ARTICLES IN ENGLISH

What is an article?

An article is an adjective.

English has two articles:

THE

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 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 unclean 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