Exercise 1.1. Decide which of these options is/are possible. Mind the definite article in its generic function.

_______________ must like people.
1. A doctor
2. Doctor
3. Doctors
4. The doctors
Our life would be much quieter without _______________.
1. mobile phone
2. mobile phones
3. the mobile phone.
_______________ is in danger of becoming extinct.
1. A tiger
2. The tiger
3. Tigers
Which of these sentences is/are right?
1. The Irish are very proud of their sense of humour.
2. I met a Welshman the other day.
3. The short kilt seems to have been invented by an English from Lancashire, Thomas Rawlinson, in the early 18th century.
I didn't realise that Bill and Helen were ____________________.
1. a husband and a wife
2. a husband and wife
3. husband and wife
Which of these sentences is/are right?
1. Man and woman were created equal.
2. Men and women need to be able to work together.
3. A woman without a man is like a fish without a bicycle. (old feminist joke)
4. How did Man first discover fire?
Which of these sentences is/are right?
1. He's collecting money for the blind.
2. There are opportunities for both rich and poor.
3. The tired went to bed and the rest of us sat up talking.
Which of these sentences is/are right?
1. Nowadays Americans enjoy reading as much as ever – 51 percent say they enjoy reading a lot.
2. I have often seen the Americans make large and genuine sacrifices to the public welfare.
3. Unlike many other nations, the Americans have often been described as a melting pot.
Which of these sentences is/are right?
1. By the end of the nineteenth century, British public schools enjoyed tremendous prestige.
2. He's studying the French painters.
3. He's particularly interested in the Impressionists.
Which of these sentences is/are right?
1. The BBC exists to serve the public, and its mission is to inform, educate and entertain.
2. Aristocracy spoke French until after 1350.
3. Any successful commercial enterprise also needed the support of the bourgeoisie.
4. The kilted musician, from St Boswells, rarely appears in the public without his steel helmet.
5. That's one small step for a man, one giant leap for the mankind. (Neil Armstrong, on stepping onto the moon)

Exercise 1.1. Decide which of these options is/are possible. Mind the definite article in its generic function.

Quiz