INTRODUCTION TO ARTICLES

“A,” “an,” and “the” are some of the shortest words in the English language, but they
are, perhaps, the most challenging for a second language learner of English. Articles, as the
three little words are called, have always baffled second language learners. This is because
when learning a new language, the major problem we face is understanding concepts that we
are not familiar with in our own language. Now in English, the choice of “a/an” or “the”
before a noun depends on the context.

In the adjoining picture, you see three t-shirts in a box.

1. Give me a t-shirt.
The indefinite article “a” precedes the
noun “t-shirt.”
Note: Here, “a t-shirt” refers to any one
of the three t-shirts in the box; it does not
necessarily refer to a specific t-shirt.

2. Give me another t-shirt.

Here, the word “another’ is NOT an
article. It just refers to “one more” tshirt.
Note: Here, “another t-shirt” refers to any
one of the remaining two t-shirts in the
box; it does not necessarily refer to a
specific t-shirt.

3. Give me the other t-shirt.

An definite article “the” precedes the noun
“t-shirt.”
Note: Here, “the other t-shirt” refers to one
specific t-shirt: the only one that is
remaining in the box. Therefore, the
definite article is used.
 4. Give me the t-shirt that is in the
box.
The definite article “the” precedes the noun
“t-shirt” and the noun “box”.
Note: Here, the information “that is in the
box” makes the t-shirt specific and tells you
exactly which t-shirt is being talked about.
Therefore, the definite article is used.

5. Give me the t-shirts that are

outside the box.
The article “the” precedes the plural noun
“t-shirts.”
Note: The definite article, like in this case,
can also be used to refer to more than one
specific item.

In the above discussion, we have mainly used the articles “a” and “the.” In the English
language, there are two kinds of articles:
● The indefinite article: “a” or “an”
● The definite article: “the”
SPECIFIC AND NONSPECIFIC
The word “the” is known as the definite article as it is used to
refer to a specific item.
The words “a” and “and” are known as the indefinite articles as
they are used to refer to a nonspecific item.
Sometimes when we use a noun, we want to talk about a particular thing (or a
particular group of things). When you - the listeners know which one I mean because of the
place we are in. You might be able to see or understand the thing we are talking about.

For example, I might have a certain car in my mind. If I think the person that I'm
talking to knows which car I mean, I use the, and if I think the person that I'm talking to
doesn't know which car I mean, I use a/an:

● I've bought a new car [I'm thinking of a certain car, but the listener doesn't
know which one, so I use a].
● I've bought the yellow car that we saw last week [I'm thinking of certain car
and the listener does know which one, so I use the].
 Practice
1. Sorry, I've spilled water on ______ book [there's only one book on the table so the
listener knows which book].
2. Sorry, I've spilled water on ______ book [there are lots of books on the table, and
it's not clear to the listener which book].
3. She needs ______ chair from the dining room [the listener can see that there are
several chairs in the dining room].
4. She needs ______ chair from the dining room [the listener can see that there's only
one chair in the dining room].
5. Would you mind opening ______ door? [I mean the door of the room we are in.]
6. He walked into ______ door and hit his head [the listener
doesn't know which door].
7. She fell into ______ river [there's one river in our town].
8. She fell into ______ river [the listener doesn't know which river – it could be any
river in the country].
9. I had dinner in ______ Chinese restaurant [I mean the one near our house].7
10. I had dinner in ______ Chinese restaurant [there are hundreds in London and the
listener doesn't know which one].
1. Sorry, I've spilled water on the book [there's only one book on the table so the
listener knows which book].
2. Sorry, I've spilled water on a book [there are lots of books on the table, and it's not
clear to the listener which book].
3. She needs a chair from the dining room [the listener can see that there are several
chairs in the dining room].
4. She needs the chair from the dining room [the listener can see that there's only one
chair in the dining room].
5. Would you mind opening the door? [I mean the door of the room we are in.]
6. He walked into a door and hit his head [the listener doesn't know which door].
7. She fell into the river [there's one river in our town].
8. She fell into a river [the listener doesn't know which river – it could be any river in
the country].
9. I had dinner in the Chinese restaurant [I mean the one near our house].
10. I had dinner in a Chinese restaurant [there are hundreds in London and the listener
doesn't know which one]
Larger situation / unique things
Above, we saw that we can use the when the listener knows which one we mean
because of the room or building or town we are in. If there is only one of something in the
room, for example, we can use “the" because it's clear which one we mean. For the same
reason, we can use “the” with nouns when it's clear to the listener which one we mean
because of the country we're in:
● The Queen was on television yesterday [if I am in England when I say this,
you will understand that I mean the Queen of England].
● I think we should support the government [I mean the government of the
country that we’re in].
If there is only one of something on our planet called a unique thing, or in our solar
system, or even in the universe. We use ‘the’ with these words, as it's clear which one we
mean. For example, we use the with sun as there's only one sun close to us and everybody
knows which one we mean
● The sun was very hot that day
● She could see the moon from her bedroom window.
● The stars: The stars are difficult to see clearly.
● The sky: The sky was a lovely shade of blue.
● The universe: The universe is vast. The planets: I would love to visit the
planets.
● The world: It's the best city in the world.
● The solar system: The alien traveled to the edge of the solar system.
● The air: The bird flew off into the air
Of course, we can also use many of these words as normal nouns, if we need to. When
I say 'the moon', you understand that I mean our moon, the moon that circles the earth. But
Jupiter (for example) also has moons. In this case, I can use 'moon' as a normal noun:
● Jupiter has a moon called Io.
Script cho phần A/an

Unlike "the", "a" and "an" are indefinite articles and are typically used before singular,
countable nouns. The purpose of using "a" or "an" is to help the listener or reader understand
that the noun refers to a general, non-specific object.

So, when do we use "a" or "an"?

There are two important points to keep in mind when using "a" and "an" in English:

First: When talking about something that is not specific or undefined.

● Example: "Would you like to drink a cup of coffee?"

(This means "a cup of coffee" is not a specific one, it could be any cup of coffee from
any coffee shop.)

Second: We use "a" or "an" when mentioning something for the first time and the object is not
clearly identified.

● Example: "I saw a movie yesterday."

(This sentence means that you saw a movie, but the listener doesn’t know which
movie it was.)

We have real english: When a noun is mentioned for 1st time, a/an is often used. When it is
mentioned again, we can use “the”.

Ex: A: Jennie bought a penthouse.

B: Do you know where the penthouse is?

Next, we note how to use "a" and "an":

Use "a" before consonants: Use it when the noun begins with a consonant sound.

Example: "a dog," "a university." (Note that "university" starts with a "yu" sound, which is a
consonant sound.)

Use "an" before vowels: Use it when the noun begins with a vowel sound.

Example: "an apple," "an hour." (Note that "hour" starts with a silent "h," so it is pronounced
with a vowel sound.)

NO ARTICLE: (Phần này chia 2 phần nhỏ)

1. Some common:
2. General:
 On the other hand, sometimes we want to talk about cars in general. In this case, I'm
not thinking of a particular car or group of cars. Instead I'm thinking about all the cars in the
world, about the category of cars. Anh that all I want to say something about cars in general:
● Ø Cars cause a lot of pollution.
Usually, when we are talking in general, we use 'no article'. Remember, we usually
can't use 'no article' with singular countable nouns, so if you want to talk in general with 'no
article' you must use either a plural countable noun, or an uncountable noun:
● She loves Ø cats [not 'she loves cat' ].
● He hates Ø mushrooms [not 'he hates mushroom']
● Children need Ø love ['love' is uncountable].
This is` far the most common way to talk about something in general in English.

Phần còn lại nói về some common expressions.

We should take note in this section about the use of 'no article.' When we talk about some
common expressions where articles are typically not used, such as 'by car,' 'after school,' 'on
foot,' 'go to bed,' 'at night,' etc., in almost all of these cases, the absence of an article makes
the meaning more general.

This is because when we use words like 'by car' or 'at night,' we are not referring to a specific
object, but rather to something in general. Additionally, expressions like 'go to work,' 'go to
school,' or 'after school' describe routine activities, so using an article is not necessary, as
these phrases don't refer to specific objects.

Practice
1. We studied ______ German philosophy.
2. We read about ______ poetry of Scotland.
3. He's interested in ______ human happiness.
4. I took a class on ______ French literature.
5. The book's about ______ music of Ireland.
6. I've never studied ______ art of the Far East.
7. I watched a programme on TV about ______ twentieth century ideas.
8. She writes about ______ modern art.
9. She's writing her thesis on ______ philosophy of Hegel.
10. I read an article about ______ history of South America.
11. She read a book about ______ philosophy of Kant.
12. He likes ______ eighteenth-century poetry.
13. There was a documentary about ______ literature of the United States.
14. Could you tell me more about ______ Indian music?
15. There was an article in the paper about ______ Italian art.
16. He likes discussing ______ ideas of the Greek philosophers.
17. They studied ______ science of the natural world.
18. We listened to a lecture on ______ work of Leonardo da Vinci.
19. They are very interested in ______ Chinese calligraphy.
20. We read about ______ British history.

1. He hates Ø cats.
2. I like the cats that you have
3. I gave her back the books that she'd lent me.
4. Ø Books are expensive.
5. Ø Rice is very popular in Asia.
6. Pass the rice please [it's on our table].
7. It's impressive how clever Ø dogs are.
8. The dogs that my friend has are really stupid.
9. Many people say that the love that you feel for your baby is exceptionally strong.
10. Ø Love is more important than money.
11. She loves Ø flowers – you could buy her some for her birthday.
12. I put the flowers that I received for my birthday in a vase.
13. Ø Chocolate is made from cocoa.
14. She put the chocolate that she bought in the fridge.
15. I dropped the cakes that you made on the way to the party.
16. She likes making Ø cakes.
17. The lions in London Zoo are quite friendly.
18. Ø Lions are very scary animals.

Some / Any / 'No Article'

 We can use some, any or 'no article' before plural or uncountable nouns. They all mean
something similar to a/an before a singular noun. For example:
● Can I have a banana? [One banana, but any one is okay.]
● Can I have some bananas? [More than one banana, but any small group is okay.]

The difference between some and 'no article':

Often, there isn't a big difference in meaning between 'no article' and ‘some’.
However, we use some when we are talking about a limited number or amount (but we don't
know or we don't want to say the exact quantity). On the other hand, we use 'no article' when
we aren't thinking about the quantity.
● We need to buy Ø coffee [I'm talking about coffee as a category, not thinking
about the amount].
● Would you like some coffee? [I mean a certain amount of coffee, probably a
cup.]

The difference between some and any:

 Generally, we use any in the same way as some: when we are thinking about a certain
amount or number of something. Remember, usually both some and any can only be used
with plural countable nouns or uncountable nouns, but not usually with singular countable
nouns.
1. We usually use some with positive sentences and any with negatives and questions:
● She bought some tomatoes [positive sentence].
● She didn't buy any tomatoes [negative sentence].
● Did she buy any tomatoes [question]?
2. Any can be used in a positive sentence to mean 'it's not important which one'. When
we use any in this way, it's most often used with singular countable nouns:
● You can take any bus.
● Pass me any glass.
● Come over any Sunday.
3. Any can also be used in positive sentences that have a negative feeling, for example
if they include never, hardly, without:
● She never eats any fruit.
● Julia left the house without any money.
3: Some can be used in questions when we expect that the answer will be 'yes'. This is
very common in offers and requests:
● Would you like some coffee?
● Do you want some sandwiches?
● Could you pass me some sugar?
Try to compare these sentences with some and any
● Do you have any letters for me? [This is a real question. I don't know if you
have any letters or not.]
 ● Do you have some letters for me? [I think you do, so I'm expecting that you
will say 'yes'.

Fill the gap with some or any.

1. Have we got ______ bread? [A real question, I have no idea.]
2. ______ student will tell you that they don't have enough money [it doesn't matter which
student].
3. We've got ______ furniture, but we still need a table.
4. She bought ______ new clothes.
5. You can buy beer in ______ pub [it doesn't matter which pub].
6. Can I have ______ more juice? [I expect you will say 'yes'.]
7. Did you buy ______ juice? [I have no idea, this is a real question.]
8. I can speak ______ French.
9. Would you like ______ tea? [An offer – I think you will say 'yes'.]
10. In London in the winter there's hardly ______ sunlight.
11. Go into ______ shop on the high street and ask [it doesn't matter which shop].
12. Would you like ______ more meat? [An offer – I think you will say 'yes'.]
13. There's ______ money in my handbag.
14. Did you buy ______ chicken? [I expect you will say 'yes', because we talked about it
before.]
15. I don't have ______ sunblock with me.
16. She never drinks ______ water.
17. Do you have ______ sugar? [I expect you will say 'yes', because usually you have sugar.]
18. It's hard in a new city without ______ friends.
19. I didn't find ______ problems.
20. Could you give me ______ paper? [A request – I expect you will say 'yes'.]

1. Have we got any bread? [A real question, I have no idea.]

2. Any student will tell you that they don't have enough money [it doesn't matter which
student].
3. We've got some furniture, but we still need a table.
4. She bought some new clothes.
5. You can buy beer in any pub [it doesn't matter which pub].
6. Can I have some more juice? [I expect you will say 'yes'.]
7. Did you buy any juice? [I have no idea, this is a real question.]
8. I can speak some French.
9. Would you like some tea? [An offer – I think you will say 'yes'.]
10. In London in the winter there's hardly any sunlight.
11. Go into any shop on the high street and ask [it doesn't matter which shop].
12. Would you like some more meat? [An offer – I think you will say 'yes'.]
13. There's some money in my handbag.
14. Did you buy some chicken? [I expect you will say 'yes' because we talked about it before.]
15. I don't have any sunblock with me.
16. She never drinks any water.
17. Do you have some sugar? [I expect you will say 'yes', because usually you have sugar.]
18. It's hard in a new city without any friends.
19. I didn't find any problems.
20. Could you give me some paper? [A request – I expect you will say 'yes'.