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Using Articles: Summary

This document discusses the differences between indefinite articles (a/an) and definite articles (the). The definite article "the" is used to refer to specific or particular nouns, while the indefinite article "a/an" is used to modify non-specific or non-particular nouns. For example, "Let's read the book" refers to a specific book, while "Let's read a book" refers to any book. The document then provides further examples and explanations of when to use indefinite versus definite articles.

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122 views2 pages

Using Articles: Summary

This document discusses the differences between indefinite articles (a/an) and definite articles (the). The definite article "the" is used to refer to specific or particular nouns, while the indefinite article "a/an" is used to modify non-specific or non-particular nouns. For example, "Let's read the book" refers to a specific book, while "Let's read a book" refers to any book. The document then provides further examples and explanations of when to use indefinite versus definite articles.

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Using Articles

Summary:

This handout discusses the differences between indefinite articles (a/an) and definite articles
(the).

Contributors:Paul Lynch, Allen Brizee, Elizabeth Angeli


Last Edited: 2018-02-14 03:18:17

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.

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