DEFINITE AND INDEFINITE

ARTICLES
In English, there are two types of
articles:

Indefinite: a, an.
Definite: the.
 A, AN
The indefinite article (a, an) is used before a noun that is general or
when its identity is not known.
a goes before a singular noun beginning with a consonant or a
consonant sound.
a cell phone, a university.

an goes before a singular noun beginning with a vowel or a vowel

sound.
an elephant, an hour.
 AN, A - USES
Use an – a to indicate any non-specified member of a group
or category.
I think an animal is in the garage.
That man is a scoundrel.
We are looking for an apartment.
 AN, A - USES
Use an – a to indicate one in number (as opposed to
more than one).
I own a cat and two dogs.
 AN, A - USES
Use an – a before jobs in singular form, nationalities, .
I am a doctor.
She is an architect.
 IMPORTANT
The plural form of an – a is some. Use some to indicate
an unspecified, limited amount (but more than one).
an apple, some apples
a car, some cars.
 THE
The definite article the is used before a noun to indicate that
the identity of the noun is known to the reader. It can be
before a singular or plural noun.
The apple was juicy and delicious.
The sun is very bright.
 THE - USES
Use the when a particular noun has already been
mentioned.
I ate an apple yesterday. The apple was juicy and
delicious.
 THE - USES
Use the when the noun refers to something or someone
that is unique.
The theory of relativity.
The president is speaking on TV.
The moon.
 THE - USES
Use the when an adjective, phrase, or clause describing the
noun clarifies or restricts its identity.
The boy sitting next to me raised his hand.
Thank you for the advice you gave me.

Use the with family names.

The Evans.
 THE - USES
Use the before superlatives, ordinal numbers, or decades.

He is the smartest person

We are going to take the last bus to New York.
I had a great time in the eighties.

Use the with adjectives, to refer to a whole group of people.

The elderly deserve respect.
The Irish are a proud people.
 THE - USES
Use the whit united countries, large regions, deserts, peninsulas, oceans,
seas, gulfs, canals, rivers, mountain ranges, groups of islands.
The Gobi Desert
The United Arab Emirates
The Sacramento River
The Aleutians
 EXCEPTIONS
Don’t use the whit streets, parks, cities, states, counties, most countries,
continents, bays, lakes, single mountains, islands
Japan
Chico
Mt. Everest
San Francisco Bay
 EXCEPTIONS
Don’t use the whit:
• Certain food and drink items: bread, broccoli, cheese,
chicken, chocolate, coffee, fish, milk, oil, pasta, rice, salt…
• Certain nonfood substances: air, paper, coal, dirt,
gasoline, gold, petroleum, plastic…
• Most abstract nouns: happiness, health, love, poverty,
life…
 EXCEPTIONS
Don’t use the whit:
• Areas of study: history, math, biology, etc.
• Sports: soccer, football, baseball, hockey, etc.
• Languages: Chinese, Spanish, Russian, English, etc.
• Other: clothing, equipment, furniture, homework, jewelry,
lumber, machinery, mail, money, news, poetry, pollution,
research, scenery, traffic, transportation, violence, work…
 PRONUNCIATION
The definite article the is pronounced differently
depending on the beginning of the next word:
DEFINITE
USE PRONUNCIATION EXAMPLES
ARTICLE

When a word begins with a The Apple

[ði]
vowel or vowel sound The hour
THE
When a word begins with a The dog
consonant or consonant [ðə]
sound The university
 NO ARTICLE / ZERO ARTICLE
No article is used when a plural countable noun is generic or
non-specific.

Examples:

I bought new pens and pencils at the store. (general, not specific ones)
Cats have big eyes that can see in the dark. (cats in general, all of them)
Babies cry a lot. (babies in general, all of them)
 NO ARTICLE / ZERO ARTICLE
No article is used when an uncountable noun is generic or
non-specific.

Examples:

I bought milk and rice at the store. (generic reference)

We were assigned homework in this class. (generic reference)
There has been previous research on the topic. (generic reference)
 REFERENCES
• https://www.lewolang.com/gramatica-inglesa/16/definite-and-indefinite-
articles
• http://www.butte.edu/departments/cas/tipsheets/grammar/articles.html#
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