Grade 7 English MUSIC – GRAMMAR IN USE:DETERMINANT ARTICLES AND POSSESSIVES Notes
English Grammar Notes — MUSIC
Subtopic: Determinant Articles and Possessives
Level: Age 12 (Kenya)
1. Articles (a, an, the)
Articles are small words that come before nouns. They show whether we talk about something in general or something specific.
Indefinite articles: "a" and "an"- a before words that begin with a consonant sound: a song, a guitar, a nyatiti 🎸
- an before words that begin with a vowel sound: an album, an orchestra, an orutu 🎻
- Use "a" or "an" when you mean one and not a specific one. Example: I wrote a song.
- Use the for something specific, known, or already mentioned: The choir we heard yesterday.
- Use the for unique things: the national anthem.
- Examples: The singer's voice is strong. The nyatiti player is at school.
- Use no article with general ideas: Music is important.
- Use no article with plural nouns when speaking generally: Guitars are popular in my town.
2. Possessives (showing who owns something)
Possessives tell us who something belongs to. There are different kinds:
a) Possessive adjectives (before a noun)my, your, his, her, its, our, their — use these before a noun.
- My drum — My drum is loud. 🥁
- Their band — Their band practices on Saturdays.
- Her voice — Her voice is beautiful. 🎤
Use this with people and animals to show ownership.
- John's guitar — John's guitar is red.
- The teacher's song — The teacher's song is the anthem.
- For plural nouns that already end in "s", put the apostrophe after the s: the students' chorus.
mine, yours, his, hers, its, ours, theirs — they replace a noun and show ownership.
- This drum is mine.
- Is that microphone yours?
- The seats are ours.
3. Examples using MUSIC (Kenyan context)
- Indefinite: I learned a song from my grandmother. 🎶
- Indefinite (vowel sound): She plays an orutu at the festival. 🎻
- Definite: The nyatiti we heard at the market was amazing.
- Possessive adjective: Our choir will sing at the ceremony.
- Possessive 's: Mary's voice is clear.
- Possessive pronoun: That melody is hers.
- Zero article (general): Music brings people together.
4. Quick practice
- Fill in with a, an, the or leave blank:
- _____ choir practiced at school. (talking about the one we heard yesterday)
- I bought _____ album of traditional songs.
- _____ music in this village is lively.
- Write the correct possessive:
- That guitar belongs to James → __________________
- The shoes belong to the students → __________________
- Choose the possessive pronoun:
- This microphone is for me. It is ________. (mine / my)
Answers (click to view)
- a) the choir; b) an album; c) (no article) Music
- a) James's guitar or James' guitar (both accepted) ; b) the students' shoes
- mine
Tip: When you are not sure, ask: "Is it specific or general?" If specific, use "the". If it is one but not specific, use "a" or "an". Use possessives to show who owns or sings the music.
Emojis used to help visual learners: 🎵 🎸 🎤 🥁 🎻