Articles; countable vs. uncountable nouns 1. Which of these nouns are uncountable (U)? advice, news, letter, water, sandwich, rice, blood, packet, beach, accident, electricity, petrol, suggestion, flour, photograph, tooth, interview 2. Complete the sentences using a/an/the/-: 1. I bought ______ paper this morning but I haven’t read it yet. 2. _____ life is complicated sometimes. 3. My grandmother worked abroad a lot and had ______ very interesting life. 4. Jenny was eating _____ apple when I came to ______ kitchen. 5. Can I ask you ______ question? Who is _______ man your mother is talking to? 6. I was in ______ bed when _______ phone rang. 7. Can you close _______ window, please? It’s a bit cold in here. 8. Would you like _______ banana? – No, thanks. I don’t eat _____ bananas. 9. It’s Jane’s birthday tomorrow. I want to bake _____ cake for her. 10. She’s got _____ long brown hair and _____ blue eyes. 11. Hurry up. ____ school begins in 20 minutes. 12. I waited for my friends in front of _____ school. 13. Is there ____ school in your village. – No, it is too small. We do not have _____ school. 3. Correct the sentences where necessary: 1. It was nobody’s fault. It was an accident. – Well, it was bad luck. 2. Shall I put a chicken in your sandwiches? – Yes, please. – What about some cheese? - No, thanks, I don’t eat cheese. 3. If you are hungry, have some cake, or you can have sandwich, if you like. 4. Yes, you are right. That’s very good idea. 5. There wasn’t much space in the room, so there was not much furniture. 6. That’s a wonderful news. Congratulations. 7. Can you play a guitar? – Yes, I started to learn when I was six. I got a guitar for my birthday then. 8. Do you often go to cinema? – Yes, but there isn’t cinema where I live. It’s small village, you know. 9. I don’t like going to dentist. 10. My luggages are still in the car. 11. The news begin at 7. Can you switch on television? 12. Beer is the most popular drink in this country. 13. (In a restaurant) Three beers, please. 14. How many luggage have you got? – Just this two bags. 15. I asked the doctor for an advice. 16. I had a strange experience the other day while I was going home late at the night. 17. I have no informations concerning the meeting. 18. Do I need any experience of this kind? 19. The news are good. She is feeling much better after the operation. 20. I don’t have a cash on me. Can I pay by card? 4. Complete the sentences. Put in a/an or the. 1. Look outside. ….. sky is getting very dark. – I hope there isn’t going to be … storm. 2. I’m going out for ….walk. Have you seen my shoes? – They are on …. floor in … kitchen. 3. Would you like …. tomato? There’s one in …. fridge. – Yes, please. I will make myself …. cheese and tomato sandwich. 4. I didn’t know Melanie had ….dog. – It isn’t hers. She’s just taking it for a walk while ….. owner is away. 5. I’ve got …… headache. I’ve had it all day. – Why don’t you go to …… health centre? It’s open until six. 5. Read this true story about an American tourist in Britain. Study the use of articles: A man from California was spending a month in Britain. One day he booked into a hotel in Cheltenham, a nice old town in the West of England. Then he went out to look around the place. But the man didn’t return to the hotel. He disappeared, leaving a suitcase full of clothes behind. The police were called in, but they were unable to find out what had happened to the missing tourist. It was a mystery. But two weeks later the man walked into the police station in Cheltenham. He explained that he was very sorry, but while walking around the town, he had got lost. He had also forgotten the name of the hotel he had booked into. So he had decided to continue with his tour of the country and had gone to visit a friend in Scotland before returning to pick up the case he had left behind. Now try to complete this story using a/an or the: A man decided to rob (1) …….. bank in the town where he lived. He walked into (2)….. bank and handed (3)….. note to one of (4) …… cashiers. (5) …… cashier read (6)……. note, which told her to give (7) ……. man some money. Afraid that he might have (8) ….. gun, she did as she was told. (9)…. man then walked out of (10)….. building, leaving (11) ….. note behind. However, he had no time to spend (12) ….. money because he was arrested (13)….. same day. He had made (14) …… mistake. He had written (15) …. note on (16) ….. back of (17) ….. envelope. And on (18)…… other side of (19)….. envelope was his name and address. This clue was quite enough for (20) …… detectives on the case. 6. Complete the sentences using a/ an or zero article; note the differences in meaning: 1. a) I read ____ paper every day, usually on the way to work. b) _____ paper is made from wood. 2. a) One of the most popular materials in modern architecture is _____ glass. b) She broke ____ glass when she was washing up. 3. a) Sorry, I have to hurry to the station. I haven’t got ____ time. b) We were on holiday in Italy. We had ____ wonderful time there. 4. a) What does she look like? – Well, she is tall and she has ______ long blond hair. b) The restaurant is terrible. Last time I had some soup there and I found ____ hair in it. Disgusting! 5. a) I have no talent for _____ painting. b) This is _____ excellent painting. Who painted it? 6. a) Don’t tell her about it. She’s ____ old gossip. b) Some women love _____ gossip, it’s almost a hobby. 7. a) I’ve got ___ new iron. b) Steel is an alloy of ____ iron. 8. a) The castle is made of ____ stone. b) He picked up ____ stone and threw it at the dog. Answers ex. 1 Uncountable nouns – advice, news, water, rice, blood, electricity, pertol, flour, ex. 2 1. a paper 2. - 3. a very interesting life 4. an apple, the kitchen 5. a question, the man 6. in bed, the phone 7. the window 8. a banana, - bananas, 9. a cake 10. long brown hair, blue eyes 11. school (= classes) 12. the school (=the building) 13. a school; a school ex. 3 1. correct 2. chicken 3. some cake or a cake; a sandwich 4. a very good idea 5. correct 6. wonderful news 7. play the guitar; 8. the cinema; there isn’t a cinema; a small village 9. the dentist 10. luggage is still … 11. … begins; the television 12. correct 13. correct 14. .. much luggage – these two bags 15. …for advice 16. at night 17. no information 18. correct 19. the news is good. 20. cash ex. 4 6. Look outside. …The.. sky is getting very dark. – I hope there isn’t going to be …a.. storm. 7. I’m going out for …a .. walk. Have you seen my shoes? – They are on …the . floor in …the.. kitchen. 8. Would you like …a . tomato? There’s one in … the…. fridge. – Yes, please. I will make myself …a.. cheese and tomato sandwich. 9. I didn’t know Melanie had …a...dog. – It isn’t hers. She’s just taking it for a walk while …the.. owner is away. 10. I’ve got …a… headache. I’ve had it all day. – Why don’t you go to …the… health centre? It’s open until six. Ex. 5 A man decided to rob (1) …a/the….. bank in the town where he lived. He walked into (2)…the.. bank and handed (3) …a .. note to one of (4) …the… cashiers. (5) …The… cashier read (6)…the…. note, which told her to give (7) …the…. man some money. Afraid that he might have (8) …a.. gun, she did as she was told. (9)…The... man then walked out of (10)…the .. building, leaving (11) …the... note behind. However, he had no time to spend (12) …the... money because he was arrested (13)….the... same day. He had made (14) …a… mistake. He had written (15) …the... note on (16) …the.. back of (17) …an.. envelope. And on (18)…the… other side of (19)…the.. envelope was his name and address. This clue was quite enough for (20) …the… detectives on the case. Ex.6 1. a) I read _a__ paper every day, usually on the way to work. b) __-___ paper is made from wood. 2. a) One of the most popular materials in modern architecture is ___-__ glass. b) She broke _a___ glass when she was washing up. 3. a) Sorry, I have to hurry to the station. I haven’t got _-__ time. b) We were on holiday in Italy. We had __a__ wonderful time there. 4. a) What does she look like? – Well, she is tall and she has __-____ long blond hair. b) The restaurant is terrible. Last time I had some soup there and I found _a___ hair in it. Disgusting. 5. a) I have no talent for ___-__ painting. b) This is __an___ excellent painting. Who painted it? 6. a) Don’t tell her about it. She’s _an___ old gossip. b) Some women love __-___ gossip, it’s almost a hobby. 7. a) I’ve got __a_ new iron. b) Steel is an alloy of __-__ iron. 8. a) The castle is made of __-__ stone. b) He picked up _a___ stone and threw it at the dog.