1. Articles
© Cindy Leibel 2015 – Please do not use without written permission.

2. There are 2 types of articles:
DEFINITE
INDEFINITE

3. DEFINITE ARTICLES

4. Definite Articles – WHICH ONE?
Definite articles show us that the writer knows EXACTLY which thing they are talking about.
In English, we only have one: THE
THE sun
THE man with a silly hat
THE best city in THE world

5. When we use “THE” A) There is only 1 that we can talk about The sun
The world
The floor
The sky
We don’t ask, WHICH sky?

6. When we use “THE”
B) We give extra information about them to make it clear WHICH one we’re talking about
the man with the strange hat
the best city in the world
the man that I just met

7. When we use “THE” C) We previously talked about them.
A cat bit me. The cat was orange.
I was walking when I saw a lady. The lady was wearing a red dress. The dress was very long.

8. Articles, Plurals, and S/V Agreement
It is the same if the thing we are talking about is singular or plural.
We are telling the reader they already know which ones we’re discussing!
THE men with silly hats
THE best cities in THE world

9. INDEFINITE ARTICLES

10. Indefinite Articles INdefinite articles show us
The listener DOES NOT knows which thing(s) we are talking about
The things are NEW.
A door (this could be any door)
A man came into the room (this is a new idea; we didn’t know about him before).

11. Indefinite Articles
The indefinite articles you know are a, an, and some.
An apple was on the table.
Some apples were on the table.

12. Indefinite Articles
Be careful – we don’t use “some” in negative sentences!
We use any instead!
There aren’t some apples on the table. X
There aren’t any apples on the table.

13. GENERAL NOUNS

14. General Nouns
When we are talking about an idea, though, or something you CANNOT SEE, we call it a GENERAL NOUN. DO NOT USE ARTICLES!
I like the apples.
Can you see the apples? NO! This is a general noun!
THIS IS A VERY IMPORTANT RULE!!!

15. Subject/Verb Agreement

16. S/V Agreement
Subject/Verb Agreement is very important, but many ESL students make big mistakes with this.

17. S/V Agreement
In the PRESENT: He
She It
+ S

18. S/V Agreement I
You We
They
In the present:
NO S

19. Fill in the blanks below using the simple present.
He (walk) __________
Teachers (teach) __________
People (eat) __________
This teacher (teach) ________
My friend (eat) __________
My poster (be) __________
Canadians (love) __________
_____ (be) he okay?
I (love) __________
The family (run) __________
Japan (love) __________
My group (have) __________
My keys (be) __________
Your hair (look) __________
My phone (be) __________
His friends (run) __________
My pen (be) __________
China (have) __________
My mother (have) __________
_____ she need help?
My parents (have) __________
_____ you need help?

20. Fill in the blanks below using the simple present.
He (walk) walks
Teachers (teach) teach
People (eat) eat
This teacher (teach) teaches
My friend (eat) eats
My poster (be) is
Canadians (love) love
Is (be) he okay?
I (love) love
The family (run) runs
Japan (love) loves
My group (have) has
My keys (be) are
Your hair (look) looks
My phone (be) is
His friends (run) run
My pen (be) is
China (have) has
My mother (have) has
Does she need help?
My parents (have) have
Do you need help?

21. Questions Answered in This Presentation
What are the different articles?
What is the difference between DEFINITE and INDEFINITE articles?
When are the 3 times we use DEFINITE articles?
What is a GENERAL NOUN?
What is S/V agreement?