What is an article? Basically, an article is an adjective. Like adjectives, articles modify nouns.
English has two articles: the and a/an. The is used to refer to
specific or particular nouns; a/an is used to modify non-specific or
non-particular nouns. We call the the definite article and a/an the
indefinite article.
the = definite article
a/an = indefinite article
For example, if I say, "Let's read the book," I mean a specific book.
If I say, "Let's read a book," I mean any book rather than a specific
book.
Indefinite Articles: a and an
"A" and "an" signal that the noun modified is indefinite, referring to any member of a group.
For example:
-
"My daughter really wants a dog for Christmas." This
refers to any dog. We don't know which dog because we haven't found the
dog yet.
-
"When I was at the zoo, I saw an elephant!" Here,
we're talking about a single, non-specific thing, in this case an
elephant. There are probably several elephants at the zoo, but there's
only one we're talking about here.
Remember, using a or an depends on the sound that begins the next word. So...
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a + singular noun beginning with a consonant: a boy; a car; a bike; a zoo; a dog
-
an + singular noun beginning with a vowel: an elephant; an egg; an apple; an idiot; an orphan
-
a + singular noun beginning with a consonant sound:
a user (sounds like 'yoo-zer,' i.e. begins with a consonant 'y' sound,
so 'a' is used); a university; a unicycle
-
an + nouns starting with silent "h": an hour
If the noun is modified by an adjective, the choice between a and an
depends on the initial sound of the adjective that immediately follows
the article:
a broken egg
an unusual problem
a European country (sounds like 'yer-o-pi-an,' i.e. begins with consonant 'y' sound)
Definite Article: the
The definite article is used before singular and plural nouns when the
noun is specific or particular. The signals that the noun is definite,
that it refers to a particular member of a group. For example:
-
"The dog that bit me ran away." Here, we're talking about a specific dog, the dog that bit me.
-
"I saw the elephant at the zoo." Here, we're talking about a specific noun. Probably there is only one elephant at the zoo.
Count and Noncount Nouns
The can be used with noncount nouns, or the article can be omitted entirely.
"I love to sail over the water" (some specific body of water) or "I love to sail over water" (any water).
"He spilled the milk all over the floor" (some
specific milk, perhaps the milk you bought earlier that day) or "He
spilled milk all over the floor" (any milk).
"A/an" can be used only with count nouns.
"I need a bottle of water."
"I need a new glass of milk."
Geographical use of the
Do not use the before:
-
names of most countries/territories: Italy, Mexico,
Bolivia; however, the Netherlands, the Dominican Republic, the
Philippines, the United States
-
names of cities, towns, or states: Seoul, Manitoba, Miami
-
names of streets: Washington Blvd., Main St.
-
names of lakes and bays: Lake Titicaca, Lake Erie except with a group of lakes like the Great Lakes
-
names of mountains: Mount Everest, Mount Fuji except
with ranges of mountains like the Andes or the Rockies or unusual names
like the Matterhorn
-
names of continents (Asia, Europe)
-
names of islands (Easter Island, Maui, Key West)
except with island chains like the Aleutians, the Hebrides, or the
Canary Islands
Do use the before:
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names of rivers, oceans and seas: the Nile, the Pacific
-
points on the globe: the Equator, the North Pole
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geographical areas: the Middle East, the West
-
deserts, forests, gulfs, and peninsulas: the Sahara,
the Persian Gulf, the Black Forest, the Iberian Peninsula
Omission of Articles
Some common types of nouns that don't take an article are:
- Names of languages and nationalities: Chinese,
English, Spanish, Russian
-
Names of sports: volleyball, hockey, baseball
-
Names of academic subjects: mathematics, biology, history, computer science
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