Articles, part 2

A...An...The...

Even thought there are only three articles in English, the rules on how to use these can get rather complicated.

Learning articles in English is best done through practice and study-- but it takes time, as there are lots of rules (and exceptions to the rules) to consider.

• (1) If articles are a struggle for you, I highly recommend getting a copy of The Article Book, by Tom Cole, University of Michigan Press. It contains clear explanations of the 50 rules for article use with lots of practice activities to help you understand  and remember them.

• (2) For a quick explanation of the rules- and a short practice quiz, visit the EC learn English Page here.

• (3) For another basic explanations of the uses of A/An/The, please visit the "English Pages" explanation page here.

• (4) To practice with these, click here, and complete English Pages exercises 7-11

• (5) If you like the English Pages explanations, check out the more advanced rules now here
• (6) Now, to practice there, click here and complete exercises 12-30

• (7) If you like lots of examples, you can review article rules at the Frankfurt International School page

• (8) For another comprehensive (advanced and very thorough) explanation of article use (with practice activities), visit the"Grammar Quizzes" page here.

Practice with commas

Struggling with commas? (You are not alone!)

Here are a few links to helpful explanations:

• Explanation page 1
• Explanation page 2

 

And here are some great practice activities:

• (1) 10 question commas practice quiz (explained after you choose your answer for each)
• (2) Comma quiz 2 from chompchomp
• (3) longer comma quiz (a challenge!)