Determiners and articles
Use determiners (articles a/an/the and demonstratives this/that/these/those) correctly before nouns
What a learner can do afterwards
- Use 'a' before consonant sounds and 'an' before vowel sounds correctly: 'a ball', 'an apple'
- Distinguish 'this/these' (near) from 'that/those' (far) when pointing to objects
- Select the correct article (a/an/the) to complete a sentence
The lesson
Some little words go right before a noun to tell you which one, or how many. Words like a, an, the, this, that, these, and those all do this job. They are called determiners.
Use a or an before a single noun. Listen to the very first sound of the noun. If it starts with a consonant sound, use a: a ball, a dog. If it starts with a vowel sound, use an: an apple, an owl.
Zara is looking for her cat. She finds the cat under the bed. Everyone already knows which cat she means, so Zara says the cat, not a cat. Use the when you mean one exact thing.
This and these point to something near you. That and those point to something far away. This is for one thing close by, these is for many things close by.
Pick a or an by sound, use the for one exact thing everyone knows, and use this/these for near, that/those for far.
Watch it
Where it sits
Learn first
This opens up
Where this leads
Jobs that lean on this skill. Follow one to see everything it is built on.
8 questions wait behind this lesson, each with its answer explained. Every answer feeds the sky: stars light as they are learned, and dim when it is time to come back.