ARTICLES

TRUE OR FALSE?
• WOMEN TALK MORE THAN MEN.
• WOMEN CAN RESIST PAIN BETTER THAN
MEN.
• MEN ARE BETTER DRIVERS THAN WOMEN.
• MEN CAN DRINK MORE ALCOHOL THAN
WOMEN.
• WOMEN CAN MULTITASK BUT MEN CAN’T.
• MEN ARE BETTER AT MATHEMATICS THAN
 USE OF ARTICLES
Countable Uncountable
the zero (Ø)
Singular Plural
(specific) (generic)

the Ø
a/an the
(non- (specific)
specific)
 ARTICLES
• ARE USED WITH CERTAIN CATEGORIES OF
PROPER NOUNS
• ARE USED WITH COMMON NOUNS OR
NOUN PHRASES
• CONSIST OF THE INDEFINITE ARTICLE
(A/AN) AND THE DEFINITE ARTICLE (THE)
• ARE ABSENT IN NON-SPECIFIC CASES
AND ARE INDICATED BY THE Ø (ZERO
Rules for Using
Articles
THESE PROPER NOUNS DO NOT REQUIRE “THE”
Categories Examples
People’s names John Locke
Cities and states Bangkok, Cali, Medellin
Singular names of Indonesia, Australia
countries May, Tuesday
Months/days 19 Street, Jimenez
Streets Avenue
Religious buildings Primada Cathedral
Mountains Monserrate
Parks Simon Bolivar Park
Lakes Tota Lake
THE PROPER NOUNS BELOW REQUIRE “THE”.
Categories
Museums and galleries
Buildings
Highways
Seas and oceans
Rivers and deserts
Periods and events in
history
Bridges
Countries with United,
Union, Kingdom, Republic
Island groups ending in (e)s
Examples
the Asian Civilization Museum
the University Cultural Centre
the Pan-Island Expressway
the South China Sea
the Mississippi, the Gobi
desert
the Dark Ages
the Manhattan Bridge
the United States, the People’s
Republic of China
the Philippines
WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE IN THE USE
OF THE ARTICLES IN THE SENTENCES
BELOW:
A PAPER ON GLOBAL WARMING
WAS PRESENTED AT A
CONFERENCE.
THE PAPER ON GLOBAL WARMING
WAS PRESENTED AT THE
CONFERENCE.
 SPECIFIC REFERENCE
• IS RECOGNIZABLE BY BOTH THE WRITER
AND THE READER THROUGH SHARED
KNOWLEDGE.

THE SUN RISES IN THE EAST. (FACT)

THE LAB REPORT SHOULD BE SUBMITTED
TODAY. (BOTH THE WRITER AND THE
READER KNOW WHICH LAB REPORT IS
BEING REFERRED TO.)
 SPECIFIC REFERENCE

• IS USED AFTER A GENERAL

REFERENCE IS MADE.

EG1471 STUDENTS ARE REQUIRED

TO WRITE AN ESSAY IN THE
SEMESTER. THE ESSAY WILL BE
REVISED A FEW TIMES.
 SPECIFIC REFERENCE

• IS USED WHEN THE NOUN HAS BEEN

MODIFIED BY AN ADJECTIVAL
PHRASE OR CLAUSE.

THE PORTFOLIOS THAT STUDENTS

HAVE TO PREPARE CONSIST OF
DIFFERENT ASSIGNMENTS.
 NONSPECIFIC AND GENERIC
REFERENCE

• USE A/AN WITH A SINGULAR

COUNTABLE NOUN THAT IS NON-
SPECIFIC.

AN ENGINEERING TEXTBOOK WAS

LEFT AT THE COUNTER.
A LECTURER GAVE THE FRESHMEN
AN OVERVIEW OF THE COURSE.
 NONSPECIFIC AND GENERIC
REFERENCE

• DO NOT USE AN ARTICLE WHEN A

PLURAL COUNTABLE NOUN IS
NON-SPECIFIC.

Ø GRADUATES ARE HELD IN HIGH

ESTEEM BY Ø EMPLOYERS.
LET’S PRACTICE
IS IT TRUE OR FALSE?
• ITALIANS ARE USUALLY VERY ATTRACTIVE.
• BRAZILIANS ARE GENERALLY VERY FRIENDLY.
• FRENCH ARE USUALLY RUDE.
• AMERICANS SPEAK VERY FAST.
• COLOMBIANS ARE VERY HAPPY AND NICE.
• JAPANESE ARE VERY SHY AND QUIET.
• SPANISH PEOPLE ARE PRETTY BUT WITH BAD
TEETH.
 NONSPECIFIC AND GENERIC
REFERENCE

• DO NOT USE AN ARTICLE WHEN

AN UNCOUNTABLE NOUN IS
NON-SPECIFIC.

THE INTERNET IS A RICH

RESOURCE OF Ø INFORMATION.
 NONSPECIFIC AND GENERIC
REFERENCE

• DO NOT USE AN ARTICLE WHEN A

GENERALIZATION IS MADE ABOUT
AN UNCOUNTABLE NOUN.

Ø WATER IS SCARCE IN MANY

COUNTRIES.
Ø OIL IS A FINITE RESOURCE.
ABSTRACT GENERIC VS. CONCRETE
GENERIC
CONCRETE GENERIC: A
ABSTRACT GENERIC: THE REPRESENTATIVE CLASS
ENTIRE CLASS

A WASP CAN BE TRAINED TO

THE WASP CAN DETECT DETECT ODORS.
UNIQUE VOLATILE
COMPOUNDS OVER GREAT
DISTANCES. A LASER CAN BE USED BY A
SURGEON TO MAKE VERY
CLEAN CUTS.
THE LASER HAS MANY USES
IN MEDICINE.
COMPUTERS ARE PLAYING A
GROWING ROLE IN ALL
THE COMPUTER HAS BEEN ASPECTS OF UNIVERSITY LIFE
INVALUABLE IN SCIENTIFIC
ADVANCEMENT.
SUPERLATIVES, ORDINALS AND SOLE
REFERENCES
• THE DEFINITE ARTICLE “THE” IS ALWAYS USED WITH
THE ABOVE CATEGORIES.

MOUNT EVEREST IS THE HIGHEST MOUNTAIN IN THE

WORLD. (SUPERLATIVE)

STATISTICS IS THE SECOND MOST DIFFICULT

SUBJECT. (ORDINAL)

THE MAIN (ONLY/SOLE/CHIEF) REASON I DO

ENGINEERING IS TO CONTRIBUTE TO MANKIND.
(SOLE REFERENCE)
 ASSESSMENT
•DO YOU IDENTIFY THE
DIFFERENCE IN THE USE OF
ARTICLES A, AN, THE, 0?
•WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE?
•CAN YOU GIVE REAL EXAMPLES
ABOUT YOUR PERSONAL LIFE?
 Extra Practice

For additional
exercises, visit this
page, or this one or
check this video