When is the article a used? Use of the articles the, a, an in English

Rules for the use of definite and indefinite articles (Articles) in spoken English.

The correct use of the indefinite and definite articles in English speech is very important for mutual understanding. When communicating with an English-speaking person, you risk being misunderstood if you make mistakes in using the article.

What is an article?

An article in English is a function word, which is one of the main formal features of a noun, defines it, stands before the noun or before the word that defines it. The article is not used independently, has no meaning and is not translated into Russian.

Example

a pen - pen
a blue pen - blue pen

In Slavic languages ​​and, in particular, in Russian, articles do not exist, so many students of English have difficulty understanding how, where and why to use articles. In English, by using articles, a clarification is made - we are talking about an abstract or concrete subject.

Indefinite article

The indefinite article has two forms: a And an, used before singular countable nouns. Form a[ə] used before words that begin with a consonant. Form an[æn] used before words that begin with a vowel sound.

Indefinite (a/an)

The indefinite article a (an) is used:

1. When we mention a subject for the first time.
Example:
I saw a cat. - I saw a cat.

2. Before the names of professions.
Example:
I am a doctor. - I am a doctor.

3. Before a noun, if it is preceded by an adjective that describes it.
Example:
She is a beautiful woman. - She is a beautiful woman.

4. In combinations

• a couple
• a pair
• a little
• a few

Definite article

The definite article has one form the [ði:], is used when we are talking about something specific or previously encountered in a context, conversation, or something that is known to the interlocutor from his general knowledge. Definite article the comes from the word that (that), can be used with singular and plural nouns, with countable and uncountable.

Although the article the It is always written the same way, its pronunciation differs depending on what letter the word following it begins with. Before vowels the pronounced with a long at the end (transcription [ði:]), and before consonants - with the sound [ə] (transcription [ðə]).

Definite (the)

The definite article the is used:

1. When we talk about an object or person that has already been mentioned before or the context makes it clear what we mean.
Example:
I saw a cat. The cat was black.
We've talked about this cat before.

Where is your son? - Where is your son?
He is in the kitchen. - He's in the kitchen.
The house only has one kitchen, so it's clear what we mean.

2. Before items that are unique or exist in a single copy.

The Sun, the Moon, the President (there is only one president in the country)

3. Before adjectives in the superlative degree the best.

4. Before names:

• seas (the Black Sea);
• rivers (the Danube);
• oceans (the Atlantic Ocean);
• newspaper names (The Times);
• hotels (the Black Sea hotel);
• theaters, galleries, museums.

Zero article

No article

The article is not used:

1. If we talk about a subject in general, as a class.
For example: “I am afraid of dogs.” - I'm afraid of dogs.
I'm not afraid of any specific dog, but of all dogs in general.
That is, I'm talking about dogs in general as a class.

2. The article is not used before:

• names of countries (England);
  • exceptions: the USA, The Great Britain;
• names of cities (London);
• street names (Bakers street);
• languages ​​(English);
• airports, stations.

3. Articles are not used in expressions:

• at home;
• at school;
• at university;
• at work / to work;
• in bed / to bed;
• by bus / by train / by car.

Do practice exercises

Supply “a/an”, “the” or “--“:

Example

He is (_) strong man. – He is a strong man.

1. I'm going to bed. I've got (_) headache.
2. Paris is (_) capital of France.
3. I'll be back in (_) minute.
4. (_) black is her favorite color.
5. I go to (_) cinema twice (_) week.
6. Coffee (_) produced in Brazil.
7. They make (_) good coffee here.
8. She does not know (_) English, she speaks (_) Spanish.
9. My brother, (_) geographic teacher, knows (_) lot about it.
10. I saw (_) wonderful picture.
11. Mister Alan grandma was (_) artist.
12. (_) cats should eat fish.
13. She is (_)economical woman.
14. (_) president is changing every 4 years.
15. I bought (_) couple of glasses in (_) museum yesterday.

Articles cause a lot of difficulties, and not only because in Russian there is no analogue and nothing to compare with. But because despite its specific meaning, there are many cases of use and exceptions to them. So, what is the essence of the definite article the?

The definite article also defines a noun by indicating its specificity. Its roots grow from the demonstrative pronoun that, which, like the article the, indicates something specific, precise, definite. One form, two pronunciations.

Small features of using the article the

As with the indefinite, it all depends on the noun that follows. So, if there is a consonant at the beginning of the word, then the is pronounced as [ðƏ], and if there is a vowel or silent h, then - [ði]. Very often, the definite article in English is replaced by possessive pronouns if it is important to indicate who owns this or that object, person, etc. In some cases, it is replaced by its ancestors - demonstrative pronouns - this, that, these, those. Sometimes, even if the is written in a sentence, in Russian it sounds like “this, that, those.”

The day was very interesting and full of emotions. — The day was very interesting and full of emotions.

My day was very interesting and full of emotions. — My day was very interesting and full of emotions.

When is the article the used?

Almost every noun in English must be accompanied. The use of the article the has a number of cases that need to be remembered.

1. If the item one of a kind (the earth, the sky, the sun , the Taj Mahal) and there are no other analogues, then we put the. The same is true with an object that the only one in the situation . For example, sitting in a room, you ask to close the door, the only one that is there.

Look at the moon! It is shining brightly. - Look at the moon. She shines brightly.

Close the door, please. — Close the door, please.

2. With nouns, being in the function of circumstances (where something is: in a garden, in a city, implying a specific garden or city), the definite article is also used. By using the article the, you specify.

It was very dark in the room. — The room was very dark.

They are working in the field. — They are working in the garden.

3. With nouns, denoting a certain quantity in a certain place.

The snow is dirty. — The snow is dirty (specifically in some place, because in general it is clean, white)

Give me the water, please. - Give me some water, please. (Not all the water, but a certain amount, for example, to drink)

4. If the offer contains "application", giving additional information about the person, and if the fame of this character is emphasized, then we put the.

Pushkin, the famous Russian poet, was killed. — Pushkin, the famous Russian poet, was killed.

5. After words one of, some of, many of, each of, most of, both, all.

All the newspapers were sold out. — All the newspapers were sold out.

Show me one of the dresses. — Show me one of the dresses.

Each of the women have children. — Each of the women has children.

6. Before superlative adjectives, before words the same, the following, the next (meaning next in order), the last (last) , before ordinal numbers.

It is the most interesting article I have ever read. — This is the most interesting article I have ever read.

The last week was very tiring. — The last week was very exhausting.

She took the next ticket. - She took the next ticket.

7. Before substantivized adjectives, participles, before the word people in the meaning of people.

The rich have a happy life. — The rich have a happy life.

The Soviet people won the war. — The Soviet people won the war.

8. Before words denoting social classes of people.

The workers have a small salary. — The workers have low wages.

9. Usually, the article is not used before proper names. But there are exceptions that we will consider. For example, before names denoting the whole family as a whole.

The Makarny have a big house. — The Makarnis (Makarni family) have a big house.

10. Before titles some countries, where the words republic, kingdom, states, union, federation are present, before names that are in the plural: the Netherlands, The Philippines, the Baltic States.

The Czech Republic is located in the center of Europe. — The Czech Republic is located in the center of Europe.

She has just come from the United States of America. — She just arrived from the United States of America.

11. Before titles rivers, seas, oceans, straits, canals, currents, lakes (if the word lake is not included).

The Pacific ocean is the greatest ocen in the world. — The Pacific Ocean is the largest ocean in the world.

The Baikal is in Siberia. — Baikal in Siberia. (But: Lake Baikal)

12. Before titles deserts, mountain ranges, island groups (in the only one - without).

We are going to climb the Alps. — We are going to climb the Alps.

When I was traveling around the world I was in the Sahara. — when I traveled around the world, I was in the Sahara.

13. Before the names of the four cardinal directions: the south, the north, the east, the west, poles, regions, ships.

He has lived in the west since 1967. - He has lived in the west since 1967.

My parents went on board the Star. — My parents arrived on the Star ship.

14. Before titles museums, cinemas, clubs, galleries, restaurants, monuments, names of English (American) newspapers (except “Today”), hotels.

I try to read the Morning Star every day. — I try to read the Morning Star every day.

I would like to put up in the National. — I would like to stay at the National Hotel.

Of course, it’s quite difficult to remember right away when the article “the” is used. It's all a matter of practice. But remember one truth: before common nouns, if something specific is indicated, you understand what kind of subject we are talking about, then feel free to put the. But you still have to learn how to use proper names.

That is, the absence of an article. In this article we will look at the indefinite article a\an in English.

Article a or an?

The indefinite article has two forms: a and an. The rule for using them is very simple.

• Article in the form “a” used before a consonant: a boot, a tie, a lock, a house, a car, a job.
• Article in the form “an” used before vowels: an apple, an iron, an oven, an error.

Even if a word begins with a consonant but begins with a vowel sound, “an” is used. These cases include:

• Unpronounceable h at the beginning of a word: an hour[ən ˈaʊə], an honor[ən ˈɒnə].
• Some abbreviations that are read by individual letters: an FBI agent[ən ɛf biː aɪ ˈeɪʤənt].

The indefinite article a\an in English is the basic rule

If we reduce the rules to the basic general, it will be like this.

General rule: The indefinite article is used to denote not specific, but some, some subject (that is why it is called indefinite). In Russian, we could instead say “some”, “some”, “some”, “one”.

By the way, the article a\an comes from the word one (one) - knowing this, it is not difficult to understand its meaning and use. Let's look at examples.

I need a shovel. - I need (some kind of) shovel.

I'd like to buy a ticket. - I would like to buy (one, some) ticket.

Compare, if you replace a \ an with the definite article the, the meaning will change:

I need the shovel. – I need (this particular) shovel.

I'd like to buy the ticket. – I would like to buy (that specific) ticket.

Rules for using the article a (an) in English

Let's look at more specific rules. So, the article a\an is used when:

1. This means everyone, no matter what representative of a class of objects or persons.

A baby can do that. – A baby (anyone) can do this.

A triangle has three sided. – A triangle (any triangle) has three sides.

The article does not necessarily come immediately before; there may be a sign between them, denoting the attribute of a noun.

I need a cheap ball pen. – I need (some) cheap ballpoint pen.

I want to buy a good hockey stick. – I want to buy (some) good hockey stick.

Please note that if in a similar case we put the definite article the, the meaning will change greatly, for example:

I want to buy the hockey stick. – I want to buy (a certain) club.

2. A noun names who or what an object or person is.

Most often this is a profession, if we are talking about a person, or the name of an object (class of objects), if we are talking about something inanimate. In this case, the article is difficult to “translate” into Russian. You need to understand that a noun denotes an object/person as a whole, not as a separate instance, but as a general concept.

I am a doctor. - I am a doctor.

He is anexperienced graphicdesigner. – He is an experienced graphic designer.

This is a snowboard. - This is a snowboard.

If you use the, we will not be talking about the class of objects as a whole, but about a specific representative:

Hi is the experienced designer. – He is (the same) experienced designer.

3. We are talking about one object or person.

That is, literally about an object in the amount of one piece. Here the article a\an means almost the same as one.

I'd like a cup of hot chocolate. – I would like (one) cup of hot chocolate.

I need a day to rest. – I need (one) day to rest.

With the article the, we will also, in general, talk about one subject, but about a specific one. For example, not just about a cup of chocolate, but about the cup that you brewed first, it had a nicer foam:

I’d like the cup of hot chocolate. - I would like (that) cup of hot chocolate.

4. We are talking about an object or person mentioned in a conversation for the first time...

... and when we speak for the second, third, tenth time, we use the article the.

Here the use of articles is dictated by simple logic. When talking about an object for the first time, we usually talk about it as “something”, “something”.

– You know, I watched an interesting movie yesterday. – You know, yesterday I watched (some) interesting film.

Five minutes have passed, we have already discussed the film inside and out, and we are no longer talking about it as some kind of, and how about quite certain movie:

– Yeah, I think, I’m going to rewatch the movie!– Yes, I think I’ll watch (this) film.

In general, this rule is very easy to break. For example, I decided to intrigue my interlocutor and tell him right away that I watched not just some movie, but THAT SAME movie:

– You know, I watched the movie yesterday. – You know, yesterday I watched THAT SAME movie.

Or, in this particular conversation, the subject may be mentioned for the first time, but both interlocutors understand perfectly well what it is about.

Mary: Honey, where is the mirror? - Darling, where is the mirror?

John: Your mom’s present is in the bathroom, as always. – Your mother’s gift is in the bathroom, as usual.

5. In a number of stable expressions

Basically, they are related to time and quantity:

• in a day \ week \ month \ year - every other day \ week \ month \ year
• in an hour - in an hour
• in a half an hour - in half an hour
• a few - several
• a little - a little
• a lot (great deal) of – a lot

The indefinite article a \ an is often used in set expressions like to have (to take) + noun, implying some kind of one-time action:

• to have (take) a look – take a look
• to have a walk - take a walk
• to have (take) a seat – sit down
• to take a note – make a note, write down

Notes:

1. Some expressions according to this scheme are used with a zero article, for example: to have fun - have fun.
2. In most cases, the following words are used with the definite article the: the future, the past, the present.
3. The names of the seasons are used with the or the zero article: in (the) winter, in (the) summer, etc.

The indefinite article before an adjective and pronoun

Articles (any) can be used before adjectives. In this case, they serve as modifiers not for adjectives, of course, but for the noun, the attribute of which these adjectives denote:

• She is a nice beautiful girl. - She's a sweet, beautiful girl.
• I need the red hat. - I need a red hat.

Articles are not used before a noun if it is already defined by a possessive (my, your, his, her, etc.) or a demonstrative pronoun (this, these, that, those). The meaning is that if an object is said to be “whose -that”, this already means that the object is concrete, definite - this makes the article a \ an impossible, and the article the unnecessary.

• Wrong: I am looking for a (the) my dog.
• Right: I am looking for my dog.

Articles are the main determiners of names nouns. Before using any noun, you need to decide whether it is definite or indefinite, i.e. you need to imagine what kind of subject we are talking about: a specific one or any one.

In English, an article is almost always used before nouns:

• Articles a And an are called uncertain article (the Indefinite Article)
• The is called certain the Definite Article

Let's consider three cases: when the indefinite article is used before the noun, when the definite article is used, and when the article is not used before the noun.

Indefinite article

There are two types of indefinite article:

a- used before words beginning with a consonant.
an- used before words starting with a vowel.

A noun with an indefinite article represents the name of an object in general, rather than the name of a specific object. For example, a student evokes the idea of ​​a student in general, that is, of a student of a higher educational institution, but not of a specific person.

The meaning of the indefinite article can be expressed in Russian with words such as one, one of, some, any, some, every, any, each.

The indefinite article is used with singular countable nouns. Not used in the plural, sometimes replaced by indefinite pronouns some (several) any (any, everyone).

Definite article

The definite article has a single form: the. Individualizing article the derived from the demonstrative pronoun that- That.

Absence of article: zero article

No indefinite article

The indefinite article is not used:

• before plural nouns
  an article - articles

• abstract nouns
  imagination - imagination
• nouns we are real, uncountable(nouns that cannot be counted, for example, you cannot say: three waters).
  water (water), salt (salt), tea (tea)

If there is a definition before a noun, then the article is placed before this definition:
a story
an interesting story (interesting story)

Substitution rule

Use of the indefinite article

1. Indefinite article is used before a noun when it only names an object, classifies it as a representative of a certain type of object, but does not specifically highlight it.

• a table - any table (namely a table, not a chair)
  a chair - chair

2. when mentioning an object or person for the first time

• That"s a pretty girl. - Beautiful girl

3. in a general sense:
A noun with an indefinite article in this meaning means: any, everyone.

• A cow gives milk.
  Any cow gives milk.

3. with professions:

• My Dad is a Doctor. — My dad is a doctor.
  She "s an architect. - She is an architect.

4. with some quantity expressions:

• a pair - a pair
  a little - a little
  a few - several

5. in exclamatory sentences: before a singular countable noun after the word what.

• What a beautiful day! - What a wonderful day!
  What a pity! - What a pity!

Use of the definite article

Definite article is posed if the object or person in question is known to both the speaker and the listener (from the context, the environment, or as previously mentioned in this speech).

• It is a chair
  The chair is at the table - the chair is near the table

Try putting the word this or that in front of the noun. If the meaning of what is being expressed does not change, then the definite article must be placed before the noun, and if it changes, then the indefinite article must be placed before the singular noun (if it is countable), and not at all before the plural noun.

1. Repeatedly mentioned when it is clear from the previous text what it is about:

• The girl was beautiful. — (This) Girl was beautiful.

2. Clear in the situation, when it is clear what/who is meant:

• The lesson is over. - The lesson is over.

3. Having an individuating definition, that is, a definition that distinguishes this person or object from a number of similar ones.

• 3.1. Definition, naming the sign :
  This is the house that Jack built. - This is the house that Jack built
• 3.2. Definition, expressed as an adjective in the superlative form e
  This is the shortest way to the river - This is the shortest way to the river
• 3.3. Definition, expressed as an ordinal number
  He missed the first lecture. — He missed the first lecture
• 3.4. Definition, expressed by proper noun
  the Bristol road - the road to Bristol.
• 3.5. Definitions, expressed in words:
  The stop next is ours. - The next stop is ours.

4. Before singular nouns:

• the sun - the sun
  the moon - moon
  the Earth - Earth
  the floor - floor (one in the room)
  the sea - sea (the only one in the area)

5. Before adjectives and participles that have turned into nouns, with a plural meaning:

• the strong- strong, the old- old men, the young- the youth,

Absence of article (zero article)

1. If there is a pronoun before a noun or nouns in the possessive case.
My room is large - My room is large.

2. A noun is used without an article in the plural in the following cases:

• 2.1. when in singular in front of him there would be an indefinite article:
  I saw a letter on the table. — I saw a letter on the table.
  I saw letters on the table. — I saw letters on the table.

3. Uncountable real nouns.
water water, milk milk, chalk chalk, sugar sugar, tea tea, snow snow, grass grass, wool wool, meat meat and others.

4. Uncountable abstract nouns (abstract concepts).
weather weather, music music, power strength, knowledge knowledge, art art, history history, mathematics mathematics, light light, love love, life life, time time
I like music - I love music.
But at the same time, some abstract nouns that express a type of quality or state can be used with the indefinite article.
He got a good education. He received a good education.

In English, plural nouns may be preceded by a definite article, the pronoun some (any), or the determiner may be absent.

Rules for using the pronoun some

If one of the words can be placed in front of a Russian noun: several, a certain amount, some, some, the corresponding noun in an English sentence is preceded by the pronoun some (any).
If none of these words can be placed before a Russian noun, then there is no determiner before the corresponding noun in an English sentence.

I bought some apples yesterday - I bought apples yesterday (several, a certain number of apples)

There are 2 small words in the English language that manage to make a lot of noise around themselves. The Slavic brain refuses to perceive them in principle, and this is understandable; there is nothing similar in the Russian or Ukrainian languages. But articles rule the West: German, English and French cannot be imagined without them. Let's remember the Volkswagen advertisement. Das Auto.

To be honest, it’s difficult for me to start this post. Usually I drew a table on the board, where everything was clear to me personally :))), commenting on what was written along the way. Since this is impossible in this format, it was decided that first I lay out everything in the form of a statement, and at the end there is a small table summarizing what was said.

So, articles are service words that tell us: “Attention! There’s a noun somewhere nearby.” Of course, this is not the main function of articles, but in a world where the same word can appear in at least 3 parts of speech, it is a necessary thing.

How many articles do you know? Science knows only 2, these are a And the. But grammarians also talk about zero article, he’s like a gopher, no one has seen him, but he definitely exists.

1. The article “a” comes from the pronoun “one” and means: one, some, any of many, no matter which.

The article “the” is an abbreviation of the pronoun “that” and means: this, specific, that which.

Articles are usually not translated into Russian, but they provide additional information about the subject of conversation.

To make the above memorable, I offer an old but relevant anecdote.

At the school for new Russians they teach English. Teacher: - Listen, guys, if there is no article, then it is translated as “type”, if there is a definite article, then it is translated as “specifically”!

2. Variants of articles.

The article "a" takes the form "an" if the word begins with a vowel sound. It is very important, not with a vowel, but with a sound. Let's check.

a unit (because the first sound [j] is a consonant)

The in such situations is read as [ði:] - zii.

the air, the apple, the apricot.

3. Plural formation.

It happens that there is not one thing, but many. We remember that with a plural noun the article “a” is not used for completely adequate reasons; there cannot be “one tables”, “one forks”, etc.

The may well accompany a plural noun. number.

3. Consumption.

The most important and important: “a”, because in the soul it is still one, is used only with countable nouns, that is, with those nouns that can be counted through 1, 2, 3... (of course, 2, 3 and more are only implied).

The article "a" is used when we say something for the first time.

This is a table.

“The” tells us that this something has already been discussed and is known to the speakers. The table is made of wood.

“A” is placed where the object is given some description:

This is a nice film. We saw a very large building.

“The” is used when there is clarification, additional information about the subject, and the clarification comes after this word.

This is the house I live in. This was the man I definitely knew before. The girl, standing by the window, is my sister.

This is short and basic information.

Zero article

The article is not used if there are already words before the noun that somehow identify it.

* some, any, no, each, every

* (whose) my, your, his, our, their, her, its, Tom’s, etc.

* this, that, these, those

* (how many) 2, 3, 4 ... many, much, few, little

For the most part, the article is not used in cases where we are talking about this in general, with uncountable nouns. (more details next time)

* liquids: water, oil, juice, jam, milk

* bulk: sand, sugar, salt, serials

* breakaway items: marble, chalk

* chemical elements

* abstract concepts (mostly feelings and emotions): love, friendship, grief

More detailed information is on the sign.

	No article
Identification of the entire family by last name the Bonds, the Ivanovs	Proper names: names, cities and countries in most cases Henry, Julia, Kyiv, Nikolaev
Nationality the Russians, the Japanese
Languages ​​(in combination the+language) the English language, the Ukrainian language	Languages ​​in one word Spanish, Swedish, Russian
States suggesting some kind of unification the United States, The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland	Countries that consist of one word Ukraine, Germany, France, Spain
Starns, geographical names that have a plural form. numbers the Philippines, the Urals, the Alps,
Any body of water, archipelagos, mountain ranges and deserts The Indian Ocean, the Black Sea, the Dnieper, the English Channel, the Maldives, the Caucasus, the Sahara Desert	Individual waterfalls, lakes, mountains Everest, Baikal, Victoria Falls
Cardinal directions the South, the Middle East, the North	Continents Europe, East Asia, South America
Unique space objects the Earth, the moon, the sky, the sun	Names of planets, stars, constellations Venus, Cancer. Mars
Ordinals the first, the second world war, the second step	Cardinal numbers Text 2. lesson 45, page 23 except the one – meaning “the only one”
Musical instruments the guitar, the piano	Kinds of sports tennis, football, cricket
Substantivized adjectives the poor, the unemployed
The best the best film, the easiest task

You can chew the rules and peculiarities with a shovel. If anyone has the patience and desire to keep all this in their head, please sign up.).

By the way, a good detailed resource, but rather boring, but almost complete, can satisfy even the most inquisitive mind if desired, but of course no one can compare with Mrs. Kaushanskaya.

PS. About how you can shut up and make a mistake.

Let's take the word glass.

Glass is very transparent. In this case, we are talking about glass, that it is very transparent, in general, in principle, any glass, this is its property.

Add the article “a”. Through this fraud we get not 1 glass, but one glass)). A glass of martini, for example.

By adding “the”, we concretized the glass, but what it is - glass or a glass - needs to be looked at according to its meaning.

The same thing with the word iron. Iron easily turns into an iron if you add an article to it.

Grass and hair mean a single whole: grass as a canvas, cover; hair is a shock. A grass - - a blade of grass. A hair - hair, 1 piece.

Back in class, I usually wrote 4 sentences and asked them to explain the difference between them. The visualization with explanation looked something like this.

Water boils at 100 degrees. (Actually water, basically)

The water is very cold today. (The water is in this river, today)

Give me some water(Give me some water, some glass or bucket)

A very cold water returned me to life. (yes, article A can be put if you select a “piece” from the total mass and give it distinctive features in the form of a description).

On this I will allow myself to rest until the next post.