4.4: Articles
- Page ID
- 256003
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Articles
There are three articles in the English language: the, a, and an. These are divided into two types of articles: definite (the) and indefinite (a, an).
The Definite Article
The word the is a definite article. It refers to one or more specific things. For example, the woman refers to not any woman but a particular woman.
The definite article the is used before singular and plural count nouns and non-count nouns
- The classroom is filled with students.
- The students are excited about the first day of class.
- The information on the website is incorrect.
When using the definite article, both the listener and the speaker know what is being referred to because:
- It is obvious or unique:
- The sun rises in the east.
- Please, put the milk in the fridge.
- It is common knowledge:
- The president is speaking at the convention.
- The weather is more severe due to global warming.
- It was mentioned in the same sentence or an earlier sentence.
- A student stayed after class to speak to the teacher. The student was concerned about her grades.
Use the definite article the when using forms to show order or number.
- The first day of class can be both exciting and stressful.
- The next bus arrives at 3pm.
- On the last day of class, we are going to have a party.
The Indefinite Article
The words a and an are indefinite articles. They refer to one nonspecific thing. For example, a woman refers to any woman, not a specific, particular woman. The indefinite article a or an is used before a singular count noun. Use of an indefinite article implies that the speaker assumes the listener does not have to be told the identity of the referent.
Definite Articles (The) and Indefinite Articles (A/An) with Count Nouns
I saw the movie. (singular, refers to a specific movie)
I saw the movies. (plural, refers to more than one specific movie)
I saw the new Despicable Me movie last night. (singular, refers to a specific movie)
I saw a movie. (singular, refers to any nonspecific movie)
The Zero Article
There are also cases where no article is required. It can be called a zero article:
- With generalizations (plural or uncountable):
- cars have accelerators (referring to cars in general)
- happiness is contagious (referring to happiness in general)
(Compare: the happiness I felt yesterday, specifying particular happiness)
- With many proper names: Sabrina, France, London, etc.
This chart summarizes the uses of the three types of articles:
Article |
Use |
Examples |
|
INDEFINITE ARTICLES Use before a singular count noun when talking about one of many things, or one thing in general, or when it is the first time you talk about something. |
||
|
a |
Use before a consonant sound: a drawing, a pencil, a pen, a piece of paper, a uniform |
Lorna used a pencil and a pen to make a drawing on a piece of paper. |
|
an |
Use before a vowel sound: an artist, an unusual picture, an earring, an uncle |
An artist drew an unusual picture of an earring. |
|
DEFINITE ARTICLES Use when the noun is specific or unique, when it is something your reader already knows about, or after you have already introduced it with a/an |
||
|
the |
Unique: the sun, the moon, the earth Already known: the kitchen, the TV, the college First mention: a museum, a famous artist, an exhibit Second mention: the museum; the pictures; the artist |
The sun rises in the west. I turned on the TV to watch my favorite program. We went to an art museum. The museum had a special exhibit of a famous artist. The exhibit was only temporary. |
|
ZERO (NO) ARTICLE Use with noncount nouns and with plural count nouns when talking about them in general. |
||
|
— |
artists, research, information, computers |
Many artists use computers to do research and find information. |
Two Article Rules – Reminders
The following rules will help to determine when and what kind of article needs to be used.
Rule 1: A singular count noun needs an article.
Choose a or an if the noun is indefinite. Choose the if the noun is definite
Rule 2: A plural or non-count noun does not need an article unless it is definite.
Indefinite Articles: Choosing "a" or "an"
- “A” is used before a singular count noun that begins with a consonant sound.
- “An” is used before a singular count noun that begins with a vowel sound.
The article can be placed before a noun or an adjective or adverb that comes before a noun.
Examples:
- We had an incredible vacation in California.
- It was an unusually warm day in October.
Be careful because some vowels have consonant sounds (e.g., “u” in the word university, and some consonants have vowel sounds or are silent (e.g., “h” in the word honor).
Examples:
- I brought an umbrella to class today.
- Joe attended a university in his city.
- It takes an hour to get to downtown.
- Lori has a heart of gold.
Also note that articles “a” and “an” cannot be placed before noncount nouns. For example, “an advice” is incorrect because advice is noncount. “A piece of advice” is correct because piece is countable.
Write “a”, “an”, or “nothing” in the blank for the nouns below.
1. ______ books
2. ______ information
3. ______ university
4. ______ child
5. ______ hour
6. ______ system
7. ______ differences
8. ______ person
9. ______ idea
10. ______ happiness
11. ______ children
12. ______ exam
13. ______ music
14. ______ uncle
15. ______ hand
Write a or 0 (no article) for general statements.
1. _______ children must obey their parents.
2. _______ cat usually cleans itself after it eats.
3. _______ seniors are people over the age of 65.
4. _______ hamburgers are popular in the United States.
5. _______ cell phone has many different functions.
A. Circle or highlight the correct article in the blank for each of the following sentences.
- (A/An/The) octopus has eight arms.
- I missed (a/an/the) first day of class, so I stayed after class to talk to the teacher on (a/an/the) second day.
- I enjoyed (a/an/the) rides at the amusement park.
- (A/An/The) president spoke of many important issues.
- I really enjoyed (a/an/the) actor’s performance in the play.
- (A/An/The) goal I have is to run a marathon this year.
- (A/An/The) student walked in after the class started, but he left immediately. (A/An/The) student was in the wrong room.
- We went to (a/an/the) airport early to avoid missing our flight.
- It takes (a/an/the) hour to get to the airport.
- Do you know where (a/an/the) TV remote is?
- Harry bought (a/an/the) new car on Saturday. (A/An/The) salesman told him he got a great deal!
- (A/An/The) moon is very bright tonight.
- Students have to take (a/an/the) test to enroll in ESOL courses. (A/An/The) test determines which courses a student must take.
- This is (a/an/the) last day to register for classes.
- Unfortunately, it is not possible to control (a/an/the) weather.
Circle or highlight the correct article in the blank for each of the following sentences.
1. (An/no article) Architects draw plans for (a/no article) new buildings.
2. In (the/no article) past, they used (a/an) pencil with paper.
3. Now they probably use (a/an) computer and (a/an) printer.
4. (An/no article) architect needs to know about art and science.
5. (A/no article) Buildings need to serve (a/the) function, but they also need to look good.
6. (A/The) student must study about 5 years to become (an/the) architect.
Correct the misused or missing articles and rewrite the paragraph:
Stars are large balls of spinning hot gas like our sun. The stars look tiny because they are far away. Many of them are much larger than sun. Did you know that a Milky Way galaxy has between two hundred billion and four hundred billion stars in it? Scientists estimate that there may be as many as five hundred billion galaxies in an entire universe! Just like a human being, the star has a life cycle from birth to death, but its lifespan is billions of years long. The star is born in a cloud of cosmic gas and dust called a nebula. Our sun was born in the nebula nearly five billion years ago. Photographs of the star-forming nebulas were created by NASA scientists.
Exercise 4: Definite, Indefinite or Zero Article
A. Circle the correct article.
My name is [a an the 0] Jacob. I am from [a an the 0] Canada. I am visiting [a an the 0] Portland. Yesterday, it rained, so I visited [a an the 0] store in Clackamas Town Center. I bought [a an the 0] clothes and [a an the 0] umbrella. [a an the 0] umbrella was big and black. I also bought [a an the 0] T-shirt with [a an the 0] picture of [a an the 0] otter. [a an the 0] shirt was white, and [a an the 0] otter was red. When I went back to my hotel, [a an the 0] sun was shining. I was surprised! I thought it always rained in [a an the 0] Oregon!
B. Fill in the missing words. Use articles a, an, the. If you don't need an article, then don't write anything.
My name is Beatrice. I am _____ chef. I like to make_____ cakes. Today I am making_____ chocolate cake with______ cherries. It is the most popular cake that I make. However, I make_____ cakes of all kinds. Once, I even made _____ ice cream cake! I sell my cakes at_____ store in downtown Portland. ______ store is very busy in _______ morning, but it is not very busy in ______ afternoon. Sometimes I work too hard, and I want to take _____ vacation. This summer, I want to take _____ cruise on. Maybe I will go to _____ Alaska. Wouldn't that be fun? I could see ____ whales and walk on _____snow. ________trip like that would be______ wonderful vacation!
Source: A Digital Workbook for Beginning ESOL Copyright © 2018 by Eric Dodson, Davida Jordan, and Tim Krause, licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License