Using Articles

Summary:

This handout discusses the differences between indefinite articles (a/an) and definite articles (the).

What is an article? Basically, an article is an adjective. Like adjectives, articles modify nouns.

English has two articles: the and a/an. The is used to refer to specific or particular nouns;a/an is used to
modify non-specific or non-particular nouns. We call the the definite article and a/an the indefinite article.

the = definite article

a/an = indefinite article

For example, if I say, "Let's read the book," I mean a specific book. If I say, "Let's read a book," I mean
any book rather than a specific book.

Here's another way to explain it: The is used to refer to a specific or particular member of a group. For
example, "I just saw the most popular movie of the year." There are many movies, but only one particular
movie is the most popular. Therefore, we use the.

"A/an" is used to refer to a non-specific or non-particular member of the group. For example, "I would like
to go see a movie." Here, we're not talking about a specific movie. We're talking about any movie. There
are many movies, and I want to see any movie. I don't have a specific one in mind.

Let's look at each kind of article a little more closely.

Indefinite Articles: a and an

"A" and "an" signal that the noun modified is indefinite, referring to any member of a group. For example:

 "My daughter really wants a dog for Christmas." This refers to any dog. We don't know which dog
because we haven't found the dog yet.
 "Somebody call a policeman!" This refers to any policeman. We don't need a specific policeman; we
need any policeman who is available.
 "When I was at the zoo, I saw an elephant!" Here, we're talking about a single, non-specific thing, in
this case an elephant. There are probably several elephants at the zoo, but there's only one we're
talking about here.

Remember, using a or an depends on the sound that begins the next word. So...

 a + singular noun beginning with a consonant: a boy; a car; a bike; a zoo; a dog
 an + singular noun beginning with a vowel: an elephant; an egg; an apple; an idiot; an orphan
 a + singular noun beginning with a consonant sound: a user (sounds like 'yoo-zer,' i.e. begins with a
consonant 'y' sound, so 'a' is used); a university; a unicycle
 an + nouns starting with silent "h": an hour
 a + nouns starting with a pronounced "h": a horse
 In some cases where "h" is pronounced, such as "historical," you can use an. However, a is more
commonly used and preferred.

A historical event is worth recording.

Remember that these rules also apply when you use acronyms:
Introductory Composition at Purdue (ICaP) handles first-year writing at the University. Therefore, an ICaP
memo generally discusses issues concerning English 106 instructors.

Another case where this rule applies is when acronyms start with consonant letters but have vowel
sounds:

An MSDS (material safety data sheet) was used to record the data. An SPCC plan (Spill Prevention
Control and Countermeasures plan) will help us prepare for the worst.

If the noun is modified by an adjective, the choice between a and an depends on the initial sound of the
adjective that immediately follows the article:

 a broken egg
 an unusual problem
 a European country (sounds like 'yer-o-pi-an,' i.e. begins with consonant 'y' sound)

Remember, too, that in English, the indefinite articles are used to indicate membership in a group:

 I am a teacher. (I am a member of a large group known as teachers.)

 Brian is an Irishman. (Brian is a member of the people known as Irish.)
 Seiko is a practicing Buddhist. (Seiko is a member of the group of people known as Buddhists.)

Definite Article: the

The definite article is used before singular and plural nouns when the noun is specific or particular. The
signals that the noun is definite, that it refers to a particular member of a group. For example:

"The dog that bit me ran away." Here, we're talking about a specific dog, the dog that bit me.

"I was happy to see the policeman who saved my cat!" Here, we're talking about a particular policeman.
Even if we don't know the policeman's name, it's still a particular policeman because it is the one who
saved the cat.

"I saw the elephant at the zoo." Here, we're talking about a specific noun. Probably there is only one
elephant at the zoo.

Count and Noncount Nouns

The can be used with noncount nouns, or the article can be omitted entirely.

 "I love to sail over the water" (some specific body of water) or "I love to sail over water" (any water).
 "He spilled the milk all over the floor" (some specific milk, perhaps the milk you bought earlier that
day) or "He spilled milk all over the floor" (any milk).

"A/an" can be used only with count nouns.

 "I need a bottle of water."

 "I need a new glass of milk."

Most of the time, you can't say, "She wants a water," unless you're implying, say, a bottle of water.

Geographical use of the

There are some specific rules for using the with geographical nouns.
Do not use the before:

 names of most countries/territories: Italy, Mexico, Bolivia; however, the Netherlands, the Dominican
Republic, the Philippines, the United States
 names of cities, towns, or states: Seoul, Manitoba, Miami
 names of streets: Washington Blvd., Main St.
 names of lakes and bays: Lake Titicaca, Lake Erie except with a group of lakes like the Great Lakes
 names of mountains: Mount Everest, Mount Fuji except with ranges of mountains like the Andes or
the Rockies or unusual names like the Matterhorn
 names of continents (Asia, Europe)
 names of islands (Easter Island, Maui, Key West) except with island chains like the Aleutians, the
Hebrides, or the Canary Islands

Do use the before:

 names of rivers, oceans and seas: the Nile, the Pacific

 points on the globe: the Equator, the North Pole
 geographical areas: the Middle East, the West
 deserts, forests, gulfs, and peninsulas: the Sahara, the Persian Gulf, the Black Forest, the Iberian
Peninsula

Omission of Articles

Some common types of nouns that don't take an article are:

 Names of languages and nationalities: Chinese, English, Spanish, Russian (unless you are referring
to the population of the nation: "The Spanish are known for their warm hospitality.")
 Names of sports: volleyball, hockey, baseball
 Names of academic subjects: mathematics, biology, history, computer science

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DEFINITE AND INDEFINITE ARTICLES

In English there are three articles: a, an, and the. Articles are used before nouns or noun equivalents and
are a type of adjective. The definite article (the) is used before a noun to indicate that the identity of the
noun is known to the reader. The indefinite article (a, an) is used before a noun that is general or when its
identity is not known. There are certain situations in which a noun takes no article.

As a guide, the following definitions and table summarize the basic use of articles. Continue reading for a
more detailed explanation of the rules and for examples of how and when to apply them.

Definite article

the (before a singular or plural noun)

Indefinite article

a (before a singular noun beginning with a consonant sound)

an (before a singular noun beginning with a vowel sound)

Count nouns - refers to items that can be counted and are either singular or plural

Non-count nouns - refers to items that are not counted and are always singular

COUNT NON-COUNT
NOUNS NOUNS

Rule #1 a, an (no article)

Specific identity not

known

Rule #2 the the

Specific identity
known

Rule #3 (no article) (no article)

All things or things

in general

For the purposes of understanding how articles are used, it is important to know that nouns can be either
count (can be counted) or noncount (indefinite in quantity and cannot be counted). In addition, count
nouns are either singular (one) or plural (more than one). Noncount nouns are always in singular form.
For example, if we are speaking of water that has been spilled on the table, there can be one drop
(singular) or two or more drops (plural) of water on the table. The word drop in this example is a count
noun because we can count the number of drops. Therefore, according to the rules applying to count
nouns, the word drop would use the articles a or the.

However, if we are speaking of water in general spilled on the table, it would not be appropriate to count
one water or two waters -- there would simply be water on the table. Water is a noncount noun.
Therefore, according to the rules applying to noncount nouns, the word water would use no article or the,
but not a.

Following are the three specific rules which explain the use of definite and indefinite articles.

Rule #1 - Specific identity not known: Use the indefinite article a or an only with a singular count noun
whose specific identity is not known to the reader. Use a before nouns that begin with a consonant sound,
and use an before nouns that begin with a vowel sound.

Use the article a or an to indicate any non-specified member of a group or category.

I think an animal is in the garage

That man is a scoundrel.

We are looking for an apartment.

Use the article a or an to indicate one in number (as opposed to more than one).

I own a cat and two dogs.

Use the article a before a consonant sound, and use an before a vowel sound.

a boy, an apple

◊ Sometimes an adjective comes between the article and noun:

an unhappy boy, a red apple

The plural form of a or an is some. Use some to indicate an unspecified, limited amount (but more than
one).

an apple, some apples

Rule #2 - Specific identity known: Use the definite article the with any noun (whether singular or
plural, count or noncount) when the specific identity of the noun is known to the reader, as in the
following situations:

Use the article the when a particular noun has already been mentioned previously.

I ate an apple yesterday. The apple was juicy and delicious.

Use the article the when an adjective, phrase, or clause describing the noun clarifies or restricts its
identity.

The boy sitting next to me raised his hand.

Thank you for the advice you gave me.

Use the article the when the noun refers to something or someone that is unique.

the theory of relativity

the 2003 federal budget

Rule #3 - All things or things in general: Use no article with plural count nouns or any noncount
nouns used to mean all or in general.

Trees are beautiful in the fall. (All trees are beautiful in the fall.)

He was asking for advice. (He was asking for advice in general.)

I do not like coffee. (I do not like all coffee in general.)

Additional Information Regarding the Use of Articles

When indicating an unspecified, limited amount of a count or noncount noun, use some.

My cousin was seeking some advice from a counselor (not advice in general or advice about everything,
but a limited amount of advice).

I would love some coffee right now (not coffee in general, but a limited amount of coffee).

We might get rain tomorrow. Some rain would be good for the crops (a certain amount of rain, as
opposed to rain in general).

There are some drops of water on the table (a limited number, but more than one drop).

Noncount nouns are those which usually cannot be counted. Following are some common examples:

◊ Certain food and drink items: bacon, beef, bread, broccoli, butter, cabbage, candy, cauliflower, celery,
cereal, cheese, chicken, chocolate, coffee, corn, cream, fish, flour, fruit, ice cream, lettuce, meat, milk, oil,
pasta, rice, salt, spinach, sugar, tea, water, wine, yogurt

◊ Certain nonfood substances: air, cement, coal, dirt, gasoline, gold, paper, petroleum, plastic, rain,
silver, snow, soap, steel, wood, wool

◊ Most abstract nouns: advice, anger, beauty, confidence, courage, employment, fun, happiness,
health, honesty, information, intelligence, knowledge, love, poverty, satisfaction, truth, wealth

◊ Areas of study: history, math, biology, etc.

◊ Sports: soccer, football, baseball, hockey, etc.

◊ Languages: Chinese, Spanish, Russian, English, etc.

◊ Other: clothing, equipment, furniture, homework, jewelry, luggage, lumber, machinery, mail, money,
news, poetry, pollution, research, scenery, traffic, transportation, violence, weather, work

Geographical names are confusing because some require the and some do not.

◊ Use the with: united countries, large regions, deserts, peninsulas, oceans, seas, gulfs, canals, rivers,
mountain ranges, groups of islands:
the Gobi Desert

the United Arab Emirates

the Sacramento River

the Aleutians

◊ Do not use the with: streets, parks, cities, states, counties, most countries, continents, bays, single
lakes, single mountains, islands:

Japan

Chico

Mt. Everest

San Francisco Bay

Examples of the Use of Articles

I do not want a gun in my house (any gun).

The gun is in his closet (implies there is a specific gun).

I am afraid of guns (all guns in general).

She sent me a postcard from Italy (an unspecific postcard - not a letter, not an e-mail).

It's the postcard that I have in my office (one specific postcard).

Getting postcards makes me want to travel (any postcard in general).

I have a dog (one dog).

The dog is very friendly (the dog that I have already mentioned).

Dogs make great pets (dogs in general).

Greta needs furniture in her apartment (furniture is a noncount noun).

She is going to select the furniture that she needs (the specific furniture that she needs).

She hopes to find some furniture this weekend (an unspecified, limited amount of furniture).

We are going to see the Statue of Liberty this weekend (the only Statue of Liberty).