Articles: a, an, the
Articles:
a, an, the
a vs.
an
Use a before a singular
noun beginning with a consanant sound. Use
an before a singular noun beginning with a Vowel sound.
| consonant | consonant sound | vowel | vowel sound |
| a box | a European | an orange | an honor |
| a hand | a one-armed man | an apple | an hour |
| a clock | a university | an effort | |
| a word | a unique idea | an umbrella | |
| a lamp | an introduction |
a, an vs.
the
A/an
are indefinite articles.
The
is a definite article.
Think of the as a
replacement for a/an when the object is known.
| Albert sat down in a chair. He didn't realize that the chair was broken. |
When I say a, I expect
that you don't know what I'm talking about.
When I say the, I know that
you know what I am talking about.
| The sun rises at 5:24 a.m. and sets at 8:29 p.m.. |
| Would you please shut the window? It's cold in here. |
a, an vs.
no article
Use a only with singular
countable nouns.
Use no article with uncountable
nouns
| The woman's hair was brown. | She found a long hair on his shirt. |
| Life is wonderful. | Franklin had an interesting life. |
| I like coffee better than tea. | Would you like a cup of tea? |
| Nam knows lots of new vocabulary. | I taught him 10 new words. |
Use a with a singular countable noun, but no article
with plural nouns.
| India is a warm country. | India and Mexico are warm countries. |
| Puna is an intelligent student. | Puna and Maria are intelligent students. |
Use the before superlative expressions.
| Pluto is the farthest planet from the Sun. |
| Mario thinks Italy has the best football team. |
| The most expensive restaurant in town is Le Cirque. |
With expressions such as kind of and type of, use the
with a statement, but don't use a or an
in a question.
| What kind of computer do you have. | He's the type of student that succeeds. |
| What brand of car do you like? | That's the sort of thing I had in mind. |
Use no article with gerunds.
| Running is good exercise. |
| Reading is the best thing to do to improve your writing. |
Don't use the with place names. Use the
with names which contain the category.
| Hong Kong | the Hudson River |
| Europe | the Balkan peninsula* |
| Afganistan | the Panama Canal |
| Illinois | the Indian Ocean |
Here are some exceptions to this rule:
| Victoria Falls | Jones Beach |
| Central Park | Oxford University |
Some plurals require the:
| the Philippines | the Great Lakes |
| the Andes | the Antilles |
Don't use the with street names:
| Macy's Department store is on 34th Street between Broadway and Seventh Avenue in New York City. |
Note: There are many other rules and conventions
for using the, a, and an. It
takes most second-language learners a long time to use them well. The best
we to learn them is to be aware of their use in your reading and as you
hear native-speakers of English talk. Be careful, it is easy to miss a
and the when native speakers talk. They are small sounds
and you will not always hear them.
* Peninsula: an area of land almost
surrounded by water or projecting far into the sea.
