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Copy of E3 Roadmap A2+ Vocabulary Units 6 to 10 (1) (1)

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Look at these examples to see how will, going to and the present continuous are used.

Oh great! That meeting after work's been cancelled. I'll go to that yoga class instead.
I'm going to try to visit my relatives in Australia this year.
The restaurant is reserved for 8. We're having a drink at Beale's first.

Try this exercise to test your grammar.

Grammar explanation

We use different verb forms to talk about our plans for the future, depending on what kind of plan it is: a spontaneous plan, a pre-decided plan or an arrangement.

We use will to talk about spontaneous plans decided at the moment of speaking.

Oops, I forgot to phone Mum! I'll do it after dinner.
I can't decide what to wear tonight. I know! I'll wear my green shirt.
There's no milk. I'll buy some when I go to the shops.

We use going to to talk about plans decided before the moment of speaking.

I'm going to phone Mum after dinner. I told her I'd call at 8 o'clock.
I'm going to wear my black dress tonight.
I'm going to go to the supermarket after work. What do we need?

Present continuous

We usually use the present continuous when the plan is an arrangement - already confirmed with at least one other person and we know the time and place.

I'm meeting Jane at 8 o'clock on Saturday.
We're having a party next Saturday. Would you like to come?

We often use the present continuous to ask about people's future plans.

Are you doing anything interesting this weekend?

Do this exercise to test your grammar again.

Language level

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Future forms: 'will', 'be going to' and present continuous

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Do you know how to talk about future plans using will, going to and the present continuous? Test what you know with interactive exercises and read the explanation to help you.

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ENGLISH GUIDE ENGLISH Maximo Lucio Gomez Monrroy

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Used to / Past Continuous / Past Simple / Grammar Stucture and Excercises

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Used to / Past Continuous / Past Simple / Grammar Stucture and Excercises

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Have you ever asked these questions?

Why does English have articles?

What do articles do?

Do you really need to use them?

Can native speakers understand you without them?

You're not alone.

There is no doubt: articles are confusing! I agree with you on that. There are so many rules for how to use them. And then, of course, we break the rules too.

So, how can you learn to use articles correctly? It takes time and practice.
In today's lesson, I want to answer your questions. And then I want to help you learn articles in a different way. This lesson has three parts:

1. A quick overview of general rules for how to decide which article is correct.

2. A reading with an explanation for each article in the text so you can see clearly the how and why we use articles.

3. Two practice opportunities.

Finally, I know this lesson is heavy. It is a lot of information. So take your time. If you do a little bit today, a little bit tomorrow, and a little bit the next day, that is okay!

You should already know that in English we have 4 articles a/an/the/ø.

The /ø/ is often called the Zero Article. And articles are used before nouns ( = people, places, or things/objects).
If you haven't learned about the ø before, don't worry! You'll learn about it today.

Articles are used to help us separate (or understand) new vs. old information. They help us understand specific vs. general information. And they help us understand if you are talking about many vs. all vs. one. (You will learn more about this in the text you'll read below.)

"Articles are used to help us separate (or understand) new vs. old information. They help us understand specific vs. general information. And they help us understand if you are talking about many vs. all vs. one."

Okay, so let's do a review of the general rules of articles. I will not provide ALL the rules and exceptions of articles here. Many of those you will learn specifically in the text below.
A/An
We use a/an:

The first time you mention or refer to a noun
Example: I bought a new pair of shoes yesterday! (First mention). Can you believe the shoes were 50% off!! (Second mention - now it is clear which shoes: the shoes you bought yesterday.)

To name a member of a group

Jobs (I'm a teacher.)

Nationalities (He's an American.)

Religions (She's a Buddhist.)

When you also mean "one"
Example: I had an ( =one) apple at lunch.

Expressions that quantify

The
We use the:

With something already mentioned (see example for the first mention with a/an above)

When there is just one of something*
I took a walk in the forest. (There is only one forest where you live.)

When you define a specific person, object or place
I loved the book my dad gave me for my birthday. (Not just any book, but specifically the books your dad gave you for your birthday.)

With things that are unique (there is only one)*

The sun

The President of the U.S.

The CEO of Apple

With ordinal numbers and superlatives

The first, the second, the third

The biggest, the best, the fastest, the ugliest

With some proper nouns:

Rivers (The Nile)

Mountains Ranges (The Rockies, The Alps)

Oceans (The Pacific Ocean)

Groups of Islands or Countries with Plural

The Hawaiian Islands

The Netherlands

*When there is just one of something or when something is unique, then the information is shared information. This means everyone already knows about the person/place/thing so we don't have to explain it or define it. For example, everyone around the world knows about the sun. We don't have to explain the sun, so we always use the sun (not a sun).
Ø (Zero Article)
We use ø:

Talk about things in general (all things everywhere)

I love watching whales! (All whales everywhere, not just one specific whale.)

I love Italy.

Countries

He's from Germany.

Have you visited Algeria?

Languages

Meals

People's names and titles

With possessives

Uncountable nouns (unless referring to a specific example)
I love adding milk (uncountable) to my coffee (uncountable + possessive).

Specific mountains, lakes, and islands

Most cities, towns, streets, and airports

Now - let's see these rules in real life.

For this activity, I am using a text from last week's lesson on Travel Stories although I've made a few changes. It is important to use a text that is familiar to or easy for you because I want you to focus on the articles (how we use them and why), not on the meaning of the text.

Here is a text from last week's Travel Stories lesson. In the text, I have highlighted most uses of a/an/the/ø and, below the text, I explain WHY the article is used. Just click to open the number if you're not sure why the article is used.

This activity will help you understand how articles help us understand new vs. old information and specific vs. general information. After you read, you'll have an opportunity to practice.

When I was younger, I had (1) a real sense of adventure. I loved (2) the vacations my family took every summer. We would go backpacking, camp in the woods, sleep in tents and spend (3) the evening next to (4) the campfire. As (5) a child, I remember trying to build (6) a fire from scratch by rubbing two sticks together. I think (7) my entire family laughed while I worked at it for (8) an hour. Unfortunately, I never succeeded and my father had to start (9) the fire.

But I do have such good (10) memories of camping and hiking with my family. Every (11) summer my parents would pack up (12) the kids and (13) the dog into (14) the car. Then they would pack all (15) our outdoor gear on (16) the roof of (17) the car and fill (18) coolers full of (19) food. My mom would pack all (20) the usual stuff: trail mix, fruit, marshmallows to roast over (21) the fire, stuff to make (22) sandwiches, etc. We'd take (23) a road trip to (24) the Rocky Mountains in Colorado, find (25) our spot to set up camp, and pitch our tents near a river. I loved listening to (26) the sound of (27) the river at (28) night!

But I haven't camped for years! Neither David nor I can take that much (29) time off of work. It makes me (30) a little sad that Sophie, our daughter, won't have those same memories. But last (31) year we did do something a little fun, a little different: we had (32) a staycation. The two of us could only get 4 days off of work and we were on (33) a tight budget. We hadn't enjoyed everything (34) the city has to offer for ages so we decided to have our vacation at (35) home. We visited (36) the museums and went to (37) the theater. We even took (38) a day trip to (39) the coast (40) a few hours away for (41) a day of sun, sand, and surf. We have some wonderful (42) photos of our picnic dinner watching (43) the sunset on (44) the beach.

Now it's your turn!
Here is another travel story from last week but with some changes. Try to fill in the missing words with a/an/the/ø (to show no article). Can you identify WHY you should use the article you chose?

Ugh! I hate planning (1) ____ vacations. I mean, I do love traveling but I don't want to think about it. All (2) ____ details and planning - I can't be bothered!

I prefer (3) _____ all-inclusive vacations for (4) ____ little R&R. You know, those places where all you do is show up and that's it. You have (5) _____ breakfast, lunch, and dinner. And there are (6) ____ activities, (7) _____ beach, pools, and dancing. Sure, they usually cost (8) ____ little more but if I don't have to plan everything then it's worth it. (9) ____ only thing is you have to be careful of those hidden extras! I've definitely been surprised by (10) ____ final bill (11) _____ few times.

My fiancé and I are talking about (12) _____ all-inclusive cruise for our honeymoon. It sounds amazing but I've never been on (13) ____ ship for that long. I'm (14) ____ little nervous about seasickness I do love (15) ____ idea of island-hopping. Plus (16) _____ ship has (17) ____ ton of amenities with its many pools, fitness centers, and restaurants. What I need to figure out is what to pack for (18) ____ cruise. I'm actually terrible about over packing.

Let's try one more practice.
This time I'd like you to write your own paragraph. You can choose to write another travel story or you can talk about your day. Use the rules and examples from this lesson to help you with the articles.

Write your paragraph in the comments section. I will be sure to read it and help you!

Have a great week and thanks for joining me,
~ Annemarie

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Build stronger teams, improve collaboration, and increase clarity with positive communication in English. Use these 4 strategies and essential English phrases to help.

Be ready to speak up and share your ideas in English with confidence, even if no one pauses to ask you what you think or there isn't a clear break in the conversation.

Use these 10 English power words on leadership when you're aiming to interview for a job in English, write your resume, or determine opportunities for personal/professional growth.

Build stronger teams, improve collaboration, and increase clarity with positive communication in English. Use these 4 strategies and essential English phrases to help.

Be ready to speak up and share your ideas in English with confidence, even if no one pauses to ask you what you think or there isn't a clear break in the conversation.

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How to Use Articles in English Correctly (A, An, and The)

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Have you ever asked these questions? Why does English have articles? What do articles do? Do you really need to use them? Can native speakers understand you without them? You're not alone. There is no doubt: articles are confusing! I agree with you on that. There are so many rules for how to use them.

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