Scribd
Upload
41 views12 pages

The Article

Uploaded by

carguibay
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
41 views12 pages

The Article

Uploaded by

carguibay
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 12

The Article

INDEFINITE AND
DEFINITE
Indefinite Articles : “A” and “An”
Definite Article: “The”

“A/an” and “The” are the two types of


English articles. There are rules to help
you decide which one to use.
THE INDEFINITE ARTICLE : “A”/
“AN”
IT IS USED :
 with singular uncountable nouns: She’s a teacher.
 to give a general idea: Nothing is better than a hot cup of
tea.(any)
 with certain phrases to show frequency: once a week, twice
a year.

IT IS NOT USED :
 with uncountable or plural countable nouns. We can use
some instead:
Some bread, some eggs.
“A” / “An”
 The general rule is to use “an” when the noun (or adjective +
noun) begins with a vowel sound: an orange, an interesting
book.
 When the first letter of a word is a consonant but it is not
pronounced: an honest person.
 When the first letter of a word is a vowel but pronounced with
a consonant sound, use “a” as in: a United States politician.
 It is the same with acronyms and initialisms : an LCD display,
a UK based factory, a URL.
THE DEFINITE ARTICLE “THE”
It can be used with singular or plural nouns: the horses, the farm.
WE ALSO USE IT :
 with nouns when we are talking about something specific or
already mentioned or known: The elephants in the picture are
in a circus .
 with nouns which are unique : the Tower of London, the earth,
the sky, the sun.
 before the names of rivers, seas, oceans , a mountain range,
deserts, groups of islands and countries when they include
words such as “state”, “kingdom”, etc.: The Amazon, the
Pacific, the United States.
THE DEFINITE ARTICLE “THE”
 before the name of musical instruments: the guitar, the piano.
 before the names of hotels, theatres, cinemas, ships,
organizations, newspapers and museums: the Hilton Hotel, the
Odeon Cinema , the Titanic, the UNO, The Times, the National
Gallery.
 before nationality words and families: the Spanish, the
Taylors.
 before titles when the person’s name is not mentioned: the
Queen, the Prince of Wales.
 before the words morning, afternoon, evening: in the morning.
 Nouns with superlative adjectives normally have the
article the. Note that the is dropped if there is a possessive:
You are the most beautiful person I have ever met. You are
Using ‘‘The” with Plural and Uncountable
Nouns

 You can use it with plural or uncountable nouns. However, ‘the’ can be used
with plural and uncountable nouns if you are referring to one
group/kind/example etc.
Example 1.
 a. The wine glasses on that shelf were a wedding gift.

b. Knives and forks go in that drawer.

In sentence a we must use ‘the’. Although ‘wine glasses’ is plural we are talking
about one specific set of wine glasses. Only those exact wine glasses were a
wedding gift. In sentence b we are talking about knives and forks in general, so
we don’t need ‘the’. Essentially we are saying ‘that is the cutlery drawer.’
Using “The” with Plural and Uncountable
Nouns

Example 2.

 a. History is an interesting subject.

 b. The history of China is an interesting subject.

Sentence a does not need ‘the’ as ‘history’ is uncountable. In sentence b we


use ‘the’ because we are talking about one kind of history: the history of China.
WE DON’T USE “THE” (“zero”
article)
 with plural nouns when we talk about them in general: Elephants live in
the jungle.
 before proper names : This is Matt.
 before the names of countries, cities, streets, parks, lakes and
continents :
Canada, Toronto, Oxford Street, Hyde Park, Lake Tahoe, Europe.
 before the names of meals and sports: breakfast, dinner, tennis, golf .
 before titles when the person’s name is mentioned: Queen Elizabeth,
President Kennedy.
 with the words school, church, bed, hospital, prison or home when we
refer to the purpose for which they exist : Mary goes to school every
morning (She is a student), Grandpa is in hospital (He is a patient).
NOTES
 Groups of things can sometimes be referred to using 'the' + the singular noun.

Example 1.

a. The gorilla is my favourite animal.

b. Gorillas are my favourite animal.

 These two sentences are both grammatically correct, and mean the same thing. 'The gorilla' does not
refer to one individual gorilla; it refers to the concept of a gorilla.
NOTES
Example 2.
a. Jungles are full of wildlife.

b. The jungle is full of wildlife.

 Here again both sentences are correct. 'The jungle'


basically means 'typical jungles'. This construction is
common when talking about animals and plants. Using 'The
gorilla' and 'the jungle' conveys respect for gorillas and
jungles; it makes them sound important.
NOTES
Diseases and Illnesses
 Generally, don’t use an article in front of most diseases (malaria,
cancer, AIDS, diabetes). However, a few illnesses always use “the” (the
flu, the measles, the mumps, the plague).
My mother has lived with epilepsy since she was a child.
Smallpox has been eradicated.
I hope I don’t get the flu.
 A/an is typically used before aches, pains, growths, colds, and attacks.
I had an operation for a tumor in my stomach.
Harsh chemicals give me a headache.

You might also like