Articles and 'to be' Quiz Prep

• New lesson editor
• English
• Lower Secondary (Key Stage 3)

Articles and **to be**

Learning goal

I can choose a, an or the, and use to be in positive and negative sentences.

One word you know about a, an, the, am, is or are

Use the responses to gauge prior knowledge. Accept simple words such as apple, teacher, not, sentence, am, is, are, door.

Using **a** and **an**

Use a before a consonant sound.

• a bag

• a car

• a teacher

Use an before a vowel sound.

• an apple

• an egg

• an umbrella

Keep the focus on sound, not only spelling. Model 'an hour' only if learners are ready; for Entry 1, simple clear examples are enough.

Using **the**

Use the when we mean one specific thing.

• the door

• the teacher

• the book on the table

Stress that 'the' points to something known or specific in the room or picture.

Verb **to be**

Present simple forms:

• I am

• You are

• He is

• She is

• It is

• We are

• They are

Read the forms aloud and drill short examples: I am happy. They are ready.

Negative forms

To make a negative sentence, add not.

• I am not late.

• He is not at home.

• They are not students.

You may mention contractions orally if useful, but keep the slide in full forms for clarity: isn't, aren't.

Which sentence is correct?

A

I have a apple.

B

I have an apple.

C

I have the apple.

D

I have am apple.

Checks the use of an before a vowel sound.

Complete the sentences

Mina has an egg in her bag. Sam is a teacher. Please open the door. They are ready for class.

an

a

the

are

am

is

a

an

the

This reviews a/an/the and one positive to be form from slides 2 to 5.

Quiz 1–5

1. I have _ apple.

2. She is _ teacher.

3. Please close _ door.

4. He _ at work today. (is / are)

5. They _ from London. (am / are)

Allow learners a short think time. These items check a/an/the and positive forms of to be.

Quiz 6–10

1. We have _ umbrella.

2. It is _ red bag on the chair.

3. I _ not tired. (am / is)

4. She _ not my sister. (is / are)

5. You _ not late. (are / is)

Questions 8–10 focus on negative forms of to be. Read each sentence aloud for support if needed.

Which negative sentence is correct?

A

She are not my sister.

B

She am not my sister.

C

She is not my sister.

D

She not is my sister.

Checks negative word order with to be.

Finish the quiz sentences

We have an umbrella for the rain. It is the red bag on the chair. I am not tired, but you are not late.

an

the

am

are

a

is

are

the

an

Echoes the exact grammar focus from Quiz 6–10: article choice plus negative forms.

Answers 1–5

1. an

2. a

3. the

4. is

5. are

Answers 6–10

1. an

2. the

3. am

4. is

5. are

How do you feel about using a, an, the and to be now?

1

Very confident

2

Quite confident

3

Need more practice

4

Still confused

What is one thing you will remember from this lesson?

Encourage short reflective answers such as 'an before vowels' or 'am, is, are'. Focus on what learners feel they learned best.

Glossary

article - a small word before a noun, for example a, an or the

noun - a naming word for a person, place or thing

specific - one exact person or thing

verb - a doing word or a being word

to be - the verb am, is and are

negative - a form that says no or not

sentence - a group of words that makes meaning