A, An,
and, The
The use
of
articles in English-a,
an, and the-canbe diffrcult to leam, especially if
your
first
language
doesn't use articles.
The
following rules and examples are adapted from
Keys to
Teaching Grammar to English Language Learners: A Practical Handbookby
Keith S. Folze and
Betty Azar
(University
of Michigan Press, 2009).
No Article
Rule Example
When
you want
to talk about
a category
or
group
in general,
use
no article.
general:
Cats can be
great
pets
specific:
The
cats
in that
pet
store are
expensive.
Use no article before abstract
nouns
such as
feelings
or
ideas
(usually
nouns
you
can't
count).
wrozg. A
person's
future success depends on
the
education
correct:
A
person's
future success depends on
education
wrong: The
patience
is a virtue.
correct: Patience is
a
virtue.
Indefinite Articles: a, az
Rule Example
Use a or an before a singular noun that
you
can
count.
I'm reading a
book.
wrong:
I'm walking on a sand
Use a or az before a
singular
noun that is not
specific and is being mentioned for the first
time.
Speaker A: We went to an ice
cream shop, and
later we watched
a movie.
Speaker
B: Which
ice cream shop?
Speaker
A: The
one on Columbia Road.
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Definite Article: t e
Rule Example
Use lfte when
you
are talking about something
specific.
general:
I wish I had an umbrella right now!
specific:
The
umbrella
next
to the
door is not
mine-
Use t/re when the speaker and the listener are
talking about the same specific item.
general:
Every kitchen has a refrigerator.
specific: William, don't forget to close the
re frigerator !
Use lle for the second and all other references
to the same noun.
first
reference: James
and
I bought a new
computer last month.
second reference. The computer lets us access
the Intemet
really
quickly.
Use tfre
with
the superlative form of an
adiective,
which
means
with
the
word rnosl
or
with the
ending
-esl.
comparative: In a
jewelry
store,
gold is
more
expensive than silver.
superlative: In a
jewelry
store, diamonds are
the most expensive item.
Use lie for the names of countries that look
plural,
including countries that end in s or
have
the
words
united, union,
republic,
or
kingdom.
The
Philippines, the Netherlands, the United
States, the Soviet Union, the Dominican
Republic, the United Kingdom, the Kingdom
of Saudi Arabia
Use lle for the
parts
of something.
(Exception:
In general, we
do
not
use lle
for
body
parts).
General: In
a
kitchen,
there
is
a stove,
a
re frigerator, and a sink.
Parts: 1 went to Mary's new house last night.
Her kitchen
is beautiful.
The
refrigerator is
silver,
the
stove
is
black, and the sink is huge.
Use ly'le with most bodies of
water
except
individual lakes.
the Mississippi River
the Pacific Ocean
the Mediterranean Sea
the
Great
Lakes
(but
Lake Michigan)
Use lfte with
geographic pafis
ofthe
globe
and
geographic
areas, deserts, and
peninsulas.
the
equator
the Middle East
the Gobi Desert
the South
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Writing
Center
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writingcenter.und.edu
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