Using Articles

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.

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.

Let's look at each kind of article a little more closely.

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.
● "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, using a or an depends on the sound that begins the next word.
So...
 ● 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
● a + nouns starting with a pronounced "h": a horse
o In some cases where "h" is pronounced, such as "historical," you can
use an. However, a is more commonly used and preferred.

A historical event is worth recording.

Remember that these rules also apply when you use acronyms:

Introductory Composition at Purdue (ICaP) handles first-year writing at the

University. Therefore, an ICaP memo generally discusses issues concerning
English 106 instructors.

Another case where this rule applies is when acronyms or initialisms start with
consonant letters but have vowel sounds:

An MSDS (material safety data sheet) was used to record the data. An SPCC plan
(Spill Prevention Control and Countermeasures plan) will help us prepare for the
worst.

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)

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.)
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.

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.

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

● Exercise : Articles Exercise 1

● Directions: Fill in the blank with the appropriate article, a, an, or the, or
leave the space blank if no article is needed.
● 1. I want ____ apple from that basket.
● 2. ____ church on the corner is progressive.
● 3. Miss Lin speaks ____ Chinese.
● 4. I borrowed ____ pencil from your pile of pencils and pens.
● 5. One of the students said, "____ professor is late today."
● 6 Eli likes to play ____ volleyball.
● 7. I bought ____ umbrella to go out in the rain.
● 8. My daughter is learning to play ____ violin at her school.
● 9. Please give me ____ cake that is on the counter.
● 10. I lived on ____ Main Street when I first came to town.
● 11. Albany is the capital of ____ New York State.
● 12. My husband's family speaks ____ Polish.
● 13. ____ apple a day keeps the doctor away.
● 14. ____ ink in my pen is red.
● 15. Our neighbors have ____ cat and ____ dog.

● Correct answers are in bold.

● 1. I want an apple from that basket.
● 2. The church on the corner is progressive.
● 3. Miss Lin speaks Chinese. (no article needed)
● 4. I borrowed a pencil from your pile of pencils and pens.
● 5. One of the students said, "The professor is late today."
● 6. Eli likes to play volleyball. (no article needed)
● 7. I bought an umbrella to go out in the rain.
● 8. My daughter is learning to play the violin at her school.
● 9. Please give me the cake that is on the counter.
● 10. I lived on Main Street when I first came to town. (no article needed)
● 11. Albany is the capital of New York State. (no article needed)
● 12. My husband's family speaks Polish. (no article needed)
● 13. An apple a day keeps the doctor away.
● 14. The ink in my pen is red.
● 15. Our neighbors have a cat and a dog.

● Directions: Write the following paragraphs, inserting a, an, and the where
needed.
● 1. I have horse of my own. I call her Pretty Girl. She is intelligent animal,
but she is not thoroughbred horse. I could never enter her in race, even if I
wanted to. But I do not want to. She is companion, for my own pleasure. I
took her swimming day or two ago.

● 2. Horse knows when he is going to race. How does he know? His breakfast
was scanty. (He is angry about that.) He does not have saddle on his back.
He is being led, not ridden, to grandstand. He is led under grandstand into
unusual, special stall. Horse is nervous. Sometimes he does not know what
to do when starting gate flies open and track is before him. If he does not
begin to run instantly, other horses are already ahead of him. During race,
when he sees another horse just ahead of him, he will try to pass him.
Sometimes jockey holds him back to save his energy for last stretch.
Eventually horse gets to run as fast as he can. Exercise boy, watching
owner's favorite jockey riding horse he has exercised day after day, says
nothing. Secretly, he is planning for day when he will be jockey himself, and
his horse will be first to cross finish line.

● 3. Most working people have fewer hours to give to time-consuming

activities of clubs than they used to have, but most people in small town
belong to club or two. One of clubs is likely to be social and benevolent
organization, such as Rotary or Elks. Business people are likely to belong,
also to either Kiwanis Club or Lions. Such business people's organizations
may meet as often as once a week in one of private dining rooms of town's
leading hotel for lunch. They have good lunch, hear good program, and
continue their fundraising program for worthy organization, such as local
hospital.
● Correct answers are in bold.
●
● 1. I have a horse of my own. I call her Pretty Girl. She is an intelligent
animal, but she is not a thoroughbred horse. I could never enter her in a race,
even if I wanted to. But I do not want to. She is a companion, for my own
pleasure. I took her swimming a day or two ago.

● 2. A horse knows when he is going to race. How does he know? His

breakfast was scanty. (He is angry about that.) He does not have a saddle on
his back. He is being led, not ridden, to the grandstand. He is led under the
grandstand into an unusual, special stall. The horse is nervous. Sometimes
he does not know what to do when the starting gate flies open and the track
is before him. If he does not begin to run instantly, other horses are already
ahead of him. During the race, when he sees another horse just ahead of
him, he will try to pass him. Sometimes the jockey holds him back to save
his energy for the last stretch. Eventually the horse gets to run as fast as he
can. The exercise boy, watching the owner's favorite jockey riding the horse
he has exercised day after day, says nothing. Secretly, he is planning for the
day when he will be a jockey himself, and his horse will be the first to cross
the finish line.

● 3. Most working people have fewer hours to give to time-consuming

activities of clubs than they used to have, but most people in a small town
belong to a club or two. One of the clubs is likely to be a social and
benevolent organization, such as the Rotary or Elks. Business people are
likely to belong, also to either the Kiwanis Club or the Lions. Such business
people's organizations may meet as often as once a week in one of the
private dining rooms of the town's leading hotel for lunch. They have a good
lunch, hear a good program, and continue their fundraising program for a
worthy organization, such as a local hospital.