A, an, the
Articles · countable nouns
Marta's registration form comes back twice. The receptionist turns out to be from Gdańsk.
- Level
- A2
- Length
- 50 min
- Exercises
- 4
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About this lesson
A 50-minute lesson on articles and uncountable nouns for A2 groups of Polish adults. Marta is at the surgery on Blackwell high street. Her registration form comes back twice, and the receptionist who finally sorts it out turns out to be from Gdańsk.
Pairs start by describing the reception desk in the picture, with a phrase bank where every noun already has its article or quantifier: a form, some advice, a piece of paper. A one-page cheatsheet sets countable nouns against uncountable ones. A gap-fill then tells the story of the form, and every gap is an article or a quantifier, including "no word here". The lesson ends with Marta retelling her afternoon: ten sentences, eight with one mistake. Afterwards students say a form, then the form, and know when to ask how much or how many.
Describe things accurately using a, an, the and no article.
- Grammar
- Articles with countable and uncountable nouns; countables and uncountables — much / many.
- Function
- Describing things.
- Words (12)
- formappointmentdoctoradviceinformationluggagefurniturea piece ofsomeanyfirstsecond
Why Polish speakers get this wrong
Polish has no articles, so a Polish speaker's default is to put nothing in front of the noun. "Marta needs form" sounds fine to them. The second half of the problem is nouns that are countable in Polish and not in English. Meble, informacje and rady all have plurals, so furnitures, informations and advices are Polish grammar applied faithfully to English words.
The lesson never shows a bare noun. Every word arrives with a, an, some or a piece of already attached. The gap-fill is a whole text, because "first a form, then the form" cannot be practised in one sentence, and its "no word here" option forces a decision where Polish leaves an empty space. The final error correction goes after the extra -s: not two informations, but some information.
Free guide: A, an, the and uncountable nouns: why it's “some information”, not “two informations” →
50 min · 4 exercises
- 1The desk at the surgeryPicture description · Lead-in8 min
- 2One form, two forms, some adviceGrammar cheatsheet · Presentation8 min
- 3The form comes backGap fill · Controlled practice14 min
- 4Marta tells the story againError correction · Review15 min
Marta tells the story again
That evening Marta tells the story of her afternoon at the surgery again. Eight sentences have one mistake in them. Two sentences are correct. Write the correct words. If a sentence is correct, write correct.
- In the afternoon I went to the surgery for a appointment.
- I sat down and looked at the furnitures in the waiting room.
- For a moment there was doctor at the desk, and then it was quiet again.
- Then I asked the receptionist how much forms I had to fill in.
- She had an advice for me about the address box.
- Before I left she gave me a piece of advice about the second page.
As printed on the student sheet. Answers are in the teacher pack.
- 1Student pack6 pages · A4 PDF
- 2Teacher pack: plan, notes, answer key10 pages · A4 PDF
Questions about this lesson
How long does the lesson take?
50 minutes, in four parts: the picture of the reception desk (8 minutes), the cheatsheet (8), the gap-fill story (14) and the error correction (15). The teacher notes give setup steps for each part, so you can see in advance where the time goes.
Do students need to know the article rules before the lesson?
No. The phrase bank in the first exercise glosses all twelve new words in Polish, each with its article attached. The cheatsheet then states the rule on one page, and students keep it open on the desk for the gap-fill and the error correction.
What is in the teacher pack?
Ten A4 pages: setup for every exercise, what to listen for, the problems to expect, a rubric for the picture task and an extension idea. The key to the error correction says why each answer is right, including the two sentences that have no mistake.