Choose the right article 2
✓ Useful for TOEIC
✓ Useful for Cambridge BEC
💡 Top tips
Use 'the' for specific nouns, 'a/an' for general ones
Use 'the' when both speaker and listener know which specific item is meant: 'Please review the contract.' Use 'a/an' when introducing something for the first time or in general: 'She signed a contract last week.'
No article with most plural and uncountable nouns used generally
Omit the article with generalized plurals and uncountable nouns: 'Businesses need capital.' NOT 'The businesses need the capital.' This is especially common in business writing.
Titles and unique roles: 'the' vs no article
Use 'the' before roles when only one exists: 'the CEO,' 'the president.' But omit the article in apposition: 'He was appointed CEO' or 'She was elected president last year.'
Use 'the' for specific nouns, 'a/an' for general ones
Use 'the' when both speaker and listener know which specific item is meant: 'Please review the contract.' Use 'a/an' when introducing something for the first time or in general: 'She signed a contract last week.'
No article with most plural and uncountable nouns used generally
Omit the article with generalized plurals and uncountable nouns: 'Businesses need capital.' NOT 'The businesses need the capital.' This is especially common in business writing.
Titles and unique roles: 'the' vs no article
Use 'the' before roles when only one exists: 'the CEO,' 'the president.' But omit the article in apposition: 'He was appointed CEO' or 'She was elected president last year.'
READY TO PRACTICE? LET’S GO!
These exercises will help you to practice using English articles in a Business English context. Choose the best response to complete each of the sentences below.
1. Q: Where are you going? A: I'm off to __________________________ meeting. (We both know about this particular meeting)
Correct answer: the — The — a specific meeting both speakers know about.
2. Q: Where are you going? A: I'm off to __________________________ meeting. (The person asking the question doesn't know about this meeting)
Correct answer: a — A — introducing a meeting the listener doesn't know about.
3. Q: Where are you going? A: I'm off to __________________________ work.
Correct answer: NO ARTICLE — No article with work as a general destination.
4. Q: Where are you going? A: I'm off to __________________________ airport.
Correct answer: the — The — a specific, known airport.
5. This is at _________________ very heart of what we do.
Correct answer: the — Fixed expression: at the very heart of.
6. We're looking for _________________ new supplier.
Correct answer: a — A — introducing an unspecified new supplier.
7. We're trying to build __________________________ new business relationships.
Correct answer: NO ARTICLE — No article — general plural relationships, not a specific set.
8. Our __________________________ new business relationships are working out well.
Correct answer: NO ARTICLE — No article with possessive: our already specifies the noun.
9. Why did __________________________ last CEO step down?
Correct answer: the — The — refers to the specific, known last CEO.
10. So far, this has been _________________________ very good year for us.
Correct answer: a — A — non-specific year introduced for the first time.
Premium resources
ONLINE COURSE
Business English Conversations —
practice real workplace language BUSINESS ENGLISH GLOSSARY key terms explained clearly WORKSHEET COLLECTION printable PDFs for self-study
and classroom use
practice real workplace language BUSINESS ENGLISH GLOSSARY key terms explained clearly WORKSHEET COLLECTION printable PDFs for self-study
and classroom use
Our other sites
Connect & follow
Cookie & privacy policy /
Content policy /
Contact: info (at) businessenglishsite.com
© 2007–2026 BusinessEnglishSite.com (a division of LearnEnglishFeelGood.com). All rights reserved.