an

the

What Are Articles?

There are only three articles: the, a and an. They are very small words which cause very large problems if used incorrectly. Articles are used to differentiate between things or ideas usually expressed by nouns. The speaker/writer may be referring to a specific thing or idea, or a general one.

The Definite Article

The
We use THE to refer to something specific that we know about or is unique I went to THE supermarket near my house. Look at THE moon! Could you shut the door? (Theres only one door in this room) We use THE to refer to something that has been mentioned before. Compare: I bought a T-shirt and a jacket. THE T-shirts blue and The jackets black.

For example:
I enjoyed participating in the volleyball competition The above sentence refers to a particular or specific competition. I enjoyed watching the show. The sentence refers to a particular or specific show.

Indefinite Articles: A and An

The indefinite articles are used when we are referring to an unspecified thing or quantity. We use them when we dont know which thing were talking about. We use a : before words that begin with consonants. We use an : Before silent 'h ; before all words that begin with the vowels a, e, i, o u We use a/an + singular countable when we talk about a thing or person, but we do not say which thing or person we mean: Is there a supermarket near here? Hes a doctor. The have a lovely flat. We use a/an to refer to someone/something that has been mentioned before. A car stopped outside our house. A man got out and went into a shop.

For example :
The children are playing a game outdoors. (It refers any game)

The artist is painting a picture.

(It refers to any picture)

Indefinite article with uncountable noun

Uncountable nouns are nouns which are difficult or impossible to count. They have no plural. You cannot say musics, bloods or excitements Uncountable nouns include: untouchable things (information, air) things like liquids (milk, wine) things which are too large or numerous to count (equipment, sand, wood)

Because these things cant be counted, singular articles like a or an should NOT be used to modify them. Uncountable nouns can be modified by words like some, any, much, etc. a music an excitement a blood N.B. Depending on the context, some nouns can be countable or uncountable (e.g. hair, noise, time)

Indefinite article with countable noun

Countable nouns are things we can count. We can make them plural two dogs many suggestions some girls We often use a/an + noun when we say what something/someone is like: A dog is an animal. Tom is a very nice person. We use a/an for jobs. Toms father is a doctor. I wouldnt like to be an English teacher. We have to use some when we mean some,but not all/not many Some children learn very quickly. (but not all children)

Use of articles with general meaning

When we refer to people and things in general, we dont use an article: Before plural nouns: Doctors often work very long hours. Cars are expensive. Before uncountable nouns,e.g nouns referring to substances or abstract ideas: Rice is good for you. Education is important. Modern life is very stressful (Not the modern life is very stressful) We can also use a+ singular noun to refer to people and things in general: A doctor earns more money than a teacher. (=all doctors, all teachers) We sometimes use the to refer to people, animals or things in general: With plural nationality words: the French the Americans With adjectives: the poor the rich the unemployed With musical instruments: I play the piano.

Special uses of articles

We use a/an To mean one with fractions and large number: one and a half hours; a thousand people To mean eachor per : $2 a kilo; 50km an hour ; twice a week With some illnesses, especially one that arent serious: a cold; a headache

 We use the with the names of: Countries that are plural or include the words Kingdom, Republic, etc: the Netherlands the USA the United Kingdom the Czech Republic Seas, oceans, rivers, deserts, areas and groups of mountains: the North Sea the Pacific the Thames the Sahara the North Newspapers: The Times The Daily News Some important buildings, hotels, theatres, cinemas and museums: the White House the Houses of Parliament the Sheraton With surnames, when we are talking about more than one member of family: Do you know the Smiths?

We do not use an article with:

The names of people: Is Tim coming with us? Continents and most countries, cities, towns and states Africa Europe Madrid Japan London Mountains and lakes: Mount Everest Lake Victoria Streets, squares and parks: Oxford Street Central Square Hyde Park Most shops and restaurants: Harrods McDonalds Pizza Hut Some magazines: Time Hello Cosmopolitan Games, sports, school subjects and languages: Do you play chess ? I like basketball. Im studying History. Meals: Have you had lunch yet? Some ilnesses, especially serious ones: Shes got diabetes/ cancer/

Quiz! Its your turn!

Use a, an or the in each sentence. Ismail spoke to _______ woman who had waved to him (a / the) My mother bought me _____ expensive watch (a / an) Cheryl borrowed _____ book from the library.(a / an) Ali wore _____ new uniform to school. (a / an) Did you see _____ new car which my father bought? (the/a) Kiran is ____ Indian girl. (a / an) Singapore lies quite near to ____ equator. (the / an) Liying has travelled across _____ Atlantic Ocean. (an /the)