Unit 5, Adjectives 121Copyright © by Glencoe/McGraw-Hill
GrammarLesson 31
Articles and DemonstrativesAn article is a special kind of adjective. There are three articles, the words a, an,
and the. The describes one specific item or items.
The program was canceled because of the snowstorm.
A and an refer to any one item of a group. Use a before words that begin with a
consonant sound. Use an before words that begin with a vowel sound.
A giraffe is an elegant animal.
Demonstrative adjectivesare used to point out something. The words this, that,
these,and those are demonstrative adjectives. This and that are singular. These
and those are plural. This and these refer to things that are close. That and those
refer to things that are at a distance.
Read this book. He washed these apples. (close to the speaker)
Take that train. Those boys are on the other team. (at a distance from the
speaker)
Demonstratives often appear before the nouns they modify, but they can stand
alone. When a demonstrative is used by itself, it is a demonstrative pronoun.
Give this to your sister. I like those the best.Exercise 1 Write in the blank the article that best completes each sentence.
Do you have [ a ticket for[ the class play?
1.[ The moon is really bright tonight.
2.It is helpful to have [ a calculator.
3.My dad keeps maps in [ the car glove compartment.
4.[ The field hockey team has a match after school.
5.Sara hopes to get [ a bicycle for her birthday.
6.My father thinks ordering pizza is [ an excellent idea.
7.I read my little sister a story about [ a unicorn.
8.[ An index of street names appears on most maps.
9.I will be attending [ a or the school on Maple Street.