What is an article?
An article is an adjective.
English has two articles:
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 definite article.
the = definite article
We call a/an indefinite article.
a/an = indefinite article
The first time
you speak of
something use
"a or an",
I live in a house
.
The next time you
repeat that object
use "the".
The house is quite old
and has four bedrooms.
I ate in a Chinese restaurant.
The restaurant was very good.
Compare a and the in these examples
A man and a woman were sitting opposite me.
The man was American but I think the woman was British.
When we were on holiday,we stayed at a hotel.Sometimes
we had our dinner at the hotel and we sometimes went to
a restaurant.
• This morning I bought a newspaper and ___
magazine. ___ newspaper is in my bag but I don’t
know where I put ___ magazine.
• This morning I bought a newspaper and a magazine.
__ newspaper is in my bag but I don’t know where I
put __ magazine.
• This morning I bought a newspaper and a magazine.
The newspaper is in my bag but I don’t know where
I put ___ magazine.
• This morning I bought a newspaper and a magazine.
The newspaper is in my bag but I don’t know where
I put the magazine.
• This morning I bought a newspaper and ___
magazine. ___ newspaper is in my bag but I don’t
know where I put ___ magazine.
• I saw ___ accident this morning. ___ car crashed
into ___ tree. ___ driver of ___ car wasn’t hurt but
___ car was badly damaged.
• My friends live in ___ old house in ___ small
village.There is ___ beautiful garden behind ___
house.I would like to have ___ garden like that.
• This morning I bought a newspaper and a
magazine. The newspaper is in my bag but I don’t
know where I put the magazine.
• I saw an accident this morning. A car crashed into a
tree.The driver of the car wasn’t hurt but the car
was badly damaged.
• My friends live in an old house in a small
village.There is a beautiful garden behind the
house.I would like to have a garden like that.
• a/an is used before a singular noun which is
uncountable .
• I need a visa They live in a flat.
• He bought an ice-cream.
• A is used before a word beginning with a consonant
or a vowel with a consonat sound;
a man a hat
a univercity
a eoropean
a one-way street
• An is used before words beginning with a vowel
(a,e,i,o,u) or words beginning with a mute h:
an apple
an island
an uncle
an egg
an onion
•
•
•
•
•
A/an is not used.It is omitted:
Before plural nouns
An egg
eggs
Before uncountable nouns
Before names of meals,except when these are
preceded by an adjective.
We have breakfast at eight.
We had a good breakfast.
The article is also used when it is a special meal given
to celibrate something or in someone’s honour;
I was invited to dinner.
I was invited to a dinner given to welcome the new
ambassador.
THE
We use the when it is clear which
thing or person we mean.
• We use the when it is clear in the situation which thing or
person we mean.For example,in a room we talk about the
light/the floor/the ceiling/the door/the carpet etc.
• Can you turn off the light,please?(the light in this room)
• I took a taxi to the station.(the station in that town)
WE SAY
•
•
•
•
•
•
the sun
the moon
the world
the sky
the sea
the country
the police
the army
the piano
the guitar
the radio
in the morning
in the afternoon
in the evening
WE DO NOT USE THE WITH:
• television breakfast
lunch
dinner
NAMES WITH AND WITHOUT THE
• We do not use the with names of people.In
the same way we do not normally use the
with names of places.For example:
• Continents:Africa
• Countries:England
• Regions:Central Europe
• Islands:Corsica,Sicily,Cyprus
• Mountains:Everest,Etna,Klimanjaro
• But we use the in names with
Republic,Kingdom,states etc.
• the United States of America (the USA)
• the United Kingdom
• the Dominican Republic
• We visited Canada and the United States
PLURAL NAMES
• We use the + plural names of
countries/islands/mountains:
• the Netherlands
the Canary Islands
• the Philippines
SEAS,RIVERS ETC.
•
•
•
•
We use the +names of oceans/seas/rivers/canals:
the Atlantic Ocean
the Mediterranean Sea
the River Nile
the Suez Canal
the Black Sea
the Amazon