English Grammar: Articles

In this lesson you will learn the basic rules of using articles in English.

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A / An

1.We use the indefinite article a or an to introduce a person, a thing or a place in a sentence.

A or an means that there is only one thing or person and we don’t know them, we talk about them for the first time.

a, an = 1, new, unknown

We use a before consonant sounds (b, c, d, f, g, h, j, k, l, m, n, p, q, r, s, t, v, w, x, y, z)

For example:

• a computer
• a joystick
• a tablet
• a mouse
• a website
• a programmer

We use an before vowel sounds (a, e, i, o, u) or muted h.

For example:

• an application
• an email
• an image
• an operating system
• an update
• an hour

Let’s have a look at some sentences:

I have a computer.
This company has a wonderful website.
I received an email from my customer yesterday.
I’ve been waiting here for an hour already.
Can I ask you a question?
Is there a hotel near here?

2. We use a or an when we say what a thing or a person is.

For example:

The Earth is a planet.
Microsoft is a software developing company.
Windows is an operating system.
New York is a city in the USA.
Tom is a very communicative person.

3. We also use a or an before the names of jobs.

For example:
- What’s your job? - I’m a computer programmer.
- What does Mary do? - She is a web designer.
I’d like to be a website developer in the future.
A graphic designer is a very interesting profession.

4. We do not use an indefinite article with plural nouns when we talk about things in general.

For example:
I like video games.
Computers are useful.
Social networks are popular now.

The

1. The definite article the can be used before singular and plural nouns when we already know this thing or person, we have talked about them before.

the = 1,2,3…, known

For example:
I have a computer. The computer is powerful.
Our company has a website. The website is nice.
There are some vacant rooms at this hotel. The rooms are modern and comfortable.
I have some photos for our presentation. The photos are amazing.
I’ve lost some information on my computer. The information is very important.

2. We also use the when it is clear in the situation which thing, person or place we mean.

For example, when we are talking about a particular website we say the design, the interface, the navigation, the buttons.

Let’s study some sentences:

We should improve the design of the website.
There is too much useless information on the website.
I met a lot of important people at the conference.
I’ll go to the bank in the afternoon.
Elizabeth got the job she had applied for.
There are a lot of startups in the city.

3. We also use the before nouns which are unique in the world or certain place.

For example:
The Earth goes around the Sun.
There are many craters on the Moon.
I’d like to travel around the world.
There are many stars in the sky.
Ottawa is the capital of Canada.

4.We always use the before superlative adjectives.

For example:
This is the most useful application on my phone.
Last year I made the longest trip in my life.

5. We don’t normally use the article before the names of different countries and continents. For example Italy, Brazil, France, Germany, Australia, Europe, Asia.

However we use the before geographical names containing the words kingdom, states, republic and before plural names:

For example:

• the United States of America (the USA)
• the United Kingdom (the UK)
• the United Arab Emirates
• the Dominican Republic
• the Netherlands
• the Philippines
• the Bahamas

Let’s have a look at some sentences:

Our company took part in an IT conference in Germany last year.
We’ve visited the UK three times.
Dallas is a large city in the USA.
The Netherlands is a country in Europe.

6. We don’t use any article before people’s names, but we use the if we mean a couple or all members of a particular family.

For example:
Mike works in this office.
Mr. Brown is the owner of this web development company.
The Browns are very nice people. ( all members of the Brown family)
The Johnsons were invited to the exhibition. (Mr. and Mrs. Johnson)