English Grammar and Exercises / The articles: a, an & the
The articles: a, an & the
An article is a word used to modify a noun, basically, it’s an adjective. English has two types of articles: the (definite article) and a/an (indefinite articles). They’re used very often and are very important for using English accurately.
Indefinite articles A and an are indefinite articles used to refer to a singular countable noun. These articles are used to refer to any member of a group or class. The speaker doesn’t tell us exactly which one he or she is referring to. Use a/an for naming a member of a group: EXAMPLES
THE USE OF THE INDEFINITE ARTICLE “A” 1) “A” is used before a consonant (b, c, d, etc.) EXAMPLES
2) “A” is used before a vowel but consonant sound
EXAMPLES
3) “A” is used before a pronounced “h”
EXAMPLE
THE USE OF THE INDEFINITE ARTICLE “AN” 1) “An” is used before a vowel (a, e, i, etc.) EXAMPLES
2) “An” is used before an unpronounced (mute) “h”
EXAMPLE
3) “An” is used before a consonant but vowel sound
EXAMPLES
Definite article The is a definite article used to refer to something specific (singular or plural nouns). The speaker talks about a particular (or known) member of a group. EXAMPLES
THE USE OF THE DEFINITE ARTICLE “THE” 1) “The” is used before a noun which has already been previously mentioned
EXAMPLES
2) “The” is used to indicate a noun that is unique or there is only one
EXAMPLES
3) “The” is used before superlative adjectives
EXAMPLES
4) “The” is used to talk about the whole population of a country or region
EXAMPLES
HOWEVER: When generalizing about nationalities or a group of people, “the” is not usually used: “Americans eat a lot of hamburgers”
5) “The” is used to indicate all the members of a family EXAMPLE
6) “The” is used to talk about musical instruments
EXAMPLE
7) “The” is used to talk about directions (cardinal points)
EXAMPLES
Here's a list of Articles (a, an & the) Exercises:
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