High School

Fill in the blanks with indefinite articles. There may be some blanks that do not require an article. Put X in those blanks.

1. Seema met John just ______ hour ago.
2. Please make ______ list of books to be bought for the library.
3. Would you like ______ sugar in your tea?
4. What ______ shame that we couldn't help the flood victims on time!
5. ______ unique feature of this phone is that it is so light.
6. Anyone with ______ M.Sc. degree in mathematics can apply for the post.
7. Plastics are not ______ eco-friendly.
8. Gaelic is ______ dying language.
9. I have met him at ______ conference.
10. Man is a social being.

Answer :

To fill in the blanks with indefinite articles ('a', 'an'), we need to follow some rules concerning indefinite articles:

  • Use 'a' before words that begin with a consonant sound.
  • Use 'an' before words that begin with a vowel sound.
  • Use 'X' where no article is needed.

Let's apply these rules to each sentence:

  1. Seema met John just an hour ago.

    • 'Hour' starts with a vowel sound ('our'), so we use 'an'.
  2. Please make a list of books to be bought for the library.

    • 'List' begins with a consonant sound.
  3. Would you like X sugar in your tea?

    • 'Sugar' is uncountable here, so no article is needed.
  4. What a shame that we couldn't help the flood victims on time!

    • 'Shame' is singular and countable in this context.
  5. A unique feature of this phone is that it is so light.

    • 'Unique' begins with a 'yu' sound, which is a consonant sound.
  6. Anyone with an M.Sc. degree in mathematics can apply for the post.

    • 'M' is pronounced 'em', which has a vowel sound.
  7. Plastics are not X eco-friendly.

    • 'Eco-friendly' is not preceded by 'a' or 'an'. Often, adjectives like this describe qualities or are used as predicates without articles.
  8. Gaelic is a dying language.

    • 'Dying' begins with a consonant sound.
  9. I have met him at a conference.

    • 'Conference' begins with a consonant sound.
  10. Man is a social being.

    • 'Social being' starts with a consonant sound. Here, 'man' is considered singular and general.

These rules help decide when and where to use 'a', 'an', or no article, allowing for correct and natural English usage.