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REDUCTION OF ADVERBIAL CLAUSES - EXERCISES 

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REDUCTION OF ADVERBIAL CLAUSES - EXERCISES 

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REDUCTION OF ADVERBIAL CLAUSES exercises

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Make sentences with the correct use of articles 

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Make sentences with the correct use of articles 

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In part 3 of the English Articles Tutorial, we finish up our list of 25 articles usage tips. Here, we take a look at some of the exceptions and more advanced topics relating to the use of A(AN) and THE.

USE 12

A(AN) can be used like the word "per".

USE 13

Use THE with nouns modified by ranking or ordering expressions such as "the first", "the second", "the third", "the next", "the last", "the previous", "the following", "the penultimate", etc.

USE 14

Use THE with superlatives such as "the best", "the biggest", "the most important", "the least interesting", etc.

Comparative forms, such as "bigger", "better", "more" can be used with both A(AN) and THE and follow general article usage. HOWEVER: THE is often used with comparative forms (bigger) rather than superlative forms (biggest) when comparing only two things. This is commonly used in phrases such as "the bigger of the two".

USE 15

Do not use articles when generalizing about uncountable nouns and plural countable nouns.

Examples:

Curiosity is a great trait.

Water is an important resource.

Vegetables are good for you.

USE 16

English speakers often use THE plus a singular noun when they talk about or make generalizations about certain topics, including:

musical instruments (the piano, the guitar, the flute)

plants (the coconut palm, the saguaro, the baobab)

animals (the leopard, the elephant, the lowland gorilla)

inventions (the steam engine, the plane, the light bulb)

currencies (the dollar, the euro, the yen)

body parts (the head, the eye, the ear)

Examples:

I play the piano.

The sequoia tree is native to California.

The dolphin is a very intelligent animal.

The Wright brothers invented the airplane.

Right now, the euro is stronger than the dollar.

Cheryl got poked in the eye.

In general, English speakers choose to use THE in this way to give the noun a more abstract or conceptual sound. We choose to say "the piano" to make it sound more like an abstract art form. Similarly, "the dolphin" sounds more like we are referring to the species. Moreover, "the plane" has a more conceptual sound that conveys the idea of invention. But remember, you can also make generalizations about these topics using plurals as in USE 15.

USE 17

The expressions "a few" and "a little" mean "some" and express the idea that you have more than expected.

HOWEVER: The expressions "few" and "little" (without an article) mean "not much" and express the idea that you have less than expected.

BUT REMEMBER: When the words "only" or "just" are used, "a few" and "a little" also emphasize the meaning "not much".

Examples:

Unfortunately, I only had a little time to enjoy New York because I had to work so much.

Sadly, he just has a few people in his life.

They only have a little money, so their daughter cannot pay her tuition.

USE 18

Generally, articles are not used with the names of illnesses or diseases.

HOWEVER: There are some illnesses which require THE.

MOREOVER: There are a few health conditions or illnesses which can be used with both A(AN) as well as THE and follow general article use. This category includes most aches, pains, growths, and attacks.

a cold

a heart attack

a stroke

a wart / tumor / growth / etc.

a sore throat / sore back/ sore foot / etc.

a headache / toothache / backache / etc.

REMEMBER: This last category follows general article use. Study the examples below.

Examples:

John has a cold. The cold was pretty bad.

Nancy had a heart attack. The heart attack seriously weakened her heart.

Deb had a sore throat. The sore throat made it hard to talk.

USE 19

If a direction (north, west, southeast, left, right) directly follows a verb, do not use an article with the direction.

HOWEVER: If a direction follows a preposition, you must use THE.

MOREOVER: Use THE with compass directions when referring to them as special geographic or cultural regions.

USE 20

THE can be used with plural family names to refer to the family as a group.

USE 21

THE can be combined with certain adjectives to refer to a group of people such as "the blind", "the elderly", "the rich", "the French", "the Sioux", etc.

Examples:

REMEMBER: This is especially important in situations where nationalities or ethnic groups and their languages might be confused. In such situations, THE is used to specify that we are talking about the nationality or ethnic group rather than the language.

Examples:

HOWEVER: When generalizing about nationalities or ethnic groups that end in "-ans", such as "Americans", "Mexicans", and "Hawaiians", THE is not usually used.

USE 22

Do not use THE with the names of most countries unless the name contains a word such as "States", "Kingdom", "Republic", "Emirates", "Union", "Coast", etc.

SIMILARLY: Don't use THE with states, provinces, and cities unless THE is specifically part of the name or contains a word such as "Territory" or "Coast".

EXCEPTIONS: THE is used with "the Netherlands" as well as with many nations which are island chains, such as "the Philippines", "the Maldives", "the Bahamas", etc. Additionally, in the past, THE was used with certain countries such as "the Sudan", "the Gambia", and "the Congo"; this usage is becoming less common.

USE 23

Use THE with the names of:

oceans

seas

coasts

rivers

swamps

archipelagos

collections of lakes (such as the Great Lakes)

mountain chains

deserts

references on the globe (such as the Equator, the North Pole)

geographic regions (such as the Northwest, the Middle East)

bridges (except Tower Bridge)

pagodas

hotels

theaters

museums

institutes

skyscrapers

the Sun, the Moon

extraordinary works of art or architecture (such as the Mona Lisa, the Colosseum, the Great Wall of China, and the Taj Mahal)

Use our Articles Flashcards to memorize the categories in Uses 23 and 24.

USE 24

Do not use an article with:

individual lakes

individual islands

beaches

waterfalls

individual mountains (except the Matterhorn)

canyons (except the Grand Canyon)

people's first names

streets (except the High Street)

public squares

hospitals

stadiums

malls

parks

churches

temples

universities

colleges

languages

religions

days

months

holidays

HOWEVER: There are additional exceptions to some of the above categories. For example, THE is often used in the pattern "the ... of ...".

Examples:

Use our Articles Flashcards to memorize the categories in Uses 23 and 24.

USE 25

Time expressions can be especially confusing. THE is used in some time expressions such as:

in the morning

in the afternoon

in the evening

during the night

during the day

the day before yesterday

the day after tomorrow

the fall

the summer

HOWEVER: In other time expressions, no article is used:

MOREOVER: There are some expressions which can take both A(AN) and THE such as:

a/the whole day

a/the whole month

an/the entire year

an/the entire decade

Examples:

He spent a whole month in Hawaii. I wish I could do that.

I took last Friday off to go to the doctor. I spent the whole day sitting in his office.

When she first moved to Germany, it took an entire year for her to learn enough German to go shopping.

Phil hated the '90s. He spent the whole decade in a dead-end job struggling to pay his rent.

Advanced Articles Exercises

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A look at advanced English article usage with A(An) vs. The exercises to practice what you learn.

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gerunds infinitives speaking - ANSWER KEY 

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gerunds infinitives speaking - ANSWER KEY 

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MAKE SENTENCES WITH INFINITIVES AND GERUNDS 

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MAKE SENTENCES WITH INFINITIVES AND GERUNDS 

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Those of you who have been following this conditional tutorial should now be familiar with present, past and future conditional verb forms. Sometimes unreal conditional sentences are mixed. This means that the time in the if-clause is not the same as the time in the result. Study the examples below to learn how to mix conditional verb forms like a native speaker.

Verbs in green are in the present unreal conditional.

Verbs in red are in the past unreal conditional.

Verbs in purple are in the future unreal conditional.

Mixed Conditional Patterns

Mixed Conditional Exercises

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Complete description of mixed conditional verb forms.

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YOU CAN REVISE THE VOCAB OF UNIT 11 HERE

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YOU CAN REVISE THE VOCAB OF UNIT 11 HERE

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Wishes

We use the verb wish or the phrase to talk about things which we want but which are not possible:

I wish I could see you next week.
If only we could stop for a drink.
I wish we had a bigger house.
They are always busy.If only they had more time.
John was very lazy at school. Nowhe wishes he had worked harder.

I don't like this place. I wish I lived somewhere more interesting.
These seats are very uncomfortable.I wish we were travelling first class.
I wish I was taller.
John wishes he wasn't so busy.
I'm freezing.If only it wasn't so cold.

Hypotheses (things we imagine)

Expressions

When we are talking about hypotheses, we use expressions like:

We use these expressions:

Modal verbs

We use modals for a hypothesis about the present or future:

We use would in the main clause and the past tense in a subordinate clausefor a hypothesis about the present or future:

We use modals with have to talk about something that did not happen in the past:

We use would have in the main clause and the past perfect in a subordinate clause to talk about something that did not happen in the past:

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We use the verb wish or the phrase to talk about things which we want but which are not possible: I wish I could see you next week. If only we could stop for a drink. I wish we had a bigger house. They are always busy.If only they had more time.

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