put ____ hand on the child's head, then felt ____ pulse and gravely shook ____ head. 12. She felt ridiculous to be patted on ____ head like a little girl. 13. He felt the hot pavement through ____ soles of ____ thin summer shoes. 14. He patted ____ pockets to see if he had cigarettes, then he remembered that Pat had taken ____ cigarettes. 15. He was wounded in ____ knee.

Exercise 12 Complete these statements about English grammar.

1. The word “the” is called _____.

2. “ Children” is _____ of “child”

3. “Can” is _____ in “I can do it”, but in “I hate drinking lemonade from a can” it is _____.

4. “A” and “an” are the two forms of _____.

5. After “news” you should use a verb in _____; for example, “the news is interesting”.

6. “Sang”is _____ of “sing and “sang” is _____.

Exercise 13 Complete the sentences below using these words with appropriate article if necessary. You will need to use some of the words more than once.