• Articles are words that define a noun as specific or

unspecific.
After the long day, the cup of tea tasted particularly
good.
By using the article the, we’ve shown that it was one
specific day that was long and one specific cup of tea
that tasted good.

After a long day, a cup of tea tastes particularly good.

By using the article a, we’ve created a general
statement, implying that any cup of tea would taste
good after any long day.
 Articles
Definite Indefinite
the a
an
When to use The

Use the before singular and plural nouns when the

noun is specific.
To refer to something known to both the
writer/speaker and the reader/listener.
The teacher I spoke to at the school was very friendly.

The can be used with singular, plural, or uncountable

nouns.
Please give me the hammer.
The girls in the class are taller than the boys.
The air is polluted.
 Use of The
• When something is mentioned for the second time in the
text:
I wrote a letter of complaint [first mention, indefinite].
I wrote a letter of complaint. The letter had an angry
tone [second mention, definite]
• With the superlative (because it signals there is only one
possible referent):
The son was the most articulate witness in the case.
The best, the tallest, the youngest
• When only one entity exists:
The Moon is a satellite. 
In phrases that have 2 proper noun names,
use THE only if the form contains OF: 

• The University of California

• California university

• THE city of New Orleans vs. New Orleans

• The Department of English vs. English

Department
When to use A/An
• When we are referring to any member of a group we
use a/an. It is not important which one we are talking
about.
• Indicates that a noun refers to a general idea rather
than a particular thing.

• I want to buy a new car.

• I want to buy the car we looked at yesterday.

• A is used only with countable nouns.

an enemy; but a furious enemy
an average
a performance; but performance
an undetectable
a European
but European
criminal; criminal
Exceptions: Choosing A or An
• A- when it precedes a word that begins with a consonant
• An- when it precedes a word that begins with a vowel

• My mother is a honest woman.

• My mother is an honest woman.

• She is an United States senator.

• She is a United States senator.

• an LCD display
• a UK-based company
• an HR department
• a URL
A and the are not used with...
• Boys like soccer.
• The Boys in my school like soccer.

• Pollution is a problem. - uncountable noun

• The pollution in my town is a problem. - a
specific location.
• There is some pollution in my town. - some
tells the amount of pollution.
1. Where's ___ knife I was just using?
2. How much ___ snow do you get in winter?
3. I had ___ fruit for lunch.
4. I'm thinking about taking __ holiday.
5. Can you lend me __ pen?
6.  ___ roses in your garden are beautiful.
7. Let's eat out at ___ restaurant tonight. What
type shall we go to?
8. I should buy ___ new pair of shoes soon.
• When I was younger, I had ___ real sense of adventure. I
loved ___ vacations my family took every summer. We
would go backpacking, camp in the woods, sleep in tents
and spend ___ evening next to ___ campfire. As ___ child,
I remember trying to build ___ fire from scratch by
rubbing two sticks together. I think my entire family
laughed while I worked at it for ___ hour. Unfortunately, I
never succeeded and my father had to start ___ fire.

• But I do have such good memories of camping and hiking

with my family. Every summer my parents would pack up
___ kids and ___ dog into ___ car. Then they would pack
all our outdoor gear on ___ roof of ___ car and fill coolers
full of food. My mom would pack all ___ usual stuff: trail
mix, fruit, marshmallows to roast over ___ fire, stuff to
make sandwiches, etc. We’d take ___road trip to
___ Rocky Mountains in Colorado, find our spot to set up
camp, and pitch our tents near a river. I loved listening to