2/20/22, 4:54 AM How to Use Articles (a/an/the) // Purdue Writing Lab

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Using Articles
What is an article? Basically, an article is an adjective. Like adjectives, articles modify
nouns.

English has two articles: the and a/an

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

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2/20/22, 4:54 AM How to Use Articles (a/an/the) // Purdue Writing Lab

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
In some cases where "h" is pronounced, such as "historical," you can use an.
However, a is more commonly used and preferred.

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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.

Another case where this rule applies is when acronyms or initialisms start with consonant
letters but have vowel sounds:

An MSDS (material safety data sheet) was used to record the data. An SPCC plan
(Spill Prevention Control and Countermeasures plan) will help us prepare for the
worst.

If the noun is modified by an adjective, the choice between a and an depends on the
initial sound of the adjective that immediately follows the article:

a broken egg
an unusual problem
a European country (sounds like 'yer-o-pi-an,' i.e. begins with consonant 'y' sound)

Remember, too, that in English, the indefinite articles are used to indicate membership in
a group:

I am a teacher. (I am a member of a large group known as teachers.)

Brian is an Irishman. (Brian is a member of the people known as Irish.)
Seiko is a practicing Buddhist. (Seiko is a member of the group of people known as
Buddhists.)

DEFINITE ARTICLE: THE

The definite article is used before singular and plural nouns when the noun is specific or
particular. The signals that the noun is definite, that it refers to a particular member of a
group. For example:

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"The dog that bit me ran away." Here, we're talking about a specific dog, the dog that bit
me.

"I was happy to see the policeman who saved my cat!" Here, we're talking about a
particular policeman. Even if we don't know the policeman's name, it's still a particular
policeman because it is the one who saved the cat.

"I saw the elephant at the zoo." Here, we're talking about a specific noun. Probably there
is only one elephant at the zoo.

COUNT AND NONCOUNT NOUNS

The can be used with noncount nouns, or the article can be omitted entirely.

"I love to sail over the water" (some specific body of water) or "I love to sail over
water" (any water).
"He spilled the milk all over the floor" (some specific milk, perhaps the milk you
bought earlier that day) or "He spilled milk all over the floor" (any milk).

"A/an" can be used only with count nouns.

"I need a bottle of water."

"I need a new glass of milk."

Most of the time, you can't say, "She wants a water," unless you're implying, say, a bottle
of water.

GEOGRAPHICAL USE OF THE

There are some specific rules for using the with geographical nouns.

Do not use the before:

names of most countries/territories: Italy, Mexico, Bolivia; however, the Netherlands,

the Dominican Republic, the Philippines, the United States
names of cities, towns, or states: Seoul, Manitoba, Miami
names of streets: Washington Blvd., Main St.
names of lakes and bays: Lake Titicaca, Lake Erie except with a group of lakes like the
Great Lakes

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names of mountains: Mount Everest, Mount Fuji except with ranges of mountains like
the Andes or the Rockies or unusual names like the Matterhorn
names of continents (Asia, Europe)
names of islands (Easter Island, Maui, Key West) except with island chains like the
Aleutians, the Hebrides, or the Canary Islands

Do use the before:

names of rivers, oceans and seas: the Nile, the Pacific

points on the globe: the Equator, the North Pole
geographical areas: the Middle East, the West
deserts, forests, gulfs, and peninsulas: the Sahara, the Persian Gulf, the Black Forest,
the Iberian Peninsula

OMISSION OF ARTICLES

Some common types of nouns that don't take an article are:

Names of languages and nationalities: Chinese, English, Spanish, Russian (unless you
are referring to the population of the nation: "The Spanish are known for their warm
hospitality.")
Names of sports: volleyball, hockey, baseball
Names of academic subjects: mathematics, biology, history, computer science

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