Definite Article – ‘The’
Indefinite Article – “A” or “AN”
“A” is used
¨ Before
a word which begins with a consonant. Example: a woman
¨ Before a singular,
countable noun. Example: a banana
¨ When we mention
something for the first time. Example: I
saw a dog.
¨ Before a word
with a long sound of ‘u’. Example: a university, auniform, a
useful book, a European, etc.
¨ Before the
word one. Example: a one-way
street, a one-eyed man, aone-year course, a one-day
holiday, etc.
‘An’ is used:
¨ Before a noun
which begins with a vowel. Example: an apple.
¨ Before a word
which begins with a vowel sound or a silent ‘h’.Example: an hour, an honest
man, an heir, an honour, an honourable
man, etc
¨ Before a
singular, countable noun which begins with a vowel or silent‘h’. Example: an
orange
‘The’ is used:
1. When the same
thing or person mentioned again, that is, a particular
thing or person. Example: I bought an orange. The orange
is sweet..
2. When there
is only one such thing. Example: the earth, the sun, themoon.
3. Before the
names of famous buildings, etc. Example: The Eiffel
Tower,The Great Wall of China.
4. When a
singular noun is used to point out a whole class, race, group, etc. Example: The bear is a
strong animal.
5. Before
the special names of a rivers, seas, oceans,
mountain ranges, groups of islands, certain organizations, political parties,
and countries such asthe U.S.A., the U.K., the U.S.S.R.
and the U.A.R., The Nile, The Dead
Sea,The Pacific Ocean, The Himalayas, The United
Nations, The Republican Party, etc.
6. Before the
names of holy or important books. Example: The Koran,The Bible.
7. Before
an adjective when the noun is understood. Example: The poor
need help.
Articles are not used:
1. Before the name of a
person: Example: I am a fan of Michael
Jackson. (not A or The Michael Jackson)
2. Before
the name of a place, town, country, street, or road. Example: Barcelona is a
beautiful city. (not A or The Barcelona)
3. Before names
of materials. Example: Gold is found in Australia. (not A or The
gold)
4. Before abstract
nouns used in a general sense. Example: We love
all beauty. (not a beauty or the beauty)
