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The indefinite article: a/an

Presentation / Objective

This topic deals with the grammar point: the indefinite article a / an to describe a more general noun. There is a content section and four activities: reading, writing, listening and speaking. It is important to do the activities as follows: First, the reading and the listening texts will help you with the production of the writing and the speaking. At the end of the topic, there is a quiz to assess what you have learned.

A / an shows that we are talking about one person or thing (a/an=1), we often use a/an:

• in descriptions:

She's a beautiful girl.
He has an interesting job.


• When we say what something is, or what somebody's job is:

This is a book.
I'm an architect.


In this topic, you will study this second use:

This is a book

Unsaplash. (n.d). Book. [Photo]. Retrieved from: https://www.pexels.com/photo/blur-old-antique-book-213/


I 'm an architect.

Geralt. (2014). Architect. [Photo]. Retrieved from: https://pixabay.com/es/arquitecto-pared-de-la-imagen-529674/


Objective

By the end of this topic you will:

Use the indefinite article a/an to name people when exchanging information about someone's occupation.

Content

Vocabulary: occupations

First, it is essential to learn some words to talk about occupations. Click on each image to listen and repeat each word to practice pronunciation.




Canon. (n.d.) Finance.[Photo]. Retrieved from: goo.gl/3BXXRF




An accountant

Skeeze (2014) Actor.[Photo]. Retrieved from: http://bit.ly/2vfeljD




An actress/an actor

Hans. (2010) Painter.[Photo]. Retrieved from: http://bit.ly/2w3mANl




An artist

Geralt. (2014) Architect.[Photo]. Retrieved from: http://bit.ly/2vkzc4N




An architect

Unsaplash. (n.d.) Athlete.[Photo]. Retrieved from: http://bit.ly/2uZNWGg




An athlete

Mtaylor848. (2015). Bank. [Photo]. Retrieved from:https://goo.gl/Vtemby




A banker

Lillico, J. (2010) Finance.[Photo]. Retrieved from: http://bit.ly/2vfZsOg




A builder

Navy photo. (2010) Finance.[Photo]. Retrieved from: http://bit.ly/2w3317W




A chef/a cook

Tolley, t. (2010) Dentist.[Photo]. Retrieved from: http://bit.ly/2vfEzmb




A dentist

Frank. (2013) Doctor.[Photo]. Retrieved from: http://bit.ly/2vkxnF5




A doctor

NASA. (n.d.) Engineer.[Photo]. Retrieved from: http://bit.ly/2uVy1H1




An engineer

Neromare. (n.d.) Hairdresser.[Photo]. Retrieved from: http://bit.ly/2wi3hiO




A hairdresser

Villalobos, H. (1974) Housewife.[Photo]. Retrieved from: http://bit.ly/2vk8pFS




A housewife

Engels, A. (2015) Journalist.[Photo]. Retrieved from: http://bit.ly/2g8EjiA




A journalist

n.a. (2015) Lawyer.[Photo]. Retrieved from: http://bit.ly/2hl78c3




A lawyer

n.a. (2016) Manager.[Photo]. Retrieved from: http://bit.ly/2hk1XJB




A manager

Jose, H. (2011) Model.[Photo]. Retrieved from: http://bit.ly/2uVz1Lh




A model

n.a. (n.d.) Musician.[Photo]. Retrieved from: http://bit.ly/2uVWk7x




A musician

Rebeca. (2016) Nurse.[Photo]. Retrieved from: http://bit.ly/2c8eHeP




A nurse

eviver, C. (2009) Photographer.[Photo]. Retrieved from: http://bit.ly/2w32bYH




A photographer

Griffit, A. (2009) Police officer..[Photo]. Retrieved from: http://bit.ly/2vfwmhKg




A police officer

n.a. (2008) Barack.[Photo]. Retrieved from: http://bit.ly/2vfomh2




A politician

Bench, E. (2008) Desk.[Photo]. Retrieved from: http://bit.ly/2u0x2YG




A receptionist

n.a. (2013) Salesman.[Photo]. Retrieved from: http://bit.ly/2uRIxAq




A salesperson

Navatril, J. (2015) Scientist.[Photo]. Retrieved from: http://bit.ly/2vpUdvJ




A scientist

n.a. (2016) Photographer.[Photo]. Retrieved from: http://bit.ly/2vk9FsA




A secretary

Sebastian, M. (2008) Singer.[Photo]. Retrieved from: http://bit.ly/2tWhSjc




A singer

Abhattarai7. (2014) Photographer.[Photo]. Retrieved from: http://bit.ly/2w2DY57




A soccer player

Taty. (2013) Students.[Photo]. Retrieved from: http://bit.ly/2hkpR7L




A student

Sevilla, S. (2013) Taxi.[Photo]. Retrieved from: http://bit.ly/2vkt24A




A taxi driver

Foghorn, F. (2009) A teacherr.[Photo]. Retrieved from: http://bit.ly/2vg0c65




A teacher

Oggiono. (2015) Veterinarian.[Photo]. Retrieved from: http://bit.ly/2tWEMXw




A veterinarian (a vet)

n.a. (2010) Waiter.[Photo]. Retrieved from: http://bit.ly/2f5rTb2




A waiter/a waitress

White, J. (1973) Writer.[Photo]. Retrieved from: http://bit.ly/2vfGSWt




A writer



We use a before a consonant sound.

  1. a dentist
  2. a musician
  3. a teacher
  4. a scientist
  5. a beautiful actress

We use an before a vowel sound.

  1. an a ccountant
  2. an actor
  3. an artist
  4. an e ngineer
  5. an interesting writer
  6. an old politician

Be careful. We choose a or an based on the pronunciation, not spelling. Click and listen.


  • a hairdresser, a housewife, a hotel BUT the H in an hour is silent, so hour = our
  • an engineer BUT not in a European engineer
  • an umbrella, an uncle BUT not in a university, a uniform

We use a/an when we say what something is.

  • Canada is a big country.
  • An elephant is an animal.
  • An orange is a fruit.

We also use a/an when we say what job somebody does.

  • Lady Gaga is a singer.
  • Usain Bolt is an athlete.
  • My brother is a salesperson.

Be careful. In Spanish, when we say what job somebody does, we usually say: Soy estudiante. Mi hermana es enfermera. Johnny Depp es actor.

In English we always need to use the article a/an when we talk about somebody's occupation:

I'm student.

I'm a student.

My sister is nurse.

My sister is a nurse.

Johnny Depp is actor.

Johnny Depp is an actor.

When you want to ask what occupation someone has, you can ask:

A: What do you do? / What's your occupation?

B: I'm a student.

Remember that a/an = 1. We use a/an to talk about one person or one thing. Don't use a/an to talk about more than one person or thing.

We’re a students.

We’re students

My sisters are a nurses.

My sisters are nurses.

Johnny Depp and Brad Pitt are an actors.

Johnny Depp and Brad Pitt are actors.

Canada and China are a big countries.

Canada and China are big countries

An elephant and a giraffe are an animals.

An elephant and a giraffe are animals.

Reading

Activity 1

Celebrities with more than one job.

In this activity, you will read about five famous people who have more than one job. Read the texts and identify the occupation of each person. Then read the ten sentences and choose True or False according to the text. You will know your result at the end of the activity.



Writing

Activity 2

Someone with more than one job.

In this activity, you will write a short paragraph about a famous person who has more than one job. Before this activity, it is essential to do the reading activity.

First, read the description of the celebrities who do more than one job.



Second, think of a famous person who has more than one job. You can use the Internet to find some information.



Third, write a short paragraph saying who the person is and what jobs he or she has. You can use the descriptions in the Reading activity as models. Use between 25 and 30 words to write your paragraph.



Please make sure that your description has all the characteristics contained in the rubrics.

Listening

Activity 3

Talking about what you do.


Chrome76. (2016). Handshake. Retrieved form: https://pixabay.com/es/mano-las-manos-apret%C3%B3n-de-manos-1311786/

In this activity, you will listen to three conversations where people meet for the first time in different situations. Listen to the conversations and identify the occupation each person has. Then listen again, and match each speaker to his/her profession. Drag each profession to the correct place. There are two occupations you don't need to use.

To hear the audio click here:



Now read the script to know what was said.
Click here for the script.

Speaking

Activity 4

Dialogues

In this activity, you will create a conversation between people who are meeting for the first time. Before this activity, it is essential to do the listening activity.

First, relisten to the three conversations from the previous activity with the help of the script.



Second, look at the images below. Choose one image and create a conversation for the people. The people should introduce themselves and talk about their occupations.









Example

 

When you have finished, check the rubrics and its different columns. Include each of the aspects in these descriptions to obtain the highest score in every criterion. Tick them off as you consider them accomplished.



NOTE: This conversation has two or three characters. You can take the roles of the people and change the intonation or the voice for each character. You could also use a speech reader and interact with the software to role-play the conversation. You can try using this website: ttsreader

Self-assessment

Quiz


This quiz checks the use of the indefinite articles a/an to say what occupation somebody has.



References

Basic references

• Adjectives for recipe. Adjective1.com. Retrieved 14 April 2017, from http://adjective1.com/for-recipe/
• Celebrities With More Than One Job. Rebelcircus.com. Retrieved 14 April 2017, from http://www.rebelcircus.com/blog/celebrities-with-more-than-one-job/8/
• English.com:Top Notch Fundamentals Activities. English.com.Retrieved 15 April 2017, from https://www.english.com/topnotch3e/practice/fundamental.html
• Latham-Koening, C., & Oxenden, C. (2013). American English File 1 (p. 154). Oxford: Oxford University Press.
• Oxenden, C., & Latham-Koening, C. (2008). American English File 1 Student Book (p. 144). Oxford: OUP.
• Saslow, J., & Ascher, A. (2008). Top Notch Fundamentals Complete Assessment Package (p. AS1). New York: Pearson Longman.
• Saslow, J., & Ascher, A. (2011). Top Notch Fundamentals Workbook(p. 4). New York: Pearson Longman.
• Saslow, J., & Ascher, A. (2015). Top Notch Fundamentals (pp. 1, 3). New York: Pearson Longman.
• Swan, M., & Walter, C. (2011). Oxford English Grammar Course Basic (pp. 151, 152, 156, 166). Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Complementary references

• A / an: exercises - articles. Agendaweb.org. Retrieved 16 April 2017, from http://www.agendaweb.org/exercises/grammar/a-an-multiple
• Articles: English Grammar | Part 1. (2014). YouTube. Retrieved 16 April 2017, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wh60fgYR6xo&t=1s
• Articles: a / an . Grammar exercises - indefinite articles. Agendaweb.org. Retrieved 16 April 2017, from http://www.agendaweb.org/exercises/grammar/articles-a-an
• Azar, B. (1996). CHAPTER 1 Using Be and Have. In B. Azar, Basic English Grammar (2nd ed., pp. 2-3). New York: Pearson Longman.
Jobs & Occupations | Chocolate de Aprendizaje. Learningchocolate.com. Retrieved 16 April 2017, from http://www.learningchocolate.com/es/node/376
Jobs | Chocolate de Aprendizaje. Learningchocolate.com. Retrieved 16 April 2017, from http://www.learningchocolate.com/es/node/1755
Jobs | Chocolate de Aprendizaje. Learningchocolate.com. Retrieved 16 April 2017, from http://www.learningchocolate.com/es/node/497
Jobs: occupations 1 - vocabulary exercises. Agendaweb.org. Retrieved 16 April 2017, from http://www.agendaweb.org/exercises/vocabulary/jobs/occupations-1
Jobs: occupations 2 - vocabulary exercises. Agendaweb.org. Retrieved 16 April 2017, from http://www.agendaweb.org/exercises/vocabulary/jobs/occupations-2
Jobs: occupations 3 - vocabulary exercises. Agendaweb.org. Retrieved 16 April 2017, from http://www.agendaweb.org/exercises/vocabulary/jobs/occupations-3
LINC Home Study - English Activities Online - Canadian Citizenship Test. Linchomestudy.ca. Retrieved 16 April 2017, from https://www.linchomestudy.ca/online/eaonline/FlashedESL/fe-indefinite.html
• Murphy, R. (2007). Unit 65 a/a ... In R. Murphy, Essential Grammar in Use (pp. 140-141). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
• Swan, M., & Walter, C. (2016). Section 11 articles: a/an and the. In M. Swan & C. Walter, Oxford English Grammar Course Basic (pp. 151-152, 156). Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Talking about Jobs and Occupations: English Language. (2014). YouTube. Retrieved 16 April 2017, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nZUWPsn_T90#action=share