Insert the correct article in the blank given. ______ telephone is ringing.

Solution

Correct answer: The

Why this is correct:

• Use the definite article "the" when referring to a specific or known noun (for example, the telephone in this room).

• The indefinite article "a" is used for nonspecific singular nouns that begin with a consonant sound (example: A telephone is ringing — means some telephone).

• The article "an" is used before words that begin with a vowel sound (example: an apple, an hour).

In the given sentence, the writer expects a specific telephone (the one known in the context), so "the" is the appropriate choice.

Correct sentence: The telephone is ringing.