Articles

What are articles?

The words “a” and “an” refer to the indefinite article, while the word “the” refers to the definite article.

For example: 

A car, a house, an apple, an MP3 player, the man, the house, etc.

The indefinite article a/ an

The article “a” is placed before a word starting with a consonant sound (b, c, d, etc)

For example: 

A story   a book  a man     a boy     a cat               a doctor, etc.

Or  a vowel sounded like a consonant

For example: 

A uniform        a university

The indefinite article “an” is placed before a word starting with a vowel sound ( a, e, i, o, u)

For example: 

An apple         an egg             an artist          an umbrella    an hour           an MP3                         a player                       an idiot             an exercise, etc.

Use of the indefinite article a/an

Use the indefinite article a/an:

• Before a singular countable noun

For example:     a book / an actor

We can count “a book” and “an actor”.

So, we can say: one book, tow books, three books, etc and one actor, tow actors, three actors, etc.

For example: 

I bought three new books.

There were only five actors in that film.

Normally, we don’t say: an advice, an information, a news, etc.

Instead, we say: a piece of advice, some information/ news, etc.

• Before people’s jobs

For example: 

John is a pilot.

Jamila is an English teacher.

My friends, Ali and David, are engineers.

• In exclamation before singular countable nouns

For example: 

What a stunning flower!

What a beautiful garden!

What an awful job!

What an amazing story!

• For emphasizing the degree of something

For example: 

Ahmed is such a friendly boy.

This is such an expensive car!

• For talking about certain numericals

Specific numbers

A hundred (100)/ thousand (1000)/ million, etc.

Fractions

½  a half

1/3 a/ one third

¼  a quarter

☝ Don’t use the indefinite article a/an neither before plural nouns, nor before singular uncountable nouns

Thus, we can say:

He is a student (=singular countable noun)

They are students (not a students)

He has some information (not an information)

• Other uses

For example: 

A liter of water                       Once a month/ week/ year,etc.

The definite article “The”

Use of the definite article “the”

We use the definite article “the”:

• When there is only one particular thing

For example: 

Tom bought a book. (unspecific book)

Tom bought the book which I recommended to him. ( a specific book)

There is a cat miaowing outside. (unspecific cat)

I have fed the cat  (my cat)

The cat is miaowing. (my cat)

• When there is a clear context (classroom/ room/ city, etc.)

For example: 

Can you open the window, please? (the window of this room)

Is that the CEO? (of this online shop)

I’ve got a headache. I’ll call the doctor ( my usual doctor)

Where is the teacher? ( the teacher of this class)

I must visit the city center. (of this city)

• With universal known things

The sky looks clear!

The earth moves around the sun

For example: 

The sun    the planet       the moon        the stars          the environment         the earth    the sea    the ground, etc.

• With day-to-day activities

    The cinema     the news          the radio          the Internet      the train           the bank, etc.

• With places

    Rivers: The Nile, The Thames, The Rine, The Amazon,etc.

    Oceans: The Indian Ocean, The Atlantic (Ocean),etc.

    Seas: The Red Sea, The Mediterranean (sea)

    Canals: The Suez Canal, The Panama Canal, etc.

    Mountains: The Himalayas, The Rokies, The Atlas, The Andes, The Alps, etc.

• With Newspapers: The Independent, The Guardian, The Times, The New York Times, The Washington Post, etc.

• With a class of people: The rich, the poor, the young, the old, etc.

• Unions : The African Union, The European Union, The United Kingdom, etc.

☝ Don’t use the definite article “the” with:

Names of meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner.

Continent: Africa, Asia, Europe, Australia, America.

Cities: Cairo, Fes, London,etc.

Countries: Turkey, Japan, Canada, etc.

Names of companies: Honda, Ford, McDonald’s, etc.