The complete guide to articles in english

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Laurence Petoud

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ECDL Expert

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This support has been developed as part of my revisions for exams First and Advanced Certificate in English.


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The Complete Guide to Articles in English

A, an, and the are called articles. A and an are the “indefinite articles,” and the is the definite article. These are small, simple words, but it can be easy to make mistakes with them!

Although errors with a, an, and the are "minor" and do not usually cause communication problems, they make it obvious that a person isn't a native English speaker. This is why it's important to master them if you want your English to be as perfect and professional as possible.

A, AN, OR ONE?

We use a before a consonant sound, and an before a vowel sound.

a cat an elephant

Remember that these follow the sound and NOT the letter!

an umbrella a uniform an egg a European country a hat an hour

What about abbreviated terms?

If we say the individual letters of the abbreviation, then we use an if the letter’s name begins with a vowel sound:

a KGB agent (a kay – gee – bee agent) an FBI agent (an eff – bee – eye agent) a TV (a tee – vee) an X-ray (an ex – ray)

Those abbreviations are all ones in which we pronounce the individual letters.

However, there are some abbreviations that we pronounce as words. We still follow the consonant sound or vowel sound rule:

a FIFA official an OPEC meeting a NASA project an NSA spokesperson

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Now let’s look at the difference between a/an and the word one.

We use a/an when we are talking about an unspecified thing, and the fact that it is "only one" (not two or three or zero) is not important:

I ate a cookie. I bought a book. I have an idea. I spent an hour watching TV. Using "one" gives more emphasis to the precise quantity itself: I'm on a diet, but I ate one cookie because I just couldn't resist! I bought one book, although I wish I could have bought the whole

collection. What's one idea that you believe can change the world? You will have one hour to finish the exam.

What about numbers – should you say a hundred or one hundred?

In informal English, we often say a hundred, a thousand, a million, etc. When we want to be more formal and more precise about the number, then we say one hundred, one thousand, etc. We must also say “one” when it is part of a bigger number… although numbers starting with 100 are often said as a hundred.

150 = a hundred and fifty (informal) / one hundred and fifty (formal) 2,150 = two thousand, one hundred and fifty 3,100,000 = three million, one hundred thousand

Here are three situations where you should NOT use a or an:

1. Don't use a/an with uncountable nouns

(instead, use "some" or "a ____ of")”

She gave me an advice. She gave me some advice / a piece of advice. I need to buy a shampoo. I need to buy some shampoo / a bottle of shampoo.

One exception is when we are ordering drinks – we often say, “I’d like a large coffee” or “Can I have a beer?” even though coffee and beer are uncountable.

2. Don't use a/an with plural nouns.

Watch out for irregular plural nouns that don’t end with “s”!

a facts a children a teeth a bacteria


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3. Don't use a/an without a noun after it:

I am a Japanese.

I am Japanese.

He is an intelligent.

He is intelligent / He is an intelligent person.

She is a great.

She is great. / She is a great friend.

The & No ArticleSingle countable nouns - Specific or general?

We use a and an when something is not specific (can be any, or one of many).

We use the when something is specific (we indicate which one we are talking about, or it is clear from the context).

I grabbed a pencil and started to write.

Which pencil? Any pencil.

Sorry – I lost the pencil you lent me yesterday.

Which pencil? The pencil you lent me yesterday.

We adopted a dog. (any, one of many)

Kids! Remember to feed the dog!

(specific – our dog, the only one in the house)

We also use the when talking about things that are unique - there is only one of them: the world, the sky, the future, the human race, the travel industry, the Pope, etc. Two exceptions are nature and space (or outer space) – although these things are unique, we do not use “the.”

Uncountable & Plural countable nouns - Specific or general?

With plural nouns and uncountable nouns, we use the when talking about something specific, and no article when talking in general:

I love pasta. (general) I love the pasta at that restaurant. (specific) That store sells furniture. (general) The furniture in my living room is all new. (specific) Vegetables are good for you. (general) The vegetables at the market are always fresh. (specific) I need advice. (general) The advice you gave me was very helpful. (specific)


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You can see that in the sentences using the, there is a clause that specifies which objects we are talking about:

Vegetables vs. The vegetables at the market Furniture vs. The furniture in my living room

Another place we always use the is with superlative adjectives:

This is best pizza I’ve ever had. This is the best pizza I’ve ever had. She’s most important person in the company. She’s the most important person in the company. The end of the movie was funniest part. The end of the movie was the funniest part.

Proper Nouns

We usually do not use the for proper nouns – official names of people, places, and organizations – although there are some exceptions:

Places:

I’d like to visit Russia. Paris is my favorite city in Europe. Have you ever been to California? They live on Rosewood Avenue.

Exceptions: the United States (the U.S.), the United Kingdom (the U.K.), the Philippines, the Czech Republic, the Central African Republic, the Marshall Islands

Companies and Universities:

My uncle works at Samsung. Microsoft reported high profits this quarter. She graduated from Harvard. New York University is very large.

Exceptions: If the university’s name BEGINS with “university,” then use “the”: the University of Pennsylvania, the University of Miami. Also use “the” if it is part of the company’s official name.


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Languages, Holidays, Months & Days

I’m studying Spanish. He speaks Italian. My whole family gets together at Christmas. The office will be closed on New Year’s Day. We’ll be traveling in August. Let’s get together on Sunday.

Exceptions: If you’re talking about a specific date that is distinct from all the other regular dates:

I got back from my trip the Sunday before last. Let’s get together on the first Monday in July.

We have a number of places where the is used with some words but not others.

Take this quick 12-question quiz and see if you can identify them:

1. _______ Mount Everest is the highest mountain in the world.2. We went sailing on _______ Lake Ontario.3. We sailed across _______ Pacific Ocean.4. The travelers explored _______ Amazon River.5. She's at _______ work.6. I need to go to _______ bank.7. Want to go to _______ movies?8. My friend is in _______ hospital.9. We attend _______ church.

10. He went to _______ jail for his crime.11. I'm going to _______ dentist tomorrow.12. My kids are at _______ school.

(Answers at the end of this document)

Do not use the for individual mountains and lakes, but use the for seas, rivers, valleys, deserts, and points on the globe (the North Pole, the equator).

Do not use the with work, home, jail, school, college.

Use the with the bank, the movies, the office, the doctor/dentist, the hospital, the bus stop, the train station, the airport.


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Summary

Article Can be used for Means Examples

a / an Only singular, countable nouns.

Any or one of many

a studentan idea

an advicea children

the Singular or plural countable nouns

Uncountable nounsSome proper nouns

Something specific or unique

the studentthe students

the advice you gave methe world

No article Plural countable nouns

Uncountable nounsSome proper nouns

“In general” Students should listen to their teachers.

Advice is useless without action.


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The complete guide to articles in english

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