Articles Tutorial (A, An, The)

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  a an the international student from  a an The Philippines.  I decided that if I wanted to improve my English skills I should study English in  a an the English speaking country. 

First of all, I researched all  a an the 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  a an the student visa.   A An The application process was complex and I had to wait  a an the long time for a an the  decision. However, it was worth  a an the long wait because finally I was approved. 

Once I received  a an the visa I made my arrangements: airfare, accommodation, institution and start date. I was so excited. 

Before too long I was on  a an the aeroplane flying to Australia.  I arrived on  a an the glorious sunny day.  I took  a an the taxi to my accommodation.   A An The taxi driver was very friendly and welcomed me to Australia.  He said “G’day mate” just like Crocodile Dundee!  He even looked like him. 

A An The family I am staying with is very nice.  They are  a an the 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  a an the 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.

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