Definite Indefinite Articles English Brief Explanation
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pedrosanenDefinite Indefinite Articles English Brief Explanation
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pedrosanenDefinite and indefinite articles
Compare the following sentences:
1. The dog is barking at the cat.
2. A dog is barking at the cat.
Sentence 1 uses the definite article. Because of this, we know that the speaker is
referring to a specific, unique dog, and that the speaker is assuming that the listener is
also aware of which particular dog is doing the barking. Both speaker and listener
know the exact dog being spoken of, so the definite article is the natural choice here.
That/this dog barking
Sentence 2 uses the indefinite article. Because of this, we only know that the speaker
is referring to a “dog” in general, and that whichever dog it may be, it is barking at a
particular cat. Since neither the speaker nor the listener know exactly which dog is
doing the barking (and only that there is a dog barking), the indefinite article is the
natural choice here. Any dog is doing the barking.
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.
Here's another way to explain it: “The” is used to refer to a specific or particular
member of a group. For example, "I just saw the most popular movie of the year." There
are many movies, but only one particular movie is the most popular. Therefore, we use
“the”.
"A/an" is used to refer to a non-specific or non-particular member of the group. For
example, "I would like to go see a movie." Here, we're not talking about a specific
movie. We're talking about any movie. There are many movies, and I want to see any
movie. I don't have a specific one in mind.
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 was happy to see the policeman who saved my cat!" Here, we're talking about a
particular policeman. Even if we don't know the policeman's name, it's still a particular
policeman because it is the one who saved the cat.
"I saw the elephant at the zoo." Here, we're talking about a specific noun. Probably there
is only one elephant at the zoo.
I saw the elephant at the zoo.
I saw an elephant at the zoo.
Indefinite articles: a/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.
"Somebody call a policeman!" This refers to any policeman. We don't need a
specific policeman; we need any policeman who is available.
"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, too, that in English, the indefinite articles are used to indicate membership
in a group:
I am a teacher. (I am a member of a large group known as teachers.)
Brian is an Irishman. (Brian is a member of the people known as Irish.)
Seiko is a practicing Buddhist. (Seiko is a member of the group of people known
as Buddhists.)
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."
Most of the time, you can't say, "She wants a water," unless you're implying,
say, a bottle of water. “I want a milk”
Geographical use of the
There are some specific rules for using the with geographical nouns.
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:
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
Omission of Articles
Some common types of nouns that don't take an article are:
Names of languages and nationalities: Chinese, English, Spanish,
Russian (unless you are referring to the population of the nation:
"The Spanish are known for their warm hospitality.")
Names of sports: volleyball, hockey, baseball
Names of academic subjects: mathematics, biology, history, computer
science.
And what about plural nouns?
The dogs are barking some specific dogs that you know something about