The articles ‘a’, ‘an’, and ‘the’, are important words that we use in almost every sentence in English. Articles are words that modify a noun. There are two kinds of articles: definite and indefinite.
The Definite Article
Among ‘a’, ‘an’, and ‘the’, the one which belongs to definite articles is ‘the’. It refers directly to a specific object. ‘The’ can be followed by singular, plural, and uncountable nouns.
When to Use the Definite Article?
1. When there is the only one.
The sun is a star.
[There is only one sun in this world].
This is the reason why we use ‘the’ before superlative adjectives.
She is the prettiest girl in the town.
[There is only one person that has the particular pretty than any other girls in the town].
2. When we talk about something certain or specific.
Did you see the umbrella in my bag?
[It is clear that the speaker refers to the specific umbrella that was in her bag before].
3. When we have mentioned the object before.
I bought a book yesterday. The book is entitled “The Secrets to be Happy”.
[It is clear that the book entitled “The Secrets to be Happy” is the book that I bought yesterday].
4. When we are going to state an ordinal number.
This is the first time I have been here.
5. When you are indicating a time period.
Super Mario was one of the most popular video games in the 1990s.
6. When you refer to the member of a group of people.
The Robinsons are on a vacation.
[The whole family member of Robinsons is on a vacation].
The Quick Rule: If you think the audience knows the specific object you are referring to, use ‘the’.
The Indefinite Article
‘A’ and ‘an’ belong to the indefinite article. They indicate a general idea rather than a specific object. If the word begins with a consonant, use ‘a’. On the other hand, if it begins with a vowel, use ‘an’. The indefinite article is limited to singular nouns or a group of noun.
When to Use the Definite Article?
1. When we say a job.
Mary is a stewardess.
2. When we express unspecified singular nouns.
She invites a man to the party.
[Both of the speaker and listener do not know what kind of man he is].
3. When we use collective nouns.
I buy a bunch of bananas.
4. When we want to say quantity.
My grandmother gives me a dozen eggs.
5. When we mentioned an object for the first time.
I bought a book yesterday. The book is entitled “The Secrets to be Happy”.
[Yes, we use the same example as above to be clear. Note that ‘a’ is used to refer an object when it is mentioned for the first time].
6. When you mean ‘one’.
He sang a song last night.
[He sang one song last night].
The Quick Rule: If you think the audience does not know the specific object you are referring to, use indefinite articles.
Read: Understanding the Difference Between Which and That
Exceptions
In several cases, the word that started with unpronounced consonant (h) use ‘an’ instead of ‘a’. Examples:
an heir
an honest
an honor
an hour
In the same way, when the word is a vowel but pronounced as a consonant sound, use ‘a’. Although those words begin with vowels, they are pronounced as they begin with the letter ‘y’. Examples:
a unique
a useful
a university
a European
Zero Articles (Ø)
We do not use articles when we talk about things in general.
Dogs are mammals.
Let’s learn English today! Join us at LingoCards!
I am really delighted to read this blog posts which includes lots of valuable data, thanks for providing these data.
We are really happy to hear that from you. Thank you very much! 🙂
Make a more new posts please 🙂
___
Sanny
No problem. We will keep on writing 🙂
Check our latest post in: http://lingo-apps.com/english-adjectives-grammar/
Thank you for your kind support.
Great remarkable things here. I?¦m very glad to look your post. Thanks so much and i am taking a look ahead to touch you. Will you kindly drop me a e-mail?
It’s perfect time to make some plans for the long run and it’s time to be happy.
I’ve read this publish and if I could I wish to recommend you few
interesting things or tips. Maybe you could write next
articles referring to this article. I wish to learn more things about
it!
Marvelous, what a website it is! This weblog provides helpful
data to us, keep it up.
nice very good news ,thanks
We are a group of volunteers and starting a new
scheme in our community. Your site provided us with valuable information to work on. You have done an impressive
job and our whole community will be grateful to you.
It’s actually a great and helpful piece of info. I am glad that you simply shared
this helpful information with us. Please keep us informed like this.
Thank you for sharing.