Articles

a
an
the
• What is an article
• It modifies a noun and identify the
noun’s specificity
• Examples of articles include the, a
and an
• A boy
• An egg
• The school
Definite Article
•The – refers to specific
or particular nouns .
Ex. The train was late.
 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' or 'an'
• Refers to a non-specific noun.
• The children are playing a game
outdoors.
• (it refers any game)

• The artist is painting a picture.

• (it refers to any picture)
When to use 'the'
• Names of rivers, oceans, seas and mountain
ranges
• The Red Sea
• The Points on the globe
• The equator
• The Rocky Mountains
– Names of a few countries
• The United States
•
 When to use ‘the'
• Parts of the world
–The Middle East
–The South
• Deserts & forests
–The Sahara Desert
–The Amazon Rainforest
 When to use ‘the’
The is used when both the speaker/writer and
listener/reader are reflecting about the same
specific person or thing
Ex. Did you call the doctor yet?

Also use the with the second mention of a

noun, when the speaker/listening know whom
or what is being discussed
Ex. That was a funny movie.
Yes, the movie was hilarious.
 When not to use the (or any
article, ø = no article
• The is not used with the names of the
continents
Ex. He is from Ø South America.
• The is not used with the names of most
countries
Ex. She is from Ø Colombia.
• The is not used with the names of cities
Ex. They are from Ø Miami.
 When not to use the (or any
article, ø = no article
• The is used with the names of mountain
ranges but, not the names of individual
mountains
Ex. Ø Mount Kilimanjaro is in Africa.
• The is used with the names of rivers, oceans
and seas, but not with lakes
Ex. Ø Lake Huron is in North America.
• The is not used with titled names
Ex. We met Ø Mr. Le at a party last week.
 •When to use 'a'
• Before words that begin with
consonants.
– a cat
– a pencil
– a bag
 When to use 'an'
• Before silent 'h'

– an honest man

– an honourable person
 When to use 'an'
• Before all words that begin with
the vowels “a”, “e”, “i”, “o” “u”

– an egg

– an ant
 When to use 'an'
• Before all words that begin with
the vowels “a”, “e”, “i”, “o” “u”

– an ice-cream

– an orange
 Use “a” when ........
• When “u” makes the same
sound as the “y” in you.

– a uniform

– a used plate
 Use “a” when ........
• “o” makes the same sound as
“w” in “won”

– a one-eyed monster
 Articles and some adjectives
• Do not use either definitive or indefinite articles
before certain adjectives
Possessive Adjectives—show relationships,
ownership or parts of the body; Ex. His, your, etc.
Ex. I called Ø my brother after work.
Demonstrative adjectives- used to identify or
express the relative position of a noun in time/space
Ex. This, that, these, those
Ex. I don’t know Ø these people.
Also, adjectives without nouns do not use articles
Ex. Valentina is Ø very sweet.
 A Quiz
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)
 A Quiz – Self check
Use a, an or the in each sentence.
• Ismail spoke to __the_____ woman who had
waved to him (a / the)
• My mother bought me __an___ expensive
watch (a / an)
• Cheryl borrowed __a___ book from the
library.(a / an)
 More …
• 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)
 More … - Self-check
• Ali wore __a___ new uniform to
school. (a / an)
• Did you see __a___ new car
which my father bought? (the/a)
• Kiran is __an__ Indian girl. (a /
an)
 More …
• Singapore lies quite near to ____
equator. (the / an)
• Liying has travelled across
_____ Atlantic Ocean. (an /the)
 More … - Self-check
• Singapore lies quite near to
__the__ equator. (the / an)
• Liying has travelled across
__the___ Atlantic Ocean. (an
/the)