While we are using nouns in English, we sometimes feel the need to use some additions to them/ before them.
These additions are called “Articles” which is any of the English words “a“, “an“, and “the“. They identify whether a noun is definite (specific or particular) or indefinite (general or unspecific).
Articles are divided into two categories:
1) The Definite Article – ‘the’
2) The Indefinite Articles – ‘a and an’
Note:
When we are talking about a noun, we have to ask ourselves the following question.
‘ What Kind of a Noun Am I Describing?’. And then We can choose one of the articles according to our answer.
If our answer is nonspecific noun, we use “a” or “an”.
a. “a/an” is used in front of singular countable nouns ( a person, animal or thing ) which are not specific.
Examples:
avehicle
aman
adog
anapple
anumbrella
There is anelephant in the zoo.
She is abeutiful woman.
It is aninformal way.
There is acat behind the door.
b. We don’t use “a/an” before uncountable or plural nouns.
Examples:
Can you give me a tea? ( wrong ) Can you give me some tea? ( correct )
A weather is rainy. ( wrong ) The weather is rainy. ( correct )
There are a books on the table. ( wrong ) There are three books on the table. ( correct )
c. The only one difference between A and AN;
If a noun starts with a consonant sound (b, c, d, f, g, h, j, k, etc.), “a” comes before the noun.
Examples:
achair
abird
achild
If the noun starts with a vowel sound (a, e, i, o, u), “an” comes before the noun.
Examples:
anorange
anegg
anant
Attention!!
In english, sounds of the words are important for using articles “a/an”.
Some nouns can start with a vowel letter. However, if its pronunciation ( the sound of the word ) starts with a consonant sound, “a” is used.
Examples:
auniversity ( “u” sound like yu )
aEuropean ( “e” sound like y )
Some nouns can start with a consonant sound. However, if its pronunciation ( the sound of the word ) starts with a vowel sound, “an” is used.
Examples:
anhour ( “h” is silent )
anhonest man ( “h” is silent )
2) DEFINITE ARTICLE ( THE )
We use ‘the’ in front of all nouns ( It does not matter whether the nouns are singular, plural countable or uncountable ) to describe someone or something specific or unique.
Examples:
Can you give me the ball? ( When talking about a special ball, not any of balls)
You should put the books on the shelf.
The shop is next to the hospital.
Last week I watched the new animated movie.
The soup was really delicious.
Using “The”;
a. It is used in front of nouns which we mentioned before
Examples:
Do you remember the woman I told you about?
Give me back the pen I gave you yesterday.
Please, select a book from the library. Good! Now, quikly turn the pages in the book.
b. It is used in front of nouns that are only one in the nature like sun, moon, earth, etc.
Examples:
the North pole
the South pole
the earth
the world
the universe
the sun
the moon
the sky
the air
the weather
the wind
the rain
the sea
the planet
c. It is used in front of geographic nouns ( like rivers, oceans, seas, deserts, forests, coasts, swamps, etc.) except from individual lakes, islands and mountains)
Examples:
the Nile River
the Baltic Sea
the Atlantic / Pacific Ocean
the Sahara Desert
the Amazon Forest
the Ivory Coast
the Vasyugan Swamp
Note:
If we talk about collections of lakes, groups of islands ( archipelago ), and mountain chains ( not individual lakes, islands, and mountains), ‘the’ is used.
Examples:
the Island Hawai ( group of islands )
the Greece Islands ( group of islands )
the Himalayas ( mountain chain )
the Dolomites ( mountain chain )
the Finger Lakes ( collection of lakes )
the Great Lakes ( collection of lakes )
Lake Michigan ( individual lake )
Utah Lake ( individual lake )
Cyprus ( individual island )
Jamaica ( individual island )
Everest ( individual mountain )
Mount Olympus ( individual mountain )
d. It is used in front of adjectives when we talk about particular groups or people within society.
Examples:
The rich have much money. ( The rich mean rich peoeple )
The poor do not have money. ( The poor mean poor people )
The young are very energetic. ( The young mean young people )
The old think past. ( The old mean old people )
e. It is used in front of musical instruments, cultural institutions and inventions like violin, piano, opera, radio, etc.
Examples:
the piano
the guitar
the violin
the flute
the drum
the theatre
the opera
the telephone
the radio
the television
BUT:
We do not mostly use ‘the’ with TV as an abbreviation.
Example:
There is a nice movie on TV. ( TV means television )
Nationalities or ethnic groups that end in “-ans”, like “Americans”, ‘the’ is not usually used.
Examples:
Mexicans
Hawaiians
Americans
Germans
g. It is used in front of a specific date while speaking but when we write it, we don’t use ‘the’.
Example:
Speaking: ‘We’ll go to America on the eighth of August’
Writing: We’ll go to America on 8th August.
h. It is used in front of university names which are used with ‘of’
Examples:
the University of Chicago
the University of London
the University of Texas
i. It is used in front of newspapers, buildings, empire, dynasty, temples, holy books, special ships and train, public enterprises, institutions names.
Examples:
the Titanic
the Taj Mahal
the East Roman Empire
the Temple of Artemis
the Times
the Grand Hotel
the Middle Eastern Languages Research Institute
the Bible
j. It is used in front of certain numbers
Examples:
the first
the second
the fifth
NO ARTICLES
a. Plural countable or uncountable nouns ( as a generalization ) do not get ‘the’
Examples:
Curiosity is a major feature for discoveries. ( NOT The Curiosity )
Mexican food is spicy. ( NOT The Mexican food )
Water is an indispensible need for all living things. ( NOT The Water )
Religion is a very important concept for many people . ( NOT The Religion )
Privacy is needed in all areas. ( NOT The Privacy )
b. Names of people do not get “the”
Examples:
The John ( wrong ) John ( correct )
The Susan ( wrong ) Susan ( correct )
The Steven ( wrong ) Steven ( correct )
The Margaret ( wrong ) Margaret ( correct )
BUT:
Family names ( If the last name with ‘s’ is written and is used to indicate the whole family) get ‘the’
Examples:
The Smiths ( The members of the Smith family) / ( The Smiths will come to us tomorrow. )
The Kennedys ( The members of the Kennedy family )
The State of Alaska ( wrong ) State of Alaska ( correct )
The Oxford Street ( wrong ) Oxford Street ( correct )
BUT:
If the countries consist of emirates, provinces or federations, unions and kingdom ‘the’ is used in front of the countries.
Examples:
the United States of America (The U.S.)
the United Kingdom (The UK)
the United Arabic Emirates
If the form of government is mentioned, ‘the’ is used in front of the countries.
Examples:
the Republic of Italy
the People’s Republic of China
If the country mentioned is the island country or the name of the country is plural, “the” is used
Examples:
the Netherlands
the Philippines
d. Geographical places like continents, beaches, waterfalls, and canyons do not get ‘the’
Examples:
Asia
Ora Beach
Angel Falls
Beaver Canyon
e. Planets do not get ‘the’
Examples:
Mars
Saturn
Mercury
BUT:
If planets names are used with the word of planet, ‘the’ is used
Examples:
the Planet Uranus
the Planet Jupiter
the Planet Venus
f. Scientific branches, languages, do not get ‘the’
Examples:
The Chemistry ( wrong ) Chemistry ( correct )
The Geometry ( wrong ) Geometry ( correct )
The Mathematics ( wrong ) Mathematics ( correct )
The Astronomy ( wrong ) Astronomy ( correct )
The Psychology ( wrong ) Psychology ( correct )
French ( language not people )
English ( language not people )
Spanish ( language not people )
g. Games and sports do not get “the”
Examples:
Football
Voleyball
Basketball
Poker
Skiing
h. If directional words (like north, west, southeast, left, right) directly follow a verb, ‘the’ is not used
Examples:
I should walk south.
At the corner, turn left and go straight.
BUT:
If a direction follows a preposition, we must use THE.
Examples:
They had to go to the north.
My country is in the west.
Our office is on the left.
i. Months and days do not get ‘the’
Examples:
I will see you Monday.
April and May are very colorful months.
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«Articles...........................»
ARTICLES:
While we are using nouns in English, we sometimes feel the need to use some additions to them/ before them.
These additions are called “Articles” which is any of the English words “a“, “an“, and “the“. They identify whether a noun is definite (specific or particular) or indefinite (general or unspecific).
Articles are divided into two categories:
1) The Definite Article – ‘the’
2) The Indefinite Articles – ‘a and an’
Note:
When we are talking about a noun, we have to ask ourselves the following question.
‘ What Kind of a Noun Am I Describing?’. And then We can choose one of the articles according to our answer.
If our answer is nonspecific noun, we use “a” or “an”.
If our answer is specific noun, we use “the”.
1) INDEFINITE ARTICLES A / AN
For much more information about A & An
a. “a/an” is used in front of singular countable nouns ( a person, animal or thing ) which are not specific.
Examples:
avehicle
aman
adog
anapple
anumbrella
There is anelephant in the zoo.
She is abeutiful woman.
It is aninformal way.
There is acat behind the door.
b. We don’t use “a/an” before uncountable or plural nouns.
Examples:
Can you give me a tea? ( wrong ) Can you give me some tea? ( correct )
A weather is rainy. ( wrong ) The weather is rainy. ( correct )
There are a books on the table. ( wrong ) There are three books on the table. ( correct )
c. The only one difference between A and AN;
If a noun starts with a consonant sound (b, c, d, f, g, h, j, k, etc.), “a” comes before the noun.
Examples:
achair
abird
achild
If the noun starts with a vowel sound (a, e, i, o, u), “an” comes before the noun.
Examples:
anorange
anegg
anant
Attention!!
In english, sounds of the words are important for using articles “a/an”.
Some nouns can start with a vowel letter. However, if its pronunciation ( the sound of the word ) starts with a consonant sound, “a” is used.
Examples:
auniversity ( “u” sound like yu )
aEuropean ( “e” sound like y )
Some nouns can start with a consonant sound. However, if its pronunciation ( the sound of the word ) starts with a vowel sound, “an” is used.
Examples:
anhour ( “h” is silent )
anhonest man ( “h” is silent )
2) DEFINITE ARTICLE ( THE )
We use ‘the’ in front of all nouns ( It does not matter whether the nouns are singular, plural countable or uncountable ) to describe someone or something specific or unique.
Examples:
Can you give me the ball? ( When talking about a special ball, not any of balls)
You should put the books on the shelf.
The shop is next to the hospital.
Last week I watched the new animated movie.
The soup was really delicious.
Using “The”;
a. It is used in front of nouns which we mentioned before
Examples:
Do you remember the woman I told you about?
Give me back the pen I gave you yesterday.
Please, select a book from the library. Good! Now, quikly turn the pages in the book.
b. It is used in front of nouns that are only one in the nature like sun, moon, earth, etc.
Examples:
the North pole
the South pole
the earth
the world
the universe
the sun
the moon
the sky
the air
the weather
the wind
the rain
the sea
the planet
c. It is used in front of geographic nouns ( like rivers, oceans, seas, deserts, forests, coasts, swamps, etc.) except from individual lakes, islands and mountains)
Examples:
the Nile River
the Baltic Sea
the Atlantic / Pacific Ocean
the Sahara Desert
the Amazon Forest
the Ivory Coast
the Vasyugan Swamp
Note:
If we talk about collections of lakes, groups of islands ( archipelago ), and mountain chains ( not individual lakes, islands, and mountains), ‘the’ is used.
Examples:
the Island Hawai ( group of islands )
the Greece Islands ( group of islands )
the Himalayas ( mountain chain )
the Dolomites ( mountain chain )
the Finger Lakes ( collection of lakes )
the Great Lakes ( collection of lakes )
Lake Michigan ( individual lake )
Utah Lake ( individual lake )
Cyprus ( individual island )
Jamaica ( individual island )
Everest ( individual mountain )
Mount Olympus ( individual mountain )
d. It is used in front of adjectives when we talk about particular groups or people within society.
Examples:
The rich have much money. ( The rich mean rich peoeple )
The poor do not have money. ( The poor mean poor people )
The young are very energetic. ( The young mean young people )
The old think past. ( The old mean old people )
e. It is used in front of musical instruments, cultural institutions and inventions like violin, piano, opera, radio, etc.
Examples:
the piano
the guitar
the violin
the flute
the drum
the theatre
the opera
the telephone
the radio
the television
BUT:
We do not mostly use ‘the’ with TV as an abbreviation.
Example:
There is a nice movie on TV. ( TV means television )
f. It is used in front of the people of the countries. (For the list of Countries and People(Citizen) in English)
Examples:
The Canadian
The English
The Chinese
The French
The Mexican
The Russian
BUT:
Nationalities or ethnic groups that end in “-ans”, like “Americans”, ‘the’ is not usually used.
Examples:
Mexicans
Hawaiians
Americans
Germans
g. It is used in front of a specific date while speaking but when we write it, we don’t use ‘the’.
Example:
Speaking: ‘We’ll go to America on the eighth of August’
Writing: We’ll go to America on 8th August. h. It is used in front of university names which are used with ‘of’
Examples:
the University of Chicago
the University of London
the University of Texas
i. It is used in front of newspapers, buildings, empire, dynasty, temples, holy books, special ships and train, public enterprises, institutions names.
Examples:
the Titanic
the Taj Mahal
the East Roman Empire
the Temple of Artemis
the Times
the Grand Hotel
the Middle Eastern Languages Research Institute
the Bible
j. It is used in front of certain numbers
Examples:
the first
the second
the fifth
NO ARTICLES
a. Plural countable or uncountable nouns ( as a generalization ) do not get ‘the’
Examples:
Curiosity is a major feature for discoveries. ( NOT The Curiosity )
Mexican food is spicy. ( NOT The Mexican food )
Water is an indispensible need for all living things. ( NOT The Water )
Religion is a very important concept for many people . ( NOT The Religion )
Privacy is needed in all areas. ( NOT The Privacy )
b. Names of people do not get “the”
Examples:
The John ( wrong ) John ( correct )
The Susan ( wrong ) Susan ( correct )
The Steven ( wrong ) Steven ( correct )
The Margaret ( wrong ) Margaret ( correct )
BUT:
Family names ( If the last name with ‘s’ is written and is used to indicate the whole family) get ‘the’
Examples:
The Smiths ( The members of the Smith family) / ( The Smiths will come to us tomorrow. )
The Kennedys ( The members of the Kennedy family )
The Browns ( The members of the Brown family )
The Candys ( The members of the Candy family )
c. Countries, cities, towns, states and streets do not get ‘the’ (For The List of Detailed Country Names in English)
Examples:
The England ( wrong) England ( correct )
The London ( wrong ) London ( correct )
The Germany ( wrong ) Germany ( correct )
The Berlin ( wrong ) Berlin ( correct )
The Ville Town ( wrong ) Ville Town ( correct )
The State of Alaska ( wrong) State of Alaska ( correct )
The Oxford Street ( wrong ) Oxford Street ( correct )
BUT:
If the countries consist of emirates, provinces or federations, unions and kingdom ‘the’ is used in front of the countries.
Examples:
the United States of America (The U.S.)
the United Kingdom (The UK)
the United Arabic Emirates
If the form of government is mentioned, ‘the’ is used in front of the countries.
Examples:
the Republic of Italy
the People’s Republic of China
If the country mentioned is the island country or the name of the country is plural, “the” is used
Examples:
the Netherlands
the Philippines
d. Geographical places like continents, beaches, waterfalls, and canyons do not get ‘the’
Examples:
Asia
Ora Beach
Angel Falls
Beaver Canyon
e. Planets do not get ‘the’
Examples:
Mars
Saturn
Mercury
BUT:
If planets names are used with the word of planet, ‘the’ is used
Examples:
the Planet Uranus
the Planet Jupiter
the Planet Venus
f. Scientific branches, languages, do not get ‘the’
Examples:
The Chemistry ( wrong ) Chemistry ( correct )
The Geometry ( wrong) Geometry ( correct )
The Mathematics ( wrong) Mathematics ( correct )
The Astronomy ( wrong) Astronomy ( correct )
The Psychology ( wrong) Psychology ( correct )
French ( language not people )
English ( language not people )
Spanish ( language not people )
g. Games and sports do not get “the”
Examples:
Football
Voleyball
Basketball
Poker
Skiing
h. If directional words (like north, west, southeast, left, right) directly follow a verb, ‘the’ is not used
Examples:
I should walk south.
At the corner, turn left and go straight.
BUT:
If a direction follows a preposition, we must use THE.