Try reading and listening to some short articles or stories and videos in English, and pay attention to how the writers and speakers use articles. Now you’ve seen how and when to use definite and indefinite articles, spend the next few days practicing. The doctor I saw yesterday was very kind. We’ll probably go to the sea.īeing a doctor must be difficult. When the meeting ended they had a coffee break. Here are some examples of using both ‘a/an’ and ‘the’: And when you refer to a unique thing or place, you can use ‘the’. The second time you refer to the same thing you can use ‘the’. The main thing to remember when you speak is that the first time you refer to something, you generally need to use ‘a’ or ‘an’. – The Netherlands (with ‘the’) Choosing the Right Article Don’t put an article in front of country names except when they include ‘kingdom’, ‘states’ and ‘lands’.For example, compare the following sentences Don’t use an article with a general topic.For example, “She’s my friend” and not “She’s a my friend.” Don’t use an article with possessive adjectives.Here are the main cases when we don’t use an article: It can be difficult to know when not to use an article in English, especially when you translate from your native language which has different rules for articles. What’s the weather like in your country? No article The presentation is ready for you to check Mrs. The students are waiting for the lesson to start. We use certain expressions, especially related to physical things such as ‘the weather’, ‘the sea’, ‘the environment’.There is only one of this thing (for example, ‘the station’ – there is only one in the city).We have already identified the noun we are referring to in a previous phrase.The definite article in English is ‘the’, and we can use it with singular and plural nouns. I eat some biscuits and drink some coffee for breakfast every day. There are some fun places to go in my town. Here are some photos of our last holiday. (An uncountable noun is a word that only has the singular form, e.g. We use ‘some’ for the plural form of all nouns and for uncountables. We need an apple and an orange for the fruit salad. We use both ‘a’ and ‘an’ in the same way but we use ‘a’ in front of a consonant, and ‘an’ in front of a vowel (a,e,i,o,u). We refer to a general thing, and not something specific.We refer to something for the first time.We use an indefinite article in English when: There are three indefinite articles in English – two for the singular form ( a, an) and one for the plural form ( some). The English articles are a, an, some, and the. What is an Article?Īn article is a word that goes before a noun, giving some basic information about the noun, such as if it is singular or plural, or if the object is specific or general. Here’s a complete guide to definite and indefinite articles with help on when to use which and when to use neither. Articles are small but important words that precede nouns, and by using them correctly you will distinguish yourself as a good English speaker. In almost every sentence we make in English, we need to use an article.
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