English Grammar (articles): 'A' and 'the' in two weeks

Course details

Course Description

Choosing the right article such as 'the' or 'a' or 'an' to go with a noun is a tricky and difficult part of English grammar. This course will guide you through the key principles that you need to know to make accurate article choices in English.

Improve your mastery of articles to become more accurate and professional in your speaking and writing.

• Learn four rules of thumb for mastering articles
• Listen to experienced writers thinking aloud about article choice
• Practice choosing articles in easy to follow videos and animations

Master those small but vital words to become a better writer in English

'The', 'a' and 'an' are some of the smallest and most common words in the English language. Their correct use can make an enormous difference to whether a speaker or writer is seen as accurate and professional. But they are very difficult to master; especially for learners whose first language does not include an article system. In this course we will show you the most common principles behind article choice. Through explanations, examples and quizzes we'll help you to improve your knowledge of and mastery of articles.

Contents and Overview

The course consists of 14 lectures that guide you through the key principles for article choice.

These are:

• Whether a noun is countable or uncountable
• Whether information is new or known
• Whether a noun is specific or generic
• If a noun takes a fixed phrase

After we introduce the principles we give many examples and talk through the logic of article choice. Through exercises and quizzes you will gradually get better at making accurate choices which will make your speaking and writing better and give a more professional impression.

A good dictionary, whether a paper one or an online version, is a vital tool for a language learner. In addition, we show how to use a free online word analysis tool called Ngram viewer. This gives us fascinating insights into words and phrases which can help us choose the right form.

Once you have watched the videos, listened to the mini-lectures or animations and tried out the quizzes we are sure you will be better able to make better article choices and feel more confident and capable about your English speaking and writing.

So, we wish you happy article learning!