Level A1 (approx. band below 3) · Academic and General Training Small words make a big difference. "A", "an" and "the" are called articles. Many learners leave them out, or they use them in the wrong place. In this episode: • One and more than one • Irregular plurals • A or an? • A first, then the; and sometimes nothing • Listening lab • Language bridge • Practice • Self-check questions with answers Key points: • add s, es or ies, and say s, z or iz. • men, women, children, people: no extra s. • choose "a" or "an" by the first sound, not the first letter. • a for first mention, the for known things, nothing for things in general. IELTS Complete Course: a self-study podcast from A1 to C2 for Academic and General Training. Listen, pause and answer, then take the 52-question quiz. Audio voiced with AI from an original script by Dr. Rashmi R Nair. Independent course, not affiliated with the IELTS test owners.