Article Rules

The three articles in English are a, an, and the

The articles a and an are inde nite articles. The article the is known as the de nite article. There are two types of nouns: countable and non-countable.
Countable nouns are nouns that can have a number in front of them. A. When there is only one of that noun, it is singular. B. When there is more than one, it is plural. Example: one apple (singular) two apples (plural)

Non-countable nouns are nouns that have no plural form. We cannot put a number in front of them. Examples: fruit, juice, co ee, advice, time, furniture, luggage, and information.

a (or an) is used before the rst mention of a singular countable noun that begins with a consonant sound.
Example: A car isnt necessary if you live in New York. There is an orange on the table. My cousin has a dog and a cat.

the is used for the second mention of countable and non-countable nouns.
Example: Example: Example: My cousin has a dog and a cat. The dog is a Labrador, and the cat is a Persian. We had steak and potatoes for dinner last night. The steak was delicious, but the potatoes were overcooked. Bob has two dogs. The dogs are very protective.

an is used if the singular countable noun begins with a vowel sound.

If there are adjectives between the inde nite article and the noun, use the sound of the adjective nearest the article to determine whether a or an should be used. Most words that begin with a vowel sound also begin with a vowel letter. However, there are some exceptions, and those exceptions mostly occur with words that begin with h or u. Examples: Julie always has an egg for breakfast. Judy and Sandy went to see an opera. We had to wait for her for over an hour. My friend was an umpire for the New York Yankees. Leslie bought a red umbrella for Je . Michelle bought an ugly purse. He is a professor at a university. University begins with a vowel, but the rst sound is pronounced /j/ as in you, which is a consonant sound, so a is used. Hour begins with a consonant, but the h is silent. The rst sound that is pronounced is a vowel, so an is used. Umbrella begins with a vowel sound, but the adjective red appears between umbrella and the inde nite article, and red begins with a consonant sound. For that reason, a is used. Purse begins with a consonant sound, but the adjective ugly appears between purse and the inde nite article, and ugly begins with a vowel sound. Therefore, an is used.

The plural of a and an is some for an a rmative statement, and any for a negative statement or question.
Examples: He has some chips in the cabinet. She doesnt have any paintings on her walls. Do you have any warm sweaters?

a is used with the words few or little when they express a positive meaning.
Example: I have a few minutes. (I have some time.) Barbie put a little bit of sugar in her tea. (Barbie put a small amount of sugar in her tea.)

In contrast, if the meaning is negative, dont use a. Example 1: Judy has little patience for people who are late. (She doesnt have much patience for people who are late.)

Example 2: Maynard has few friends. (Maynard doesnt have many friends.)

If the noun is plural and countable, and it is being mentioned in general, do not use an article. Example: Dogs can make good pets. (In general, dogs make good pets.) Flowers make Nelio sneeze. (In general, owers make Nelio sneeze.)

the is used if there is only one of something.

Example: The sun is 93 million miles from the Earth. (There is only one sun.)

the is used if the speaker and the listener are thinking of the same person or thing.
I need to speak to the director. (We are thinking of the same director.) Could you close the window? (We are thinking of the same window.)

the is used with superlative adjectives.

New York is the busiest city in the world. Speci c situation: Generalization: Do you play the guitar? A piano has eighty-eight keys. (All pianos have eighty-eight keys.)

the is used with the following types of nouns:

1. 2. 3. The whole family (the Oldorfs) (This means Mr. and Mrs. Oldorf, as well as any children they may have.) Places with collective or plural names (the United States, the Philippines) Place names that look like this: the ____ of _____ (the Statue of Liberty, the Republic of Angola, the University of Maryland)

4. Names of mountain ranges, deserts, oceans, seas, rivers, and collectives of islands, lakes, and rivers. (the Rocky Mountains, the Mojave Desert, the Paci c Ocean, the Red Sea, the Cuyahoga River, the Aegean Islands) 5. 6. 7. Names of well-known buildings (the Ei el Tower), ships (the QE2), zoos (the San Francisco Zoo) Sections of a country or city (the Left Bank, the Southwest) The ___ language (the Portuguese language, the Hebrew language)

8. Musical instruments (unless a generalization is being made) (the ute, the drums, the piano)