Grammar [120 minutes]

a, an, the

Definite and Indefinite Articles

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Articles

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

Definite articles definition: a determiner (the) that introduces specific nouns and noun phrases.

Indefinite articles definition: a determiner (a, an) that introduces nonspecific nouns and noun phrases.

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.

The examples below will further outline the difference.

a cow (nonspecific—could be any cow)
the cow (specific—referring to a particular cow)
an animal (nonspecific—could be any animal)
the animal (specific—referring to a particular animal)

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.

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Note: because A and An means one, they cannot be used in plural. For example:

singular
- a chair, a city, a manager
plural—CANNOT BE USED

It’s all about how it sounds!

Consonant or vowel sound?

a + singular noun beginning with a consonant:

a boy
a car
a bike
a zoo
a dog

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an + singular noun beginning with a vowel:

an elephant
an egg
an apple
an idiot
an orphan

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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

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an + nouns starting with silent “h”:

an hour
an honest man

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a + nouns starting with a pronounced “h”:

a horse
a human response

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In some cases where “h” is pronounced, such as “historical,” you can use an. However, a is more commonly used and preferred. For example: A historical event is worth recording.

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.

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With adjectives

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)

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Membership in a group

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.)

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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:

“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

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
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 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

Zero Articles

Sometimes it is possible to have a noun phrase with NO article.

I need a bowl of rice. ← indefinite article
I like the rice in this restaurant. ← definite article
I eat rice every day. ← ZERO article

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The ZERO article usually occurs in the following cases:

Plural and Uncountable Nouns

General meaning

cars
people
life
water

Abstract nouns

education
happiness
music

Singular Countable Nouns

Names

People: Mary, Bill, Josef

Places: Jupiter, Russia, Bangkok, Heathrow Airport, Cambridge University, Waterloo Station

Streets: Oxford Street, Wall Street, Picadilly Circus

Languages: English, Russian

Academic subjects: History, Law, Physics

Days, months: Monday, November

Games and Sports

football
chess
jogging

Meals

breakfast
lunch
dinner

Noun + Number

platform 3
room 7
page 44

Routine Places

in bed
at home
to school
to work

Movement or Transport

on foot
by car
by bus
by air

Newspaper Headlines, Notices, User Guides

Plane Crashes On House
Keep Area Clean
Insert battery

Example Sentences

Here are some example sentences showing the ZERO article in context.

Cars can be dangerous.
We seldom see courage like that.
I could see clouds in the sky.
There was milk on the doorstep.
I gave it to Mary.

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She arrived in Bangkok yesterday.
Do you speak French?
He is good at tennis.
People will travel to Mars soon.
He is in room 45.

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Please turn to page 67.
She’s in bed.
Are you at home?
They took her to hospital.
I’m leaving town tomorrow by car.

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I go to school by bus.
We usually meet on Monday.
November is quite cold.
Bullets were flying everywhere.
Education is becoming more specialized these days.

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QUIZ

Which article, if any?

A or An?

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