Articles- A, An, The

 

Articles- A, An, The 

Articles:- articles are used to point out or refer to nouns (a person, animal or thing).

Types of articles:- there are 2 types of articles:

1. Indefinite article (a, an) 

2. Definite article (the) 

 

Indefinite article (a, an) :- indefinite article is used when we are talking about one member of a group and all the members of the group are same. 

A :- use a when a noun starts with a consonant sound. 

An:- use an when a noun starts with a vowel sound (a, e, i, o, u).

Note:

• We use a/an with singular nouns.

• We don't use a/an before plural or uncountable nouns. 

Examples: - 

1. I want to buy a book.

2. He is an honest man. 

3. Please give me a pen. 

4. She wants to buy a dog.

 

Definite article (the): - definite article is used when something is unique and not a member of any group or different from the group. 

Note: we use the with all nouns (singular, plural, countable or uncountable)

Examples: - 

1. Please give me the book which is on the table. 

2. Have you studied the history of south Africa. 

3. Come and look at the children.

4. The flowers in her garden are beautiful.

 

Articles- A, An, The 

Where we use the:

👉Adjectives as Nouns:- When referring to a group of people by use of an adjective rather than a noun, use "the".

Examples:

• the elderly
• the rich
• the homeless
• the unemployed 
• the needy 
• the restless 
• the disabled 
• the sick 
• the young 

 

👉Names of Countries:- Some countries are preceded by "the", usually if the name is plural, contains an adjective, or includes "of". 

Examples:

• The Republic of Congo 
• The United States 
• The Soviet Union 

Don't use the:-

• America 
• Russia 
• Japan 
• China
• Spain
• Mexico

 

👉Cities and Streets use nothing:

• Chicago 
• Fifth Avenue 
• San Francisco 
• Highway 5 
• London 

 

👉Rivers, Oceans, Seas, Groups of Mountains & Islands use "the":

• the Amazon 
• the Atlantic 
• the Mediterranean 
• the Hawaiian Islands 
• the Bahamas 

 

👉Numbers:

Cardinal numbers (1.2.3) use nothing.

Examples:

• World War 2 
• Page 7 
• Paragraph 5 
• Chapter 1 
• Mission 1 
• Channel 6 

Ordinal numbers (1st,2nd.3rd) use "the":

• the seventh page 
• the fifth paragraph 
• the Second World War 
• the first chapter 
• the sixth channel 
• the first mission 

 

👉Titles of People: 

•When a title is given with a name, use nothing.

• President Mitchael 
• Queen Mary 
• Professor Scott 

•When a title is used without a name, use "the".

• the president 
• the queen 
• the professor 

 

👉Schools:

•When a school has "of" in its title, use "the". 

• The University of Arizona
• The University of London 

•When a school does not have "of" in its title, use nothing.

• Lincoln High 
• Arizona State 
• Liverpool John Moores 
• University 
• School