Definite and indefinite articles

ARTICLES

• Basically, articles are either definite or indefinite. They combine to a noun to indicate the type of reference being made by the noun.
• The definite article is the.
• The indefinite article is a / an.

Indefinite Articles A-AN

• The article a / an is used when we don't specify the things or people we are talking about:
• I met a friend.
• I work in a factory in New York.
• I borrowed a pencil from a passenger sitting next to me.
• The indefinite article a is used before a consonant sound:
• a dog.
• a pilot
• a teacher.
• a university
• NOTE:
• Although 'university' starts with the vowel 'u', it is not pronounced as such. It is pronounced as a consonant sound /ju:.niv3:.si.ti/
• The indefinite article an is used before a vowel sound:
• an engineer.
• an elephant.
• an athlete

when do we use A-AN ?

• We use a / an before singular countable nouns, when we mention them for the first time.
• I live in a small town.
• Take an umbrella when you go out – it’s raining.
• We also use the indefinite article to talk about our jobs.
• She’s a teacher.
• She’s an architect.
• when we want to give the meaning of 'any'
• Give me a book please ( any books = it doesn't matter, just give me any. )
• Could you please buy me a pencil at the stationary ? ( any pencils, it doesn't matter )
• -We use the in many expressions with 'of'
• The author of the book is R.K.Rowling.
• Paris is the capital of France.

When do we use a/aN?

• A and AN are called indefinite articles. "Indefinite" means "not specific". Use A(AN) when you are talking about a thing in general, NOT a specific thing.
• Examples:
• I need a phone. Not a specific phone, any phone
• Mark wants a bicycle. Not a particular bicycle, a bicycle in general
• Do you have a driver's license? In general
• Use A(AN) when talking about a thing which is new, unknown, or introduced to a listener for the first time. Also use A(AN) when you are asking about the existence of something.
• Examples:
• I have a car. The car is being introduced for the first time.
• Tom is a teacher. This is new information to the listener.
• Is there a dictionary in your backpack? Asking about the existence of the dictionary
• Similarly, use A(AN) to introduce what type of thing we are talking about.
• Examples:
• That is an excellent book. Describing the kind of book
• Do you live in a big house? Asking about the kind of house
• I ate a thick, juicy steak. Describing the kind of steak
• REMEMBER: You cannot use A(AN) with plural nouns because A(AN) means "one" or "a single".
• Examples:
• I saw a bears in Yellowstone National Park. Not Correct
• I saw bears in Yellowstone National Park. Correct
• Basic English: Indefinite Articles A & AN Lesson 3 (Embed)

Definite Article THE

• We can use “the” before all nouns: singular or plural countable, and uncountable.
• We use “the” when we talk about something for the second time, or when we talk about unique or specific things.
• 1. Talking about something for the second time
• “I live in a small town. The town is near a large city.”
• 2. Talking about specific things
• “I like getting presents.” (general)
• “The presents I received for my birthday were fantastic.” (Specific presents – the presents for my birthday.)
• 3. Talking about unique things
• Some things in the world are unique, and we use “the”:
• The sun
• The earth
• The moon
• “Can you see the moon tonight?”
• “The sun is millions of miles away from the earth.”
• “I like looking at the stars.”
• Countries
• We use “the” when the country is plural.
• “The People’s Republic of China” (more than one people)
• “The Philippines” (more than one island)
• “The United Kingdom” (more than one country)
• “The United States of America” (more than one state)
• THE is called a definite article. "Definite" means "specific". Use THE when talking about something which is already known to the listener or which has been previously mentioned, introduced, or discussed.
• Examples:
• I have a cat. The cat is black.
• There is a book in my backpack. The book is very heavy.
• Do you know where I left the car keys? The listener knows which specific car keys you are talking about.
• Do you own a car? Is the car blue? You assume they do have a car after asking about it in the first sentence.
• Nobody lives on the Moon. The Moon is known to everyone.
• IMPORTANT: You can use THE with both singular nouns and plural nouns.
• Examples:
• I saw the bear in Yellowstone National Park. Correct
• I saw the bears in Yellowstone National Park. Correct
• Many clauses and phrases make the noun known to the listener by telling the listener which person or thing we are talking about. Let's look at an example sentence:
• Did you read the book which I gave you?
• He didn't like the movie that you suggested.
• He loved the dessert with chocolate and cherries.
• Can you give me the book on the table.

the

• - superlatives
• the ugliest, the biggest, the cheapest
• -points of compass and poles
• the west, the east
• The North Pole / The south pole
• -ordinal numbers
• This is the first time I have ever eaten sushi.
• The second student is Tom.
• - group islands ( The Bahamas, The Maldives
• -united countries ( The United Nations, The USA)
• -mountain ranges ( The Alps, The Himalayas)
• -musical insturments ( I can play the guitar.)
• -Rivers,seas, oceans,canals.
• The Nile, The Kizilirmak, The Yesilirmak
• The Aegean Sea, The Mediterennean
• the Pacific Ocean, The Atlantic Ocean
• The Panama Canal, The Suez Canal
• -deserts: The Sahara, The Gobi
• -nationalities . The English, The British
• -family names : The Browns, The Wiiliams
• -hotels : The Ritz, The Hilton
• -cinemas : The prestige, The Parkavsar
• -newspapers The Sun, The NewYork Times
• -inventions : the television, the light bulb

LET's WATCH GUYS !

• How To Use Definite Article The (Embed)

ZERO ARTICLE

• -Articles are not always necessary. A noun can be correctly used in a sentence without a definite article or indefinite article preceding it. In such a case, the term zero article is used.
• He travels to work by train.
• (Not: He travels to work by a/the train.)
• No article is used when making generalization with plural countable nouns and singular uncountable nouns.
• Cars are still expensive for lower-income people. (Countable noun)
• Flying is far safer than driving. (Uncountable noun)
• He loves drawing wild horses. (Countable noun)
• (Not: He loves drawing the wild horses.)
• for general statements:
• Pigs are farm animals.
• (Not: The pigs are farm animals.)
• Bats are nocturnal creatures.
• -before proper nouns:
• He is a fan of Michael Jackson.
• (Not: He is a fan of the Michael Jackson.)
• -before illness:
• She came down with measles and had to stay in bed.
• Not: She came down with the measles and had to stay in bed.
• -before name of materials:
• Gold is found in Australia.
• (Not: The gold is found in Australia
• -before the name of cities, states, countries, islands, or mountains:,lakes
• India achieved independence in 1947.
• (Not: The India achieved independence in 1947.)
• Mount Everest is the world's highest mountain.
• (Not: The Mount Everest is the world's highest mountain.)
• Lake Van and Lake Tuz are in Turkiye.
• -before some institutions and places such as church,school,court,prison,college,university if they are used for their own right purpose.
• If someone is at the place because they are a student / are sick / a prisoner, etc, we don't use the. If they are there for another reason, or we are talking about the building, we use the.
• The children go to school by bus.
• I go to the school to help twice a week.
• Ben's studying maths at university.
• He works in the canteen at the university.
• She was in hospital for three weeks.
• Is there a shop in the hospital?