151- L A N G U A G E ARTS

ARTICLE/ARTICLES
 GOAL

TO IDENTIFY ARTICLES AND

USE THEM CORRECTLY IN A
SENTENCE
 W H AT IS A N ARTICLE?

An article is a word like "a", "an", and

"the." They define whether something
is specific or unspecific.
 H O W D O W E US E ARTICLES?

•It is used with countable nouns like

chair,dog, cat,pencil, bottle, etc.
• Articles are used before nouns or
noun equivalents and are a type of
adjective.
T W O TYPES O F ARTICLES

1.Definite and
2.Indefinite articles
 DEFINITE ARTICLE

• Definite article:“the”
• Is used for very specific nouns
• Example 1:The black dog, & the black cat
• Example 2: The chair is next to the couch
 INDEFINITE ARTICLE
Indefinite article: “A” and“An”

• “A” is used before nouns that begin with a consonant.

Example:A dog, A chair, etc.

•“An” is used before nouns that begin with a vowel.

Example:An elephant,An apple, etc.

•Also used when first mentioning something

Example: A butterfly landed on my hair.
 W H E N W E D O N O T US E ARTICLES
• We don’t use indefinite articles in front of non-countable nouns.
Example: happiness,love, sadness, etc.

• We don’t use indefinite articles with nouns that are described in

quantities, such as liquids(milk), or large amounts of small solids like
beans, sand, dirt,etc.

• However, we can use the definite article:The red beans, the

white sand, the brown dirt, etc.

• Also, you cannot use for names, pronouns, and proper nouns.
Example: An Suzie, A She, An Saraburi
 SOME EXCEPTIONS
• Some non-countable nouns can take the indefinite article.
Example:We came to an understanding

• If the name of a location is descriptive and contains a

countable noun, use the definite article.
Example 1:The Clear Lake that I know has lots of good
Restaurants.

• The country names especially

Example 2:The United States of America,The Philippians,The
Netherlands,The Bahamas etc.
 STEP 1: H O W T O D E C I D E I N
YOUR O W N WRITING
• First, look at your noun. Is it countable or
uncountable?
• Example: I want to describe a cat.
‘Cat’ is a countable noun.
STEP TWO:
•Are you being specific about the noun, or general?
Example: a. I fell over the chair again.
This means the chair is specific. Itis
known to the audience.
b. Can you pass me a chair?
This means an unspecific chair,meaning
any chair.
 STEP THREE:

• If you are describing a specific noun, use the definite

article.
Example:“I have a black cat.The cat chased the grey
mouse.”
• If you are unclear, use the indefinite article.
Example: I saw a cat chasing a mouse.
STEP F O U R
INDEFINITE ARTICLES ARE N O T U S E D
W I T H U N C O U N TA B L E N O U N S
Example :

1.Play me a music. Instead say: Play me some music.

2.I need an air. Instead say: I need some air.
3.Give me a water. Instead say: I need some water.
 ACTIVITY

PAIR W O R K PRACTICE:TEST Y O U R
U N D E R S TA N D I N G

https://www.grammar-monster.com/tests/articles_test.htm

https://www.englishpage.com/articles/articles_12.htm