A(An) vs The
USE 1
The article A is used before singular, countable nouns which begin with consonant sounds.
Examples:
- He is a teacher.
- She doesn't own a car.
- I saw a bear at the zoo.
USE 2
The article AN is used before singular, countable nouns which begin with vowel sounds.
Examples:
- He is an actor.
- She didn't get an invitation.
- I saw an eagle at the zoo.
USE 3
Remember that A(AN) means "one" or "a single". You cannot use A(AN) with plural nouns.
Examples:
- I saw a bears in Yellowstone National Park. Not Correct
- I saw bears in Yellowstone National Park. Correct
USE 4
Use AN before words such as "hour" which sound like they start with a vowel even if the first letter is a consonant. Also use AN before letters and numbers which sound like they begin with a vowel, such as "F" or "8". Remember, it is the sound not the spelling which is important. For example, "F" is pronounced "eff" like it starts with an "E".
Examples:
- I only have an hour for lunch. Sounds like "au-er".
- Does his name begin with an "F"? Sounds like "eff".
USE 5
In English, some nouns are considered uncountable such as: information, air, advice, salt and fun. We do not use A(AN) with these uncountable nouns. (Learn more about countable and uncountable nouns.)
Examples:
- She gives a good advice. Not Correct
- She gives good advice. Correct
USE 6
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 7
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
USE 8
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:
Can you give me the book on the table.
We use THE in this sentence because the phrase "on the table" tells the listener which book we are referring to. We are not talking about other books, we are talking about a specific book that the listener can see or already knows about. Learning to recognize such identifying clauses and phrases will help you use THE correctly.
Examples:
- 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.
- The phone on my desk belongs to Ken.
- Did you know the man who was talking to Leonie?
For better understanding about Articles.. watch these short clips.. ! Enjoy..!
NOW......Let's do some practice :)
Choose the correct article: a, an, the.
I
am international
student from Philippines. I
decided that if I wanted to improve my English skills I should study English
in English
speaking country.
First of all, I researched all English
speaking countries and considered many factors including tuition fees, cost of
living, approval to work part-time and climate. I decided that I
would like to study in Australia.
Then, I applied for student
visa. application
process was complex and I had to wait long
time for decision. However,
it was worth long
wait because finally I was approved.
Once I received visa
I made my arrangements: airfare, accommodation, institution and start date. I
was so excited.
Before too long I was on aeroplane flying to Australia. I arrived on glorious
sunny day. I took taxi
to my accommodation. taxi
driver was very friendly and welcomed me to Australia. He said
“G’day mate” just like Crocodile Dundee! He even looked like
him.
family
I am staying with is very nice. They are Australian
family and they usually have two international students staying with them at
any one time.
I had two days to explore my new city and
then I started this course today. Today is very
special day for me. I am nervous but I am happy!
Fill in the blanks with the correct article.
Ms Parrot, most famous lady detective of twenty-first century, was born in United Kingdom in 1960s. Since then, she has been to
many countries, including Portugal, Singapore and Australia, and
has lived in northern hemisphere and southern hemisphere, as well as on equator. She has never been to Philippines or United States, but she speaks English, French and Portuguese. Like
Sherlock Holmes, famous detective, she plays violin, and sometimes practises up to
five times day. She is also only person in world to have performed Tchaikovsky's
1812 overture in one breath on recorder.
She has been detective for thirty years and claims
that although many people think that being detective is piece of cake, detectives generally
work very hard and it's not all fun and games. detective is someone who solves
mysteries, and people who contact Ms Parrot have some
very unusual problems. Little information is available about some of cases she has solved, but few of her most famous cases have
attracted worldwide attention and she has been offered up to thousand dollars hour to help solve mysteries such as case of Australian owl in uniform. bird laid egg in European
nest in less than hour after its arrival. What strange problem!
With great modesty, she has either declined such fee or donated money to poor, or to Grammar Survival Fund, believing that detective should use their skills for common good.
