Articles

A, An, The, Ø
• The articles in English are the (definite article), a, and
an (indefinite articles). Articles define a noun as
specific or unspecific.

• After the long day, the cup of tea tastes particularly good.
By using the, we’ve shown that it was one specific day that
was long, and one specific cup of tea that tasted good.

• After a long day, a cup of tea tastes particularly good.

By using a, we’ve created a general statement, saying that any
cup of tea would taste good after any long day.
• A vs. An

• USE 1
• The article A is used before singular, countable
nouns which begin with consonant sounds.

• He is a teacher.
• She doesn't own a car.
• I saw a bear at the zoo.
• USE 2

• The article AN is used before singular, countable

nouns which begin with vowel sounds.

• He is an actor.
• She didn't get an invitation.
• I saw an eagle at the zoo.
• USE 3

• Remember that A(AN) means "one" or "a single".

You cannot use A(AN) with plural nouns.

• I saw a bears in Yellowstone National Park.

• I saw bears in Yellowstone National Park.
• USE 4

• If there is an adjective or an adverb-adjective

combination before the noun, A(AN) should agree
with the first sound in the adjective or the
adverb-adjective combination.

• He is an excellent teacher.
• I saw a really beautiful eagle at the zoo.
• USE 5

• Use A before words such as "European" or

"university" which sound like they start with a
consonant even if the first letter is a vowel.
• Also use A before letters and numbers which sound
like they begin with a consonant, such as "U", "J",
"1" or "9". Remember, it is the sound not the spelling
which is important. For example, "1" is spelled O-N-
E; however, it is pronounced the same as won like it
starts with a "W".

• She has a euro.

• That number is a "1".
• USE 6
• Use AN before words such as "hour" which sound like
they start with a vowel even if the first letter is a
consonant. Also use AN before letters and numbers which
sound like they begin with a vowel, such as "F" or "8".
Remember, it is the sound not the spelling which is
important. For example, "F" is pronounced "eff" like it
starts with an "E".
• Examples:
• I only have an hour for lunch. Sounds like "au-er".
• Does his name begin with an "F"? Sounds like "eff".
• USE 7

• Some words such as "herb" or "hospital" are

more complicated because they are pronounced
differently in different English accents.
• In most American accents, the "h" in "herb" is
silent, so Americans usually say "an herb".
• In many British accents, the "h" in "herb" is
pronounced, so many British say "a herb".
• In some British accents, the "h" in hospital is
silent, so some British will say "an hospital"
instead of "a hospital".
• USE 8

• In English, some nouns are considered

uncountable such as: information, air, advice,
salt, fun, music, work, art, hope, love, hapiness,
freedom, joy, news, anger...
• We do not use A and AN with these uncountable
nouns.
• A(An) vs. The

• A and AN are called indefinite articles.

"Indefinite" means "not specific". Use A(AN)
when you are talking about a thing in general,
NOT a specific thing.

• I need a phone. (Not a specific phone, any phone.)

• Mark wants a bicycle. (Not a particular bicycle, a
bicycle in general.)
• Do you have a driver's license? (In general.)
• Use A(AN) when talking about a thing which is
new, unknown, or introduced to a listener for the
first time.
• Also use A(AN) when you are asking about the
existence of something.

• I have a car. (The car is being introduced for the first

time.)
• Tom is a teacher. (This is new information to the
listener.)
• Is there a dictionary in your backpack? (Asking about
the existence of the dictionary.)
• Use THE when talking about something which is already
known to the listener or which has been previously
mentioned, introduced, or discussed.

• I have a cat. The cat is black.

• There is a book in my backpack. The book is very heavy.
• Do you know where I left the car keys? (The listener
knows which specific car keys you are talking about.)
• Do you own a car? Is the car blue? (You assume they do
have a car after asking about it in the first sentence.)
• Nobody lives on the Moon. (The Moon is known to
everyone.)
• You can use THE with both singular nouns and plural
nouns.

• I saw the bear in Yellowstone National Park.

• I saw the bears in Yellowstone National Park.
• Many clauses and phrases make the noun known to the
listener by telling the listener which person or thing we
are talking about. For example:
• Can you give me the book on the table.

• We use THE in this sentence because the phrase "on the

table" tells the listener which book we are referring to.
We are not talking about other books, we are talking
about a specific book that the listener can see or already
knows about.
• However, not all clauses and phrases make the noun
known to the listener. Some are simply descriptive. They
add extra information, but they do not tell the listener
which specific thing we are talking about.

• He bought the house with a big backyard. (This

combination tells the listener which specific house he
bought.)
• He bought a house with a big backyard. (This
combination tells the listener what kind of house he
bought, but not the specific house he bought.)
• The Zero Article does not exist. But it is very useful
nonetheless.
• Talking about the zero article is useful when we’re
describing how to use articles‫‏‏‬. But essentially when we
talk about the zero article we mean that we do not use any
article in front of a noun. In other words, we do not use
a/an or the.
• When we are discussing things in general, we normally
use zero article with plural and uncountable nouns:
• Formal education in Britain begins when children reach
the age of five.
• Basketball is more popular in China than football.
• Patience and gratitude are qualities which are rarely
observed in the youth of today.

• But note, when we want to be specific:

• The education I received was substandard.
The football played by Liverpool in their last match was
awesome.
• When we are talking about continents, most countries,
states, towns, buildings, most streets, lakes, most
single mountains we use zero article.

• Cairo is a good example of a city in Egypt where Asia and

Africa meet.
• The UK, Ireland, the US and Canada are all popular
destinations for students of English who want to study
overseas.
• Buckingham Palace, the main residence of the Queen is
located at the end of the Mall in central London
• Lake Como has always been popular as a holiday retreat
for the English.
• Kent and Essex are to the Thames what Lousiana and
Mississippi are to the Mississippi river.
• Mont Blanc and the Matterhorn are two well-known
mountains in the French and Swiss Alps.