Articles: a/an/the

Aptachaitanya & John

Leads – English Training
 What is an article?
 An article is used to refer a noun.
(Nouns are names of people, animals, places or things)

• Just like an adjective, articles modify nouns.

Example:
A book
An application
The subject
 TYPES OF ARTICLES

 There are two types of articles: the and a/an.

 ‘the’ is called definite article

 ‘a/an’ are called indefinite articles.

 THREE TYPES OF ARTICLES (A/An/The)

 ‘A/an’ is used to refer to something for the first time.

 ‘The’ is used to refer something that is already known.

Example:

“We went to a museum in Paris. We ate at the museum too”.

 Article ‘A’
 For a singular noun beginning with a consonant, we
need to use article ‘a’.
Consonants are letters that are not vowels.

(Consonant letters are b, c, d, f, g, h, j, k, l, m, n, p, q, r, s,

t, v, w, x, y, z.)

Examples:
I have a class. ( Letter ‘c’ is a consonant)

We went for a meeting. (‘m’ is a consonant)

 Article ‘An’
 For a singular noun beginning with a vowel, we need to
use article ‘an’.
(‘a, e, i, o, and u’ are Vowels.)

Examples:
This is an authoring solution. (Letter ‘a’ is a vowel)

He is doing an exercise in the book. (‘e’ is a vowel)

 Article ‘The’

 To refer a singular or plural noun which is already

known, we use article ‘the’.

Examples:
The Sun (singular noun)

The Stars (plural noun)

 How to use articles ?
 ‘The’ is used to refer to specific or particular nouns.

 ‘ a/an’ is used to refer to non-specific or non-particular

nouns.

Examples:
"Let's read the book,“
means to read a specific book.

"Let's read a book,“

means to read any book, rather than a specific book.
 How to use articles ?
 We use ‘the’ to refer to a specific or particular member of
a group.

 We use "A/an" to refer to a non-specific or non-particular

member of the group.

Examples:
"I just saw the most popular movie of the year, "
means to see one particular movie which is most popular
among movies.

"I would like to go see a movie, "

means to see any movie, but not a particular movie.
 Countable and Non-countable Nouns
 We can use ‘the’ to refer uncountable nouns (, or the
article can be omitted entirely.)

Example:
"I love to sail over the water" .

"He spilled the milk."

 We can use "a /an" to refer countable nouns.

Example:
"I need a bottle of water."

"I need a new glass of milk."

Tips to remember!
Pronunciation changes the rule, it is the sound that matters
and not the spelling!

 If a word begins with a consonant sound, we have to

use ‘a’.

Example:
The words ‘university’ and ‘European’ begin with a vowel, but the vowel has a
consonant sound of ‘you’.

Correct: a university Correct: a European city

Wrong: an university Wrong: an European city
 If a word begins with a vowel sound, we have to use ‘an’.

Example:

The words ‘hourly’ and ‘honour’ begin with a consonant ‘h’, but the
consonant has a vowel sound of ‘O’.

Correct: an hourly basis Correct: an honour

Wrong: a hourly basis Wrong: a honour
 The same rule also applies to acronyms.

Example:
Internet Control Message Protocol(ICMP) is part of Internet protocol suite;
Therefore, an ICMP message is typically used for diagnostic or control
purposes.

 The same rule applies when adjectives (describing words)

can intervene between an article (a, an, the) and a noun.

Example:

an unusual problem a European country

 Do not use ‘the’before:

names of most countries/ Italy, Mexico, Bolivia

territories:
the Netherlands, the Dominican Republic, the
Exceptions: Philippines, the United States

names of lakes and bays: Lake Titicaca, Lake Erie

Exceptions: a group of lakes like the Great Lakes

names of continents : (Asia, Europe)

names of cities, towns, or states: Seoul, Manitoba, Miami

names of streets: Washington Blvd., Main St.

names of mountains: Mount Everest, Mount Fuji

Exceptions: Ranges of mountains like the Andes or the

Rockies or unusual names like the Matterhorn

names of islands : (Easter Island, Maui, Key West)

Chain of islands like the Aleutians, the
Exceptions: Hebrides, or the Canary Islands
 Do use ‘the’before:

names of rivers, oceans, and seas: the Nile, the Pacific

points on the globe: the Equator, the North Pole

geographical areas: the Middle East, the West

deserts, forests, gulfs, and peninsulas: the Sahara, the Persian Gulf, the
Black Forest, the Iberian Peninsula
Common Usage of ‘the’
 Use ‘the’ with the following universally known terms:

 The centre, the top, the middle, the bottom, the left, the right,
the end of, the beginning of…

 The same, the best, the worst…

 The sun, the moon, the world, the sky, the sea, the ground, the
country…

 The police, the fire brigade, the army…

 The piano, the guitar, the trumpet, the flute…

 The doctor, the toilet, the bank, the theatre, the post office,
the dentist, the cinema…
 Do not use ‘the’ before repeated /regular activities:

 Breakfast, lunch, dinner

 Go to work, get to work, be at work, start work, finish
work…
 Go to school, be at school, start school, leave school…
 Go to university, be at university…
 Go to church, be in church (or mass)
 Go to bed, be in bed
 Go to office, be in office
 Go home, get home, arrive home, come home, walk home,
leave home, be at home, stay at home
 Omission of Articles
Some common types of nouns that do not take an article are
the following:

Common Types of Nouns Examples

Names of languages and Chinese, English, Spanish, Russian
nationalities:

Names of sports: volleyball, hockey, baseball

Names of academic Mathematices, Biology, History,

subjects: Computer science
 Golden Rules!
 1) Do not use the (with plural and uncountable nouns) to
generalised facts.
Life is hard. (Not: *The life is hard.)
Honesty is the best policy.
Work is worship.

 2) Use articles (a/an/the) before singular countable nouns.

the car, a car, but not *car

 3) Use a/an to say what people's professions or jobs are.

She is a bank manager. (Not: *She is bank manager.)