Fill in the blanks with a, an, or the. 1. Neena bought a new storybook. 2. I watched a film last night. 3. She put an ice cube into her glass. 4. They are staying at a hotel. 5. I live in an apartment. The apartment is new. 6. I am reading an interesting story. The story is about a tiger and an eagle.
Answer (1)
In English, articles are used to specify nouns. The articles 'a', 'an', and 'the' help indicate whether a noun refers to something specific or something more general.
'A' is used before words that begin with a consonant sound to indicate something general or non-specific. For example, 'a new storybook.'
'A' is also used here because 'film' begins with a consonant sound, and it's describing a non-specific movie: 'a film.'
'An' is used before words that begin with a vowel sound to also indicate something non-specific but following the rule of vowel sound. For example, 'an ice cube.'
'A' is used before 'hotel' since it starts with a consonant sound 'h' that is pronounced like 'huh', meaning it describes a non-specific hotel: 'a hotel.'
'An' is used with 'apartment' to match the vowel sound at the start. However, when mentioning 'The apartment is new,' 'the' specifies the apartment that was just introduced.
'An' is used with 'interesting story' because 'interesting' begins with a vowel sound. 'The' is used when discussing 'the story' that was just specified. Likewise, 'an eagle' is used to describe a non-specific eagle due to the vowel sound it starts with.
Articles help provide clarity and specificity in writing, giving the reader certain cues about whether or not a noun is common, specific, or previously mentioned. Depending on the context and pronunciation, choosing the correct article ensures coherent and grammatically correct sentences.
