GRAMMAR

Articles


  • Indefinite article – A/AN
    • when someone/something is one of many
      ➤ I’ve never met an autistic child.
    • when you mention someone/something for the first time
      ➤ There’s an epileptic girl in my daughter’s class. The girl is very pretty.
    • for professions
      ➤ What’s your job? I’m a psychologist.
    • before certain expressions of quantity
      ➤ A few DS young boys work in the new pizzeria round the corner.

  • Definite article – THE
    • for specific people, places, things
      ➤ The Math teacher told us that he suffered from seizures when he was a child.
    • when we talk about someone/something that has already been mentioned
      ➤ There’s an epileptic girl in my daughter’s class. The girl is very pretty.
    • when there is only one of something
      ➤ An autistic boy in my class remembers most of the names of the paintings of the National Gallery in London.
    • before superlatives
      ➤ The best way to calculate your IQ is to take a test.

  • Zero article
    • to talk about people and things in general
      ➤ DS people can have a healthy life.
    • with abstract nouns
      ➤ Trust is fundamental in human relationships.
    • with home, school, work, university, bed, hospital, church, prison when used as institutions
      ➤ DS children can develop their social skills at school.

14. Complete the sentences with the appropriate article, if necessary.

1. Yesterday I took my autistic students to ________ school library.
2. Intellectually disabled children usually love ________ small pets.
3. The DS girl feels safe when she works with ________ tallest boy in the class.
4. ________ couple of days ago, my class had to sit for an IQ test.
5. ________ seizures can be general or focal.
6. Last week, a psychologist came to ________ class to talk about friendship.
7. I gave Mary ________ book on intellectual disability.
8. ________ Psychology Faculty of Turin is doing research on autism.
9. As soon as he arrived at school, John wanted to go ________ home.
10. You can find a lot of information on epilepsy on ________ Internet.