Scribd
Upload
40 views2 pages

Articles - A An The

The document discusses the use of articles (a, an, the) with nouns. It explains that indefinite articles (a, an) are used with general or unspecified nouns, while the definite article (the) is used with specific or previously mentioned nouns. It provides examples of when to use a vs. an based on whether the following word begins with a vowel sound. Proper nouns usually do not take an article, except in certain cases such as when the proper noun includes "of" or is plural or collective.

Uploaded by

NORMA ZOGHEIB
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
40 views2 pages

Articles - A An The

The document discusses the use of articles (a, an, the) with nouns. It explains that indefinite articles (a, an) are used with general or unspecified nouns, while the definite article (the) is used with specific or previously mentioned nouns. It provides examples of when to use a vs. an based on whether the following word begins with a vowel sound. Proper nouns usually do not take an article, except in certain cases such as when the proper noun includes "of" or is plural or collective.

Uploaded by

NORMA ZOGHEIB
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 2

Articles—a, an, the

The articles a, an, and the help you understand whether you’re using a noun in
an indefinite (general) or definite (specific) way.

Is the noun general? If the noun is general, use “a” or “an.”

 A and an are indefinite articles and are used to indicate a single item.
o Take a pencil. (Take one pencil.)
o I won a hundred dollars. (I won one hundred dollars.)
 Do not use a or an with a plural noun.
o Incorrect: “They talked about a good restaurants.”
o Correct, Unspecific reference: “They talked about a good restaurant to visit.”
o Correct, Specific reference: “The talked about the good Italian restaurant on
Main Street.”
 Use a as an unspecific reference before a consonant.
o He likes to read a book. (She likes to read any book, not a specific one.)
o That was a funny story. (That was one of many funny stories.)
 Use a when the word following it starts with a consonant sound.
o a book, a hospital, a leg, a one-inch pipe, a youth
 Use an as an unspecific reference before a vowel sound (a, e, i, o, u).
o an apple, an opera, an eagle, an idea, an SOS (the s here is an es sound)
 Words that begin with u or h can have either a vowel or a consonant sound. Make
the choice based on the sound of the first word after the article, even if that word
is not the noun.
o a union, a uniform (use a when the u sounds like the y in you)
o an unbelievable event, an umbrella, a unique umbrella
o an honor, an hour, an honest person
o a hotel, a history book, a historian
o an historian, an historic event (NOTE: words like historic can take either a or
an)

Is the noun specific? If the noun is specific, use “the.”

 Use the as a specific reference to a common noun or something that is one of a kind.
o Give me the book on the table. (identifies a specific book)
o The sun rose at seven o'clock. (identifies something that is one of a kind)
 Use a or an to introduce a noun the first time it is mentioned, and then the is used
afterwards whenever the noun is mentioned.
o I bought a sandwich for lunch. I shared the sandwich with my friend.
Most proper nouns do not use an article. However, some do.

 A proper noun names unique person, place, or thing (New York City, Walt Disney,
The United States of America)
o Correct: “I went to New York City.”
o Incorrect: “I went to the New York City.”
 An exception is the proper nouns with “of” as part of the name:
o the Fourth of July
o the University of Virginia
o the United States of America
o the President of Mexico
o the Statue of Liberty
 Plural proper nouns use the:
o the Chicago Bulls
o the Johnsons
o the Blue Ridge Mountains
 A proper noun that names a group (a collective noun) also uses the:
o the Commonwealth of Virginia
o the United Arab Emirates
o the Society of Friends
 Some geographical features use the:
o the Gobi Desert
o the Atlantic Ocean
o the Pyramids
o the Amazon
 But other geographical features do not use the:
o Lake Superior
o Albemarle County
o Route 29
o Mount Vesuvius

You might also like

pFad - Phonifier reborn

Pfad - The Proxy pFad of © 2024 Garber Painting. All rights reserved.

Note: This service is not intended for secure transactions such as banking, social media, email, or purchasing. Use at your own risk. We assume no liability whatsoever for broken pages.


Alternative Proxies:

Alternative Proxy

pFad Proxy

pFad v3 Proxy

pFad v4 Proxy