Question

Fill in the blanks with the most appropriate words.
When I lived in Paris some years ago I used to buy ____ copy of Le Monde every evening at _____ same local newspaper kiosk.
a) no article/a
b) a/the
c) a/a
d) the/a
e) the/the

Answer 1

Hint: Indefinite articles are usually used before a noun that is general or when its identity is not known. Definite articles are used when the identity is certain, however not before a proper noun with some exceptions.

Complete answer:
 Indefinite articles are used for a thing or person when the reader doesn’t know which one we are referring to out of many nouns. It is used for denoting the random nature of an object. The first blank is determining the noun ‘copy’. This is a common noun, so it will take an indefinite article.
‘The’ is used as a definite article for a thing or person when the reader knows which one we are exactly referring to. It states the specific nature of the subject. The newspaper kiosk mentioned in the sentence is a specific kiosk. So, it will take a definite article.

Now, we know what we are looking for. Let’s look at the given options-
a) no article/a - Both of these articles do not fit into the given blanks. They do not fit into the context of the given sentence. This is not the required answer. So, this is an incorrect option.
b) a/the - Both of these articles fit into the given blanks. They fit into the context of the given sentence. This is the required answer. So, this is the correct option.
c) a/a - Both of these articles do not fit into the given blanks. They do not fit into the context of the given sentence. This is not the required answer. So, this is an incorrect option.
d) the/a - Both of these articles do not fit into the given blanks. They do not fit into the context of the given sentence. This is not the required answer. So, this is an incorrect option.
e) the/the - Both of these articles do not fit into the given blanks. They do not fit into the context of the given sentence. This is not the required answer. So, this is an incorrect option.

Note:
To choose the correct indefinite or definite article, pronounce the word after it. If it is a vowel sound, there will be only one correct option. That will be the correct answer for the
given sentence. However, there can also be no article used.