When the articles a an the are used. Article a, an, the in English: examples, features of use and rules

Articles in English a/an And the indicate the degree of certainty of a subject in a given context or in general. In Russian, they, as function words, are absent and are not translated from English, but sometimes they can “occur” in phrases like: “I know a girl. This girl studies at our school." Or: “One boy loved to read. This boy once found a very interesting book..."

Therefore, on an intuitive level, sometimes we also use the words “one / one / one / alone” when we first mention an object, and “this / this / this / these” when we use it again in speech. This can be found especially often in fairy tales: “Once upon a time there was an old man...”

Use of articles in English

Correct use of articles in English often causes difficulty. There are, of course, rules for using certain articles - a/ an, the, zero article, but since native speakers trust, first of all, their intuition and logic, then by putting ourselves in their place and trying to think like them, we could make the task much easier.

What is this certainty/uncertainty?

I have bought a dog. - I bought a dog. In this context, you are talking about a dog for the first time; this means “some dog, one of many.” It is not yet clear to the listener which specific dog we are talking about, so in this example we use the indefinite article -a.

The dog is very cute. - The dog is very cute. Now you are already talking about “a specific dog - the one that you bought. The listener already understands that we are talking about your dog, so there is already a definite article -the. In other words, as in the “bearded” joke about English for “new Russians”: the article -a means “type”, and -the - “specifically”, i.e. one of many or a specific example.

Table of articles in English

It will help to systematize all of the above. table of articles in English.

The

The subject is mentioned again in this context:	I have an interesting idea. I have interesting idea. Wow, tell me about the idea, please! Wow, tell me about this idea please.)
The only object or person in a given setting:	The actress is on the scene. The actress is on stage. (on a specific stage)
The noun is preceded by an ordinal number:	He is on the second floor. He's on the second floor.
The noun is preceded by a superlative adjective:	She is the most beautiful girl, I`ve ever seen. (She's the most beautiful girl that I've ever seen.
A noun denotes a substance in a certain quantity or a certain place, in a given setting:	Pass me the salt, please. Pass me the salt, please. Where is the water? Where is the water?
Unique noun:>	the sun, the moon the sky, the universe, the earth
With the names of countries, including words such as republic, union, kingdom, states, emirates, as well as with the names of countries in the plural:	the German Federal Republic the United Arab Emirates the Philippines
Before the names of oceans, seas, rivers, mountain ranges, island groups, deserts:	the Atlantic, the Pacific Ocean, the Nile, the Bahamas, the Alps
With cardinal directions	The South, the North
A noun denotes a whole class of objects:	The giraffe is the tallest animals. The giraffe is the tallest animal.
After the words one/some/many/most/both/all of	Some of the mistakes are very bad. Some of the mistakes are very serious.
Before the family surname in the plural:	The Smiths have moved to another town. The Smiths moved to another city.

A/An

When the item is mentioned for the first time:	A man is waiting for you. A man is waiting for you. (some kind)
If we are talking about an indefinite quantity:	I can bring a coffee to your friend. I can bring coffee for your friend.
With names of professions:	He is an engineer He is an engineer.
In the nominal part compound predicate:	She is a smart girl
If an object belongs to a class of homogeneous objects:	There is a bee in the cup. There is a bee in the cup. (not an ant).
In stable combinations like: what a.. a little a few a lot of as a rule as a result for a while to be in a to have a to see a there is a	What a lovely day! I'd like to say a few words. I have a little free time. I have a lot of friends.
Before the words such, quite, rather, most (meaning “very”):	He is quite a young man He is quite a young man.
If you can replace the article with the word “one”. :	There is a flower in the garden. There is a flower in the garden. There is one flower in the garden.

Zero article:

Before nouns with modifiers (pronouns, numerals, proper names in the possessive case.):	My mother works here. My mom works here. Tom's bag. Tom's bag.
When generalizing in the plural. before countable nouns:	Apples are my favorite fruits. Apples are my favorite fruit.
Before nouns as a modifier:	guitar lessons – guitar lessons
Before the names of countries, continents, cities, streets:	Germany, Poland, London, Hyde Park, High Street
Before abstract (uncountable) nouns:	This is important information. This is important information.
Before people's names and surnames:	His name is Lee.
In adverbial combinations:	for breakfast, at lunch, to dinner, at night, by bus, on sale, in fact, from time to time, from school, to work, at work, from work…

If you still have questions on the topic of articles in English, Double You Studio, an English language school in Kiev (suburb, Vishnevoe, Sofievskaya Borshchagovka, Boyarka, Petrovskoe), will help you figure it out.

In this article we will touch on the topic "Articles"- one of the most “unloved” topics of our students.

Many admit that, although they have gone through this topic many times, they continue to put articles at random and cannot systematize their knowledge in any way. The article THE is particularly difficult. Perhaps you have this problem too.

In preparing this article, we asked our students and subscribers to formulate questions related to the use of the article THE, which they find it difficult to answer on their own. I would like to note that the questions were very similar, so we have summarized them. And here are the questions that interest students:

Which article should I choose: A or THE?
How to determine whether the article THE is needed with plural and uncountable nouns?

If you are also not completely confident in the depth of your knowledge about the use of the definite article THE and your previous experience of studying “from a textbook” turned out to be useless, then this material will help you systematize your existing knowledge and, perhaps, learn something new.

Which article should I choose, A or THE?

Let's remember a little from the theory. A(an)- this, he points to an indefinite object, and emphasizes that there is only one object. THE- definite article (definite article), it is used when something is mentioned that is already known to the speakers.

Let's look at an example:

My father bought me a dog.
- Great! What color is the dog?
- The dog is black. And my mother bought me a book.

The first sentence uses article A, since the dog is mentioned for the first time and the interlocutor still knows nothing about it. Further used article THE, since it became clear to both speakers what kind of dog they were talking about. In the last sentence the word book also used with the indefinite article, since it is mentioned for the first time, the interlocutor has not yet determined what kind of book it is.

A few more examples:

Yesterday I got a letter. The letter was from my friend. - Yesterday I received a letter. The letter was from my friend.

I am reading a newspaper. I bought the newspaper from the newsagent. - I am reading a newspaper. I bought a newspaper from a periodical seller.

Remember the rule: If you have a singular countable noun in front of you, then use A if this item is mentioned for the first time or it is vague, unimportant. THE is used if the subject has already been mentioned before and is known to the interlocutors.

Sometimes, despite the fact that something is mentioned for the first time, we can understand from the context what is being said: when additional information about the subject is given, an explanation, or when it is clear from the situation itself. Let's look at examples with explanations:

I was at a party yesterday. - I was at a party yesterday.
(Referring to some kind of party that we don’t know anything about yet)

I was at theparty organized by my friend. - I was at a party organized by my friend.
(We understand what kind of party we are talking about)

He saw a woman in the corridor. - He saw (some) woman in the corridor.
(No additional information is given about the woman)

He saw the woman who lived next door to him. - He saw a woman who lived next door.
(We understand what kind of woman this is)

He entered a door. - He came through the door.
(He entered one of the doors, we do not know which one).

He entered the door nearest to the stairs. - He entered the door closest to the stairs.
(Specify which door exactly)

In what cases is the article THE always used?

Remember a number of cases in which the article THE is always used:

when something is mentioned that exists in one copy, something unique of its kind: the sun, the moon, the world, the earth, the capital, the ground, the environment, the universe
with names of groups of people expressed by adjectives: the elderly, the young, the old, the rich, the poor, the unemployed, the disabled and others
with names that end in -ese And -sh (-ch): the British, the Scottish, the Spanish, the Chinese, the Japanese. With other nationalities, the article THE may not be used: (the) Russians, (the) Americans
in combinations related to space: the end, the beginning, the middle, the center
in combinations related to time: in the morning, in the afternoon, in the evening; the next, the last, the present, the future, the past
with names of titles and positions: the King, the president, the Prime Minister, the Queen
with and superlative adverbs: the best, the worst, the fastest, the most interesting, the most beautiful
s, including dates: the first (of May), the third (of November), the twentieth, the thirty-first
in combinations like: THE something OF: the legs of the table, the topic of our lesson
with titles musical instruments: the guitar, the piano, the cello
with the word same: the same
in many set phrases and idiomatic expressions.

When is THE used with place nouns?

Nouns denoting various places (not to be confused with place names!) can be used with or without the article THE. The use of the article directly depends on the context in which the noun is mentioned.

Let's look at an example. If someone is sick, he is in the hospital:

He is at hospital.

When we say this, we do not mean a specific hospital, but we are talking about the hospital in general, as an institution where patients are treated.

If a friend of our patient decided to visit him and came to the hospital, then about him we need to say:

He is at the hospital.

He is not sick and should not be in the hospital (in the general sense of the word), he came to a certain hospital (the one where his friend is lying), which is why the article THE appears.

One more example:

My little sister goes to school. Today it is a school concert so all our family will go to the school.

Children generally go to school to learn, so when talking about students, the article is not used. Other family members are not students. They will go to a certain school where their child studies to watch a concert, respectively, before the word school Let's put an article.

The same miracles happen with the words prison, church, university.

Remember the rule: if you mean some place All in all(its intended purpose is emphasized), article THE not used. When it means specific establishment or building, article THE used.

As for other nouns denoting places, THE is most often used with them: the beach, the station, the coast, the seaside, the city, the countryside.

With cinema and theater, the article THE is used even when the speaker does not mean a specific place:

We go to the cinema every weekend.
They have never been to the theater.

Why is the article used with these words? The explanation is that when we use them, it is clear from the context what we mean, and the interlocutor understands what we are talking about. Let's look at examples of situations where it is clear from the situation itself what place we are talking about:

1. When, being in a room or apartment, we talk about its parts:

Switch on the light! - Turn on the lights! (In this room, in the room where you are)

I closed the door and opened the window. - I closed the door and opened the window. (In the room where I was at that moment, in my room)

The floor was clean. - The floor was clean. (The floor in the room I was in.)

2. When we talk about city buildings, if it is clear which city we are talking about:

Where is the railway station? - Where is the railway station? (The station of this city. If there are several stations in the city, you will have to clarify which one you need. If you are located near the station, then the interlocutor will understand that you are asking about the nearest station)

The city hall is very old. - The city hall building is very old. (There is only one city hall in the city, so your interlocutor will understand what we are talking about)

The market was crowded in the morning. - The market was crowded in the morning. (The market of this city; the nearest market; the market where the speaker goes)

3. When mentioning organizations that provide services, if it is clear from the context what exactly the speaker means:

I need to go to the bank tomorrow. - I need to go to the bank tomorrow. (The bank where I have an account; the nearest bank; the bank whose services I use)

Tom went to the post office to send a letter. - Tom went to the post office to send a letter. (This refers to the nearest post office; the only one in a given city)

You should go to the doctor. - You should go to the doctor. (To your doctor)

She is seeing the dentist on Friday. She is going to see the dentist on Friday. (To your dentist).

Be careful, in some situations, of course, article A can be used. Most often, when a speaker means: “any”, “one of many”, “no matter which”, “any”:

How to determine whether the article THE is needed with uncountable nouns and plural nouns?

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27.11.2014

An article is a word that defines a noun.

There are two types of articles in English: the definite (the) and the indefinite (a/an).

Based on the names, the indefinite article is used when we are talking about a phenomenon that we encounter for the first time, an object in general, and the definite article is used when we are talking about something specific, or something that has already been encountered in conversation.

The concept of the article is present in many languages of the world, but in the same number of languages it is absent.

Therefore, do not panic if articles are not used in your native language.

The data will help you make fewer mistakes when speaking English.

It is very important to be able to use the correct articles in your speaking or writing.

1. With the names of countries and continents

In this case we do not use articles at all, BUT if the name of the country consists of parts, such as, USA, UK, UAE, then our article appears the, and it will be: the USA, the UK, the UAE, the Czech Republic, the Netherlands.

This also applies to continents and islands: usually we do not use the article, but if the name is a composite name, the definite article takes place.

For example: Africa, Europe, Bermuda, Tasmania BUT the Virgin Islands, the Bahamas.

She lived in America.
They live in England.
My friend is from the Czech Republic.

2. With the words breakfast, dinner, lunch

When talking about eating in general, there is no article. But if you're talking about a specific breakfast, dinner or lunch, use the.

Eg:

I don't eat breakfast.
We didn't like the dinner.

3. With names of work, profession

In this case the indefinite article is used a/an.

For example:

I want to be a politician.
My younger brother wants to be a vet.

4. With the names of the cardinal directions

Usually the names of the cardinal directions are written with a capital letter, so they are easy to recognize: the North, the South, the East, the West .

True, if a noun indicates a direction, then it should be used without an article and written with a small letter.

For example:

They went east.
The North is cooler than the South.

5. With the names of oceans, seas, rivers and canals

Remember that the definite article is always used with the names of these bodies of water.

For example: The Amazon, the Indian Ocean, the Red Sea, the Suez Canal .

I would like to swim in the Red Sea, and you?
The Amazon is the longest river in the world.

6. With names of unique phenomena

This means that a phenomenon or object exists in one copy, one of a kind, in particular, the sun, the moon, the inter net , the sky , the earth.

Eg:

The sun is a star.
We looked up at all the stars in the sky.
He is always on the internet.

7. With uncountable nouns

This category of nouns implies those units and concepts that we cannot count. Plus, as an identifying mark in most cases, they have no ending –s– indicator plural.

But do not forget that there are ten exceptions to one rule, that is, if you are talking in general about some uncountable concept, there will be no article, but again, if the case is particular, use the.

For example:

I like bread/milk/honey.
I like the bread/the milk/the honey. (Specifically this and nothing else.)

8. With last names

If we are talking about members of the same family, you can put the article the before the surname. This way you define a group of people, a family, in one word.

Eg:

The Smith are coming for dinner today.
Have you seen the Johnson recently?

These are not all the uses of articles in English. However, first remember these rules, gradually deepening your knowledge

This lesson will examine in detail the topic: Articles "a", "an" and "the" in English with examples from song lyrics.

Theoretical part.

Articles are absent in Russian, but are present in English and are noun determiners. There are two types of articles: classifying (a or an) and individualizing (the).

Articles perform certain functions in speech. Firstly, they mean that the word that comes after them is a noun. Secondly, the article can be used to determine whether the subject is known to the reader or not. So, for example, a classifying article indicates that the subject is still unknown to the reader, and an individualizing article indicates that the subject is known to the reader. Perhaps this subject has already been mentioned in the text, then we use the article (the).

The classifying, or as it is called in traditional grammar, the indefinite article, as stated above, has two forms: a and an. We use A before nouns starting with a consonant, and an before nouns starting with a vowel. This article was formed from the numeral one - one, so it can only be used with singular countable nouns.

Example:
A note - note
An umbrella

The individualizing article, or as it is otherwise called in traditional grammar, the definite article, has one form - the. It was formed from the word that - that. You can use this article with both singular and plural countable nouns, as well as with uncountable nouns.

Example:
The book - book
The songs - songs

As already mentioned, we use articles before nouns, but it is necessary to remember that if there are definitions in front of a noun, then the article is placed in front of them.

Example:
An interesting article - interesting article
A loud voice - loud voice
The strong man - strong man

Using articles correctly is quite difficult, although there is nothing difficult in the topic. Very often students make mistakes on this topic. There are many difficult points and exceptions that need to be studied separately. The purpose of this lesson is to give a general concept of the article and show its application in practice.

This ends the theoretical part, let's move on to the practical part, based on the lyrics of your favorite songs.

Practical part.

1) Consider the lyrics of the famous song Neneh Cherry – Woman.

…I"ve crackled in the fire
And was called a liar…
Translation:
...My body burned with a crash on the fire,
And they called me a liar...

As you can see, two articles are used in these lines: a and the. The fire is fire, and liar is a liar. Also, looking at the name, remember the plural of the noun Woman (Woman) - Women (Women).

2) Let's study the lyrics of the song by the English pop-rock band Duran Duran - Falling Down.

…Why did the luck run dry?
Laugh in my face, so pleased to desert me.
Why do the cruel barbs fly?...
Translation:
...Why did my luck turn away from me?
Smiling in my face, she was so happy to leave me
Why these merciless barbs Are they flying apart right now?...

This example shows the use of the definite article the when the noun is preceded by a modifier. The cruel barbs - merciless barbs.

3) Let's study the lines of the song by American rapper Eminem - Bad Influence.

... People say that
I"m a bad influence…
Translation:
…People says,
That I am a bad influence on others (literally, I am a bad influence)…

This example shows us the use of the article a when there is a modifier before a noun. A bad influence - bad influence.

4) Consider the lines of the currently popular song B.o.B. feat. Hayley Williams – Airplanes.

…Yeah somebody take me back to those days
Before this was a job before I got paid
Before it ever mattered what I had in my bank…
Translation:
...Yeah, somebody take me back to the days
Before it was a job, when I didn't get paid,
When it didn't matter what my bank account was...

Thanks to the lines of this song, you will see the use of the individuating article the with plural nouns: ... me back to the days ... - ... me back to the days ... Also remember from this example that if in a noun the letter y is preceded by a vowel, then the general rule applies formation of the plural of nouns: day (day) – days (days).

In the same song the indefinite article a is used.

…I could really use a wish right now
I could really use a wish right now…
Translation:
...I could use my wish right now,
I could use my wish right now...

A wish - desire.

5) Consider the lyrics of the first verse of the song by the American metalcore band As I Lay Dying - An Ocean between Us.

… My heart never reached the sea
With only delusions of an endless journey
I am left with an ocean between you and me…
Translation:
...My heart never reached the sea,
Misled endless journey.
I was left alone with the ocean between you and me...

In this example, you can reinforce the use of the article an twice. An endless journey – an endless journey (note the article is before the definition). An ocean - ocean. Always remember that if a noun begins with a vowel sound, then we use an instead of a.

This is also an excellent example for consolidating the objective case of pronouns: in our case us - by us, me - by me, you - by you.

Thus, you have consolidated the use of articles using the example of compositions by your favorite performers. Listen to music and repeat the necessary rules. Combine business with pleasure.

From this lesson you need to remember the following words.

umbrella [ʌm"brelə] - umbrella
book - book
loud – loud
interesting ["intrəstiŋ] - interesting
article ["a:tikl] - article
voice - voice
strong - strong
fire ["faiə] - fire
liar- ["laiə] liar
luck - luck
face - face
cruel ["kru:əl] - cruel
to fly - to fly
bad - bad
influence ["influən(t)s] - influence
bank - bank
to use - to use
wish - desire
sea - sea
journey ["dʒз:ni] - journey
ocean ["əuʃ(ə)n] - ocean