Exercises

70.1 What are these things? Try and find out if you don't know.

1. an ant? _It's an insects._

2. ants? bees? _They're insects._

3. a cauliflower?

4. chess?

5. a violin? a trumpet? a flute?

6. a skyscraper?

7. Earth? Mars? Venus? Jupiter?

8. a tulip?

9. the Rhine? the Nile? the Mississippi?

10 a pigeon? an eagle? a crow?

Who were these people?

11. Beethoven? _Has was a composer._

12. Shakespeare?

13. Albert Einstein?

14. Washington? Lincoln? John Kennedy?

15. Marilyn Monroe?

16 Elvis Presley? John Lennon?

17. Van Gogh? Renoir? Gauguin?

70.2 Read about what these people do and say what their jobs are. Choose one of these jobs:

driving instructor interpreter journalist nurse pilot plumber travel agent waiter

1. Stella looks after patients in hospital. _She's a nurse._

2. George works in a restaurant. He brings the food to the tables. He ---

3. Mary arranges people's holidays for them. She ---

4. Ron works for an airline. He flies aeroplane. ---

5. Linda teaches people how to drive. ---

6. Dave fits and repairs water pipes. ---

7. Jenny writes articles for a newspaper. ---

8. John translates what people are saying from one language into another, so that they can understand each other. ---

70.3 Put in alan or some where necessary. If no word is necessary, leave the space empty(-).

1. I've seen some good films recently.

2. What's wrong with you? Have you got _a_ headache?

3. I know a lot of people. Most of them are - students.

4. When I was --- child, I used to be very shy.

5. Would you like to be --- actor?

6. Do you collect --- stamps?

7. What --- beautiful garden!

8. --- birds, for example the penguin, cannot fly.

9. I've been walking for three hours. I've got --- sore feet.

10. I don't feel very well this morning. I've got --- sore throat.

11. It's a pity we haven't got --- camera. I'd like to take --- photograph of that house.

12. Those are --- nice shoes. Where did you get them?

13. I'm going shopping. I want to buy --- new shoes.

14. You need --- visa to visit --- countries, but not all of them.

15. Jane is --- teacher. Her parents were --- teachers too.

16. Do you enjoy going to --- concerts?

17. When we got to the city centre --- shops were still open but most of them were closed.

18. I don't believe him. He's --- liar. He's always telling --- lies.

UNIT 71. A/an and the

A. Study this example:

JOHN: I had a sandwich and an apple for lunch. The sandwich wasn't very good but the apple was nice.

John says 'a sandwich', 'an apple' because this is the first time he talks about them.

John now says 'the sandwich', 'the apple because Karen knows which sandwich and which apple he means - the sandwich and the apple he had for lunch.

Compare a and the in these examples:

* A man and a woman were sitting opposite me. The man was American but I think the woman was British.

* When we were on holiday, we stayed at a hotel. Sometimes we had our evening meal at the hotel and sometimes we went to a restaurant.

B. We use the when we are thinking of one particular thing. Compare a/an and the:

* Tom sat down on a chair. (perhaps one of many chairs in the room)

but Tom sat down on the chair nearest the door. (a particular chair)

* Ann is looking for a job. (not a particular job)

but Did Ann get the job she applied for? (a particular job)

* Have you got a car? (not a particular car)

but I cleaned the car yesterday. (= my car)

For a see also Units 70 and 72A.

C. We use the when it is clear in the situation which thing or person we mean. For example, in a room we talk about 'the light/the floor/the ceiling/the door/the carpet' etc.:

* Can you turn off the light, please? (= the light in this room)

* I took a taxi to the station. (= the station in that town)

* I'd like to speak to the manager, please. (= the manager of this shop etc.)

In the same way, we say (go to) the bank, the post office:

* I must go to the bank to get some money and then I'm going to the post office to get some stamps. (The speaker is usually thinking of a particular bank or post office.

Also: the doctor, the dentist:

* Carol isn't very well. She's gone to the doctor. (= her usual doctor)

* I hate going to the dentist.

Compare a:

* Is there a bank near here?

* My sister is a dentist.

Don't forget the:

* Susan works in the city centre. (not 'in city centre')

* My brother is in the army. (not 'in army')

D. We say 'once a week/three times a day/-'1.20 a kilo' etc.:

* 'How often do you go to the cinema? ' 'About once a month.'

* 'How much are those potatoes? ' 'Ll.20 a kilo.'

* She works eight hours a day, six days a week.