Mastering Articles Through Games and Activities[U1]
Marcus Burt - Study English in Canada
1. Sound is what determines which article is used, not the letter that a word begins with. Observe the examples below:
a unicycle, a uniform, a unicornaEuropean, aeuro, aeulogy
aone-hit wonder, aone-time offer
an hour, an heir, an honest man / an uncle, an umpire, an ultimatum
an event, an elbow, an earthquake
an ocean, an ounce, an office
a horse, a hospital, a house
Bring it to life with Article Ball!
2. Use a with letters that are preceded by a consonant sound.
He’s a B student His name begins with a K.
Use anwith letters that are preceded by a vowel sound.
He got an F on his test. Her name begins with an A.
Read the letters aloud. Write a before the letters that begin with a consonant sound, and an before the letters that begin with a vowel sound.
__ A__ B
__ C
__ D
__ E
__ F
__G / __ H
__ I
__ J
__ K
__ L
__ M
__ N / __ O
__ P
__Q
__ R
__ T
__ U
__ V / __ W
__ X
__ Y
__ Z
Copyright 2011. This work is the intellectual property of the author. Permission is granted for this material to be shared for non-commercial, educational purposes, provided that this copyright statement appears on the reproduced materials and notice is given that the copying is by permission of the author. To disseminate otherwise or to republish requires written permission from the author.
Initialisms vs. Acronyms
Initialisms / AcronymsHe is an NBA player.
She is an FBI agent / He is not a NASCAR driver.
She is not a FEMA agent.
Usea with numbers that are preceded by a consonant sound.
They found a 1-dollar bill.
I have never tried a 12-year old whiskey.
Use anwith numbers that are preceded by a vowel sound.
She got an18 out of 20 on her quiz.
I saw an 80-year old man feeding pigeons.
Bring it to life with Article Bingo!
3.Do not pluralize number-noun adjectives
He won the world championship twenty times.
Right: He’s a twenty-time world champion boxer.
Wrong: He’s a twenty- times world champion boxer.
We watched a movie that was two hours long.
Right: We watched a 2-hour movie.
Wrong: We watched a 2- hours movie.
Bring it to life with Adjective Number Survey!
4.Use the definite article when a noun has previously been mentioned.
I bought a ring. The ring was expensive.
I’m looking at some chairs. The chairs look comfortable.
My teacher gave me some homework. The homework was hard.
Bring it to life with Indefinite/Definite Listen!
5.Use the definite article with nouns that have a clear association to a previously mentioned noun.
I have a TV, but thescreen is broken.
Frank lit a cigarette. Thetobacco tasted cool and fresh.
Sue watched a soccer game last night. Thefans went crazy whenthehome team scored a goal.
Bring it to life with Definite Association!
6.Use the in specially created names and formal titles
Ivan the Fool isn’t very clever, but he is quite lucky!
Richard the Lionheart only spoke French.
Name + the + Adjective / Name + the + NounElizabeth the Second
Henry the Eighth
Edward the Magnificent
Michael the Brave
Alfred the Great / Peter the Hermit
William the Conqueror
Stan the Man
Bob the Butler
Frank the Tank
Bring it to life with Give the Face a Name and Name Your Classmates!
7. Use the definite article with the names of institutes, bridges, motels, hotels, zoos, buildings, theaters, museums, universities that have the word of in their name, companies that have the word Company in their name.
I would love to spend just one night in the Ritz Carlton Hotel.
The Smithsonian is the world’s largest museum.
Have you ever been to the Phoenix Zoo?
Don’t use the definite article with the names of parks, stadiums, hospitals, universities, companies, malls, gardens, names that contain the word House, and names that contain the word Hall.
Jeff has a membership at Hart House.
Everybody wants to go to Harvard University.
Millennium Park is Chicago’s newest park.
Bring it to life with Racking It Up!
8.Do not use the with ordinal numbers and sequence words when describing the steps taken to do something.
First, put toothpaste on your toothbrush. Second, put the toothbrush in your mouth. Last, brush your teeth.
Learning is quite simple. First, open a book. Next, read. Last, repeat as often as necessary.
Bring it to life with Figuring it out!
Suggested reading for teachers who would like to learn more about articles:
Three Little Words, by Elizabeth Claire
The Article Book, by Tom Cole
And of course; from yours truly….
Mastering Articles Through Games and Activities, by Marcus Burt
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Mastering Articles Games and Activities Master Sheets
by Marcus Burt
Copyright 2011. This work is the intellectual property of the author. Permission is granted for this material to be shared for non-commercial, educational purposes, provided that this copyright statement appears on the reproduced materials and notice is given that the copying is by permission of the author. To disseminate otherwise or to republish requires written permission from the author.
Article Bingo Student Word List
UFOATM
H
3
unicorn
euphemism
A
80
one-hit wonder
SAAB
unit
NBA player
European
18
singer
F-20
hour
union
L
user
JPEG
MC
1
eunuch
SDS card / unique culture
one-sided argument
6
FEMA agent
CD
16
I
eulogy
U
one-time offer
uniform
RSVP
open-minded person
heiress
NASCAR driver
unibrow
3D movie
one-track mind
LP
university
hourly rate
F
united country
O
FDA announcement / D
utensil
Xbox 360
utility pole
MBA
100
L
SUV
LEGO block
one-on-one class
NATO agreement
X
euro
honest man
8
hourglass
U-turn
one-way street
universal truth
eucalyptus tree
ounce
MP3 player
H20 molecule
one-liner
HDTV
Article Bingo Board
FreeSurvey Questions
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1. What is the longest game you have ever played? (hour)
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2. What is the longest race you have ever run? (kilometer)
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3. What is the largest meal you have ever had? (course/dish)
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4. What is the most expensive meal you have ever eaten? (dollar)
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5. What is the longest flight you have ever taken? (hour)
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6. What is the oldest wine you have ever drunk? (year)
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7. What is the longest book you have ever read? (page)
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8. What is the heaviest weight you can lift? (pound/kilogram)
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9. What is the longest essay you have ever written? (word)
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10. What is the longest vacation you have ever taken? (day/month/year)
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11. Describe the largest class you have ever been in. (person)
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12. How long should the perfect telephone conversation be? (minute/hour)
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13. How long is the longest holiday in your country? (day/month)
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14. What is the most expensive thing you own? (dollar)
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15. How big is your house in Canada? (bedroom)
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16. How long does it take to drive from your hometown to the nearest foreign country? (minute/hour)
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17. Is it alright to date older or younger people? What age gap is acceptable? (year)
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18. What is the longest English word you can think of? How many letters is it? (letter)
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Survey Sheet
Name / AnswersIndefinte/Definite Listen
1. I found a bag under a tree. I was curious, so I opened abag. Inside abag, I found a diary, a lot of money, and some pictures. I counteda money, almost $1 000 000! I sat down and leaned my back against a tree. I opened adiary and started reading. Abook belonged to a poor old woman. She once owned a house, but a fire burnt a house down. She lost everything in afire. She had insurance, but it took a long time for her to collect insurance. When she finally collected insurance, she received $1 000 000. She really needs money in abag. She has a granddaughter, anda granddaughter needs a life-saving operation. An operation will cost $1 000 000. An old woman wrote that she wanted to use money to help a granddaughter. I started looking at pictures in a bag. Pictures were of an old woman and a granddaughter. I didn’t know what to do. I thought to myself “I have an opportunity to improve my life greatly. However, if I take an opportunity I will be doing something that is wrong. Should I keep money or try to find an old woman?” What do you think I did?
2. I had a terrible day yesterday. I had a reservation at a restaurant for an important meeting. When I got to a restaurant I received a text message; a meeting had been cancelled. Since I was hungry, I decided not to cancel a reservation and eat ata restaurant anyway even though ameeting was cancelled. I sat down at a table, saw a waiter and motioned for him to come over. A waiter slowly made his was to me and then asked me what I would like to order. I told a waiter that I would like a hamburger with french fries and a glass of water. A waiter said that it would take 10 minutes, and left my table. I ended up waiting 50 minutes. When a waiter returned with my order, I was really angry. A hamburger was cold, french fries were burnt, and he forgot water. I told awaiter that I wanted an apology, but an apology he gave me was unacceptable. I didn’t even eat a hamburger that awaiter brought me. In a way, I am thankful. Imagine what would have happened if a meeting hadn’t been cancelled.
3. Frank bought a new house. A new house is in a great neighbourhood. There is a movie theater and a supermarket nearby. A movie theater always has a fine selection of movies and a supermarket is open 24 hours a day which is quite convenient. Next to a supermarket there is a furniture store. Frank bought a bed from a furniture store when he arrived in town. He was happy because he bought a bed for a good price. Across the street from a furniture store there is a great library. Alibrary is pretty modern, they have brand new computers that are free to use. Since computers are free to use, it is best to go to a library in the afternoon when there are fewer people there. There is also a small art gallery which has some famous paintings. Frank plans to visit an art gallery to look at paintings once he gets settled in. A neighbourhood also has a fine park where people like to relax or play sports. A park is one of the most popular places in town. Frank really likesa neighbourhood he lives in.
Definite Association
Name a pizza topping / Name a flower that you would find in a flower store / Name something that you would find on a bike1. pepperoni
2.potatoes
3. cheese
4. olives
5. sweet potatoes / 1.roses
2. lilies
3. tulips
4. sunflowers
5.chrysanthemums (mums) / 1. wheels
2. seat
3. brakes
4. chain
5. handles
Name something that you would find in a library / Name something that you would find in a supermarket / Name something that you would find in a bathroom
1.books
2. desks/tables
3. computers
4.chairs
5. librarian / 1. snacks
2. milk
3. fruit
4. water
5. cart / 1. soap
2. toilet
3. shampoo
4. toothbrush
5. towel
Name an animal that you would find in a zoo / Name something that you would find in a nightclub / Name something that you would find in an electronics store
1. monkeys
2.giraffes
3. elephants
4. tigers
5. bears/polar bears / 1. beer/cocktails/alcohol
2. boys/men
3. girls/women
4. lights/neon
5. dance floor/stage / 1. televisions
2. MP3 players
3. computers/laptops
4. cameras
5. i-pods
Name something that is used to make a sandwich. / Name something that you find on a restaurant table. / Name something that you would order in a Japanese restaurant
1. ham
2. cheese
3. tomatoes
4. tuna
5. bread / 1. dishes/plates
2.menu
3. forks
4. spoons
5. napkins / 1. sushi
2. noodles
3. pork cutlet
4. sashimi
5. maki roll
Name something that you find in a gym / Name an instrument you find in a music store / Name something you find in a car
1. running machine/treadmill
2. dumbbells/barbells
3. trainer
4. exercise bicycles
5.yoga pads / 1. guitars
2. pianos
3. drums
4. violins
5.trumpets / 1. steering wheel
2. cd player/radio
3. seat belt
4. mirror
5. air conditioner
Name a part of a fish / Name something a computer has
1. fins
2. eyes
3. scales
4. gills
5. tail / 1.monitor/screen
2. hard disk/hard drive
3. CPU
4. mouse
5. keyboard
Definite Association Follow up
Using the vocabulary from the Definite Association game, fill in the blanks.
1. Yesterday I ordered a pizza with everything on it, but theonions were missing.
2. I walked into a flower store and asked the clerk where ______were.
3. Fred wants to ride his bike, but ______is/are broken.
4. Ginger went to the library yesterday. ______was/were really old.
5. Erica was at the supermarket. ______was/were at the back of the store.
6. John walked into the bathroom. ______was on the floor.
7. Alex and Katrina visited the zoo last weekend. They loved ______.
8. I went to a nightclub last night. ______was/were great!
9. Chantelle dropped by an electronics store yesterday. The sales clerk told her not to look at ______because they were going to have a sale the following week.
10. I bit into my sandwich. ______tasted funny.
11. Sue left the restaurant because ______was/were dirty.
12. I ate at a Japanese restaurant two weeks ago. Everything was great, except ______.
13. Max went to the gym yesterday. Nobody was using ______.
14. Min checked out a music store. ______were overpriced.
15. My teacher needs to repair his car. ______isn’t/aren’t working properly.
16. Ron caught a fish yesterday. ______was/were deformed.
17. I have a computer, but ______is really old.
Racking it up
$100:__ Central Park / $200:
__ Canadian Institute for the Blind / $300:
__ Yankee Stadium
$400:
__ BrooklynBridge / $500:
__ SunnybrookHospital / $600:
__ University of Toronto
$700:
__ Seaside Motel / $800:
__ International House / $900:
__ Carnegie Hall
$1000:
__ Harvard / $1100:
__ Hilton Hotel / $1200:
__ Walt Disney Company
$1300:
__ World Trade Center / $1400:
__Odeon Theater / $1500:
__ Chamber Hall
Miss a Turn / Miss a Turn / Miss a Turn
$100:
__ Yorkdale Mall / $200:
__ Gate House / $300:
__ Apollo Theater
$400:
__ Golden Gate Bridge / $500:
__ SunnybrookHospital / $600:
__ Arrowhead Stadium
$700:
__ Toronto Zoo / $800:
__ NationalPalaceMuseum / $900:
__ Lincoln Park
$1000:
__ Institute for Advanced Learning / $1100:
__ Samsung / $1200:
__ Coca Cola Company
$1300:
__ Statue of Liberty / $1400:
__International Peace Gardens / $1500:
__ Four Seasons Hotel
Bankrupt / Bankrupt / Bankrupt
Figuring it out
1. How to lose a guy/girl on the first date.2. How to overcome shyness.
3. How to remember names easily.
4. How to keep your marriage from getting boring.
5. How to determine if someone is lying.
6. How to raise teenagers.
7. How to make new friends.
8. How to break up with someone without hurting them.
9. How to make your house safe for toddlers.
10. How to comfort a child who is scared.
11. How to live successfully with roommates/housemates.
12. How to help a child/teenager who is being bullied at school.
13. How to make your country a better place.
14. How to quit a job.
15. How to become a movie star.
16. How to prepare for a job interview.
17. How to keep your child focused on schoolwork.
18. How to lose weight.
Game Instructions
Article Ball: (preparation) Take 15 pieces of paper, and from the list below, write one differentword on the center of one different piece of paper so that you are left with 15 sheets of paper with one different word written on them.
unitenvelope
one-hit wonder / utensil
euphemism
ounce / upstart
elastic
hospital / umpire
odor
honor / euro
one-way street
hourglass
Crumple the first piece of paper into a tight ball, then wrap the remaining pieces of paper around the ball until you have one very large paper ball. (Group Class Activity) Throw the ball to one student and ask him to unwrap one piece of paper from the ball. Once the student has done so, ask him to read aloud the word written on the piece of paper with its correct article; for example, if the paper has honor written on it, ask your student which article goes with that word. If your student gives the word an incorrect article provide him with the correct article and an explanation of why he is wrong. Ask the student with the ball to throw it to a student of his choosing in class. Whoever the student throws the ball to must unwrap one piece of paper from it and follow the same steps as above. Students continue throwing the ball to different students in class until there are no more papers left in the ball. Make sure every student has at least one opportunity with the ball.
Article Bingo: (preparation) Photocopy the Article Bingo Board and the Student Article Bingo Sheet so that each student in your class has their own individual copies (Class Activity) Hand out one Article Bingo Board and one Student Article Bingo Sheet to each student in your class. Ask your students to write different words from their Student Article Bingo Sheet into every individual square on the Bingo Board. Students should have no more than 24 words written on the Bingo Board as it is made up 24 squares. Once the entire sheet has been completed, students individually, around the class, read out one of the words, with its corresponding article, that they have written down. If the student uses the correct article he/she, along with any other student who has written down the same word, may mark his paper with an X. Students who make mistakes should be corrected and allowed to mark their papers with an X. The first student to have three horizontal, vertical, or diagonal lines wins the game.
Number Adjective Survey: Cut up the Survey Questions into strips. Hand out the Survey Sheet to all of the students in your class. Have your students write the names of everyone in the class on the Survey Page. Then hand out one to two Survey Question strip(s) per student. Each student will have a different question(s). Tell your students that they are going to be doing a survey. Ask your students to stand up and have them ask each person in class the question(s) from the question strip that they have been given. Students write down the person’s answer on the Survey Question sheet. Encourage your students to use nouns as adjectives. For example, A: What is the longest book you have ever read.
B: The longest book I have ever read was 1000 pages long.