Practice your grammar skills with this fill-in-the-blank exercise focused on the correct usage of articles 'a', 'an', and 'the'.

Let's solve the worksheet step by step. The task is to fill in the blanks with the correct articles: "a," "an," or "the." We'll go through each sentence and explain why a particular article is used.

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Rules for Articles:

- "a" – used before consonant sounds (e.g., *a book*, *a university*).
- "an" – used before vowel sounds (e.g., *an apple*, *an hour*).
- "the" – used for specific or unique things, or when referring to something previously mentioned.

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Now let’s solve each sentence:

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i) I want to be _______ scientist in _______ future.

- "scientist" starts with a consonant sound (/s/), so we use "a".
- "future" here refers to the general future (not a specific one), so we use "the".

✔ Answer: *I want to be a scientist in the future.*

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ii) Would you like _______ cup of tea?

- "cup" starts with a consonant sound (/k/), so we use "a".

✔ Answer: *Would you like a cup of tea?*

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iii) I have _______ orange, _______ pear and _______ apple in my basket.

- All fruits are singular and countable, and not specific. So:
- "orange" → "an" (starts with vowel sound /ɒ/)
- "pear" → "a" (starts with consonant /p/)
- "apple" → "an" (starts with vowel sound /æ/)

✔ Answer: *I have an orange, a pear and an apple in my basket.*

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iv) _______ sun rises in _______ east.

- "sun" is unique → "the"
- "east" as a direction → "the"

✔ Answer: *The sun rises in the east.*

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v) This is _______ real diamond ring. It's _______ expensive one.

- First blank: "real diamond ring" — general, not specific → "a"
- Second blank: "expensive one" — again, general, not specific → "an" (because "expensive" starts with /ɪ/, a vowel sound)

Wait! Actually, "expensive" starts with the vowel sound /ɪ/, so "an" is correct.

✔ Answer: *This is a real diamond ring. It's an expensive one.*

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vi) _______ Everest is _______ highest peak in _______ world.

- "Everest" is Mount Everest — unique → "the"
- "highest" is superlative → always uses "the"
- "world" is unique → "the"

✔ Answer: *The Everest is the highest peak in the world.*

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vii) We went for _______ ride at the sea side.

- "ride" is a general activity, not specific → "a"

✔ Answer: *We went for a ride at the sea side.*

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viii) _______ Ganges is a holy river.

- "Ganges" is a proper noun (name of a river) → "the"

✔ Answer: *The Ganges is a holy river.*

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ix) It's raining. Please take _______ umbrella.

- "umbrella" is general, not specific → "an" (because "umbrella" starts with /ʌ/, a vowel sound)

✔ Answer: *It's raining. Please take an umbrella.*

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x) I like to have _______ chocolate ice cream after dinner.

- "chocolate ice cream" — general preference → "a" (since "chocolate" starts with /tʃ/, a consonant sound)

✔ Answer: *I like to have a chocolate ice cream after dinner.*

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xi) I saw _______ dolphin show yesterday and had _______ ice cream after the show.

- "dolphin show" — general, not specific → "a"
- "ice cream" — general → "an" (starts with vowel sound /aɪ/)

✔ Answer: *I saw a dolphin show yesterday and had an ice cream after the show.*

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xii) _______ Earth is _______ only planet where life exists.

- "Earth" is unique → "the"
- "only" implies uniqueness → "the"

✔ Answer: *The Earth is the only planet where life exists.*

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xiii) What is _______ name of the book?

- "name" is specific here (we're asking about a particular book's name) → "the"

✔ Answer: *What is the name of the book?*

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xiv) I saw _______ octopus at _______ aquarium.

- "octopus" — general, first time mentioned → "an" (starts with /ɒ/, vowel sound)
- "aquarium" — specific place (assumed known from context) → "the"

✔ Answer: *I saw an octopus at the aquarium.*

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✔ Final Answers:

1. I want to be a scientist in the future.
2. Would you like a cup of tea?
3. I have an orange, a pear and an apple in my basket.
4. The sun rises in the east.
5. This is a real diamond ring. It's an expensive one.
6. The Everest is the highest peak in the world.
7. We went for a ride at the sea side.
8. The Ganges is a holy river.
9. It's raining. Please take an umbrella.
10. I like to have a chocolate ice cream after dinner.
11. I saw a dolphin show yesterday and had an ice cream after the show.
12. The Earth is the only planet where life exists.
13. What is the name of the book?
14. I saw an octopus at the aquarium.

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Let me know if you'd like this formatted as a printable answer sheet!