Articles — a/an, the

موضوع: Articles — a/an, the الجمعة أبريل 29, 2011 6:52 am

Articles — a/an, the

Introduction

There are two articles in English:
a/an AND
the

a/an
= indefinite article that refers any noun

the =
definite article that refers to a certain or specific noun

For example:

“Let's see
the movie” means a
certain movie.
(definite)

“Let's see a
movie” means
any movie.
(indefinite)
“A” or “an”?

“An”
is used instead of “a”
before a vowel sound. For example:

An
artist
from the local community painted the wonderful mural at Chemainus.
Indefinite Article: A / AN

Explanation	Example
“A” and “an” are used when it is not clear which thing or person we are talking about.	She was talking to a girl at the store. (This is an unknown girl, so a is used.)
“A” and “an” can be used only with count nouns.	I need a bottle of milk. I need an interesting topic for my speech.

Definite Article: THE

Explanation	Example
“The” is used when it is clear which thing or person we are talking about.	Greg was talking to the girl from New York. (This a specific girl from New York, so the is used.) The sun comes up every day.
“The” is used when there is only one of a particular thing.	London is the capital of England. We went to the most expensive city in the world.
The + adjective “The” is used with some adjectives (without a noun). For example: the young , the old, the sick (The meaning is always plural.)	Do you think that the rich should give money to the poor?
The + nationality adjectives “The” is used with most nationality words which refer to the people of a specific country. For example: the Canadians, the Japanese	The Italians are famous for their delicious food.
Certain nouns use the: names of rivers, oceans and seas: the Mississippi, the Atlantic points on the globe: the Equator, the South Pole geographical areas: the Middle East, the West, as well as deserts, forests, gulfs, and peninsulas	The Atlantic is a huge, deep, dark ocean. The Middle East is fascinating. The Gulf of Mexico is below Texas. We live near the Saanich Peninsula.

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