To make it clear what the noun refers to in most of the conversations .
Articles are divided into Definite and Indefinite. We will explain their uses in different sentences with examples.
The two indefinite articles are
A / An
Indefinite means "not specific", so we use them when we are talking about something in general.
I need a pencil.
(any pencil, not a specific one).
"A" + Consonant
We use "A" or "An" depending on the first letter of the word following the article.
We use "A" when the following word starts with a consonant or u/eu when it sound like "You".
Examples
A cat.
A flower.
A university.
A european girl.
A hero.
"An" + Vowel
We use "An" when the following word starts with a vowel or a mute H.
Examples
An elephant.
An orange.
An honor.
An hour.
"A/an" + New Info
We use "A / An" to refer to something for the first time, when we introduce something new to a listener.
Examples
I bought a new car.
(I'm talking about the car for the first time).
Kate is a doctor.
(This is new information about Kate).
"A/an" + Singular Nouns
We use "A / An" to talk about singular nouns, since they mean "One" or "A unit".
Examples
I'd like a cup of tea and some biscuits.
I'd like one cup of tea and some biscuits.
That is an elephant.
That is one elephant.
"A/an" No Genre
The use of "A / An" does not depend on the gender of the nouns, we use them both for female and male nouns.
Examples
A boy.
A girl.
A bike.
A car.
An elephant.
An umbrella.
An orange.
In English, the only definite (specific) article is "The".
We use "The" to talk about something that has already been mentioned or that the listener already knows, for example...
I have a car. The car is blue.
Remember the girl we were talking about yesterday?
We use "The" to talk about things that are unique or known by everybody, for example...
- The sun.
- The moon.
- The atlantic ocean.
- The president of the USA.
- The world.
We use "The" to talk about both singular and plural nouns, for example...
- The flower.
- The flowers.
- The car.
- The cars.
T
B