Practice worksheet for learning English articles "a," "an," and "the" with fill-in-the-blank sentences.

Let’s go through each sentence one by one and think about which article — “a”, “an”, or “the” — fits best.

Remember:
- Use “a” before words that start with a consonant sound (like cat, book, car).
- Use “an” before words that start with a vowel sound (like apple, orange, hour).
- Use “the” when we’re talking about something specific or already known.

---

1. I saw ___ cat chasing ___ mouse through ___ garden last night.
→ First time mentioning the cat and mouse → use “a” for both.
→ The garden is probably specific (maybe their own) → use “the”.
✔ Answer: a, a, the

2. Could you pass me ___ book on ___ table, please?
→ The book is on *that* table — it’s specific → use “the” for both.
✔ Answer: the, the

3. She bought ___ new car yesterday.
→ First time mentioning the car → not specific yet → use “a”.
✔ Answer: a

4. There’s ___ apple and ___ orange on ___ kitchen counter.
→ Apple starts with vowel sound → “an”
→ Orange also starts with vowel sound → “an”
→ Kitchen counter is likely specific (in their house) → “the”
✔ Answer: an, an, the

5. Would you like ___ cup of tea or ___ coffee?
→ Cup of tea = first mention, general → “a”
→ Coffee = uncountable, no article needed unless specified → but here it’s general offer → still “a” doesn’t fit well… wait! Actually, in this context, we say “a cup of tea or coffee?” — so only “a” goes with “cup”, and “coffee” stands alone without article. But the blank is before “coffee” — hmm. Let’s re-read: “___ cup of tea or ___ coffee?” → So two blanks. For “coffee”, since it’s uncountable and general, we don’t use “a” or “an”. But sometimes people say “a coffee” meaning a cup of coffee. In casual speech, yes! So if it’s “a cup of tea or a coffee”, that works.
✔ Answer: a, a

6. He’s going to ___ university next year to study physics.
→ “University” starts with a ‘y’ sound (like “you”) → consonant sound → use “a”
Also, he’s going to *some* university, not a specific one named → so “a”
✔ Answer: a

7. ___ sun is shining brightly in ___ sky today.
→ Sun and sky are unique things → always use “the”
✔ Answer: the, the

8. I need to buy ___ new pair of shoes for ___ upcoming trip.
→ New pair = first mention → “a”
→ Upcoming trip = specific (we know which one) → “the”
✔ Answer: a, the

9. Have you seen ___ movie we talked about last week?
→ We talked about it → specific movie → “the”
✔ Answer: the

10. She’s wearing ___ beautiful dress to ___ party tonight.
→ Beautiful dress = first mention, not specific → “a”
→ Party tonight = specific event → “the”
✔ Answer: a, the

---

Final Answer:
1. a, a, the
2. the, the
3. a
4. an, an, the
5. a, a
6. a
7. the, the
8. a, the
9. the
10. a, the