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The 5-Minute Article Workout

Turn Listening into a Game

This week we learned why articles are so hard to hear.

Now let's practice.

Just 5 minutes daily.

That's all it takes.

I've created three exercises using my Less Said Podcast. Each episode is perfect for article practice.

Let's get started.

Exercise 1: The Article Hunt

This exercise trains your ear to notice articles in normal speech.

How to do it:

  1. Choose any episode of The Less Said Podcast
  2. Set a timer for 2 minutes
  3. Listen and count every "a," "an," and "the" you hear
  4. Write down which nouns they appear with

Try this:

Listen to Episode 7 of The Less Said Podcast (the first 2 minutes).

How many articles did you hear? Which nouns had "the" before them? Which nouns had "a" or "an" before them? Which nouns had no article?

Do this daily with different podcast episodes. You'll train your brain to notice articles automatically.

Exercise 2: The Shadow and Pause

This exercise connects your listening and speaking skills.

How to do it:

  1. Choose a short segment (30 seconds) from any Less Said Podcast episode
  2. Listen to one sentence
  3. Pause the audio
  4. Repeat exactly what you heard, with the same rhythm
  5. Pay special attention to articles

Try this:

Use Episode 3 of The Less Said Podcast. Listen to the first 30 seconds.

After each sentence, pause and repeat.

Did you include all the articles? Did you put them in the right places? Did you use the correct article ("a" vs "the")?

This exercise builds muscle memory for hearing AND using articles correctly.

Exercise 3: The Article Prediction Game

This exercise helps you develop intuition for article patterns.

How to do it:

  1. Read sentences with missing articles
  2. Fill in the blanks with "a," "an," "the," or "---" (no article)
  3. Listen to the audio to check your answers

Try this:

Here are sentences from Episode 11 (C offee) of The Less Said Podcast. Fill in the blanks:

  1. I I could go into __ long side topic about that about ___ my speculations. But at any rate, I know if I drink ___ coffee with ___ milk in it, I'm going to feel painful for three weeks.
  2. Oh, okay. Okay. So, it's not __ lactose intolerance. It's some sort of autoimmune reaction to ___ milk.
  3. That is inexplicable. Not that I'm __ expert, but that doesn't make doesn't make sense, but it must make sense.
  4. I've lived with it for ___ last uh well, I I got ___ dis- I ___ disease was first diagnosed when I was 23.
  5. Okay. Or 24. I came back to Canada. My doctor said, "You've got this." And When I was about 30 h 38 or 40, I started uh running and I gave up __ milk.

Listen to the episode to check your answers.

How many did you get right?

The more you play this game, the better your instincts become.

Make It a Daily Habit

Choose just one exercise each day.

5 minutes.

That's all.

Switch between exercises to keep it interesting.

Use different episodes of The Less Said Podcast each time.

Track your progress:

  • Can you catch more articles each week?
  • Can you predict articles more accurately?
  • Do you shadow sentences more naturally?

Keep Going!

Articles are just the beginning.

Master them, and your English comprehension will improve dramatically.

The key is consistency.

5 minutes daily beats 2 hours once a month.

Next week, we'll tackle subject-verb agreement in listening. Another tricky part of English that's often missed!

Until then, happy listening!