Definite and Indefinite Articles (The, A and An)

Definite and Indefinite Articles (The, A and An) Definite and Indefinite Articles (The, A and An) If English isn’t your first language, knowing when to use an article before a noun can be confusing. It can also be tricky to know which article to use. To help explain, in this post we’re looking at the definite (i.e., â€Å"the†) and indefinite (i.e., â€Å"a† and â€Å"an†) articles. The Definite Article (The) As the name â€Å"definite† suggests, we use the definite article (â€Å"the†) when referring to a particular person or object. This could be because: There is only one of something (e.g., â€Å"the President of the U.S.A.†) We’re using a superlative (e.g., â€Å"the cutest puppy†) â€Å"The† is also useful when referring to something the reader or listener is already familiar with. This might be because we’ve already mentioned or implied what it is: I read a book last week, but the story wasnt great. In this example, we use â€Å"the† in the second part of the sentence because it clearly refers back to the book mentioned in the first part. Many books. But which one is the book?(Photo: BookBabe) Similarly, we can use â€Å"the† when the context makes it clear what we’re discussing. For instance, if we say we’re â€Å"going to the gym,† this obviously implies a specific gym (i.e., the local one), not just any of the many gyms that might be available. We also use â€Å"the† when referring abstractly to every example of something with a singular noun. For instance, while we could use the plural â€Å"cats† in the sentence: Cats are furry animals. We could also say the same thing using the singular noun â€Å"cat† if we add â€Å"the† in front: The cat is a furry animal. In this case, â€Å"the cat† refers to the species â€Å"cat† in general, not to a specific cat. Cats: delightfully furry.(Photo: Patrizia08) Indefinite Articles (A and An) Also aptly named, indefinite articles are used for referring to something when it is one of many possible examples or one of a generic type. In the example above, for instance, saying that we read â€Å"a book† shows that it was one of many possible books we could have read. Likewise, if we were to say we needed â€Å"a plumber,† we’d be asking for any plumber who is available, not one specific plumber. Or toilet magician, as we like to call them.(Photo: Wonderlane/flickr) Whether to use â€Å"a† or â€Å"an,† meanwhile, depends on the sound at the beginning of the next word: If it starts with a consonant sound, use â€Å"a† (e.g., â€Å"a puppy†). If it begins with a vowel sound, you should use â€Å"an† (e.g., â€Å"an egg†). This isn’t always a matter of spelling, since some words that start with a consonant begin with a vowel sound (e.g., â€Å"an hour†), and some words that start with a vowel actually begin with a consonant sound (e.g., â€Å"a universal truth†). No Article Required Finally, keep in mind that some nouns don’t require an article in some situations. This is known as the â€Å"zero article.† Common examples include: Mass nouns and plural nouns used abstractly (e.g., â€Å"Wine is delicious†) Most proper nouns (e.g., â€Å"David is writing a blogpost†) Some forms of transport or delivery (e.g., â€Å"It was sent by mail†) Most countries and languages (e.g., â€Å"I went to China†) The zero article can be confusing, since it depends on how a word is used. For instance, while we might say we saw something â€Å"on television† (no article) when referring to television as a medium, we’d say â€Å"turn on the television† if referring to the TV set in our living room. Whats on the television?Looks like a typewriter.(Photo: The Photographer/wikimedia) Likewise, place names can be tricky, since some require â€Å"the† (e.g., â€Å"the University of Chicago†) and others don’t (e.g., â€Å"Colombia University†). Ultimately, knowing when articles are required is a matter of practice. The important thing is, therefore, to check when you’re not sure (getting your work proofread is also a good idea).