How to use English articles: Definite and indefinite

Have problems with English articles? Don’t know when to use “an,” “a”
or “the”? Learn how to use the indefinite and definite articles with our

complete guide.

An article is a crucial element of almost every sentence we create in

English. They’re like building blocks of the language. Many people
who learn English as a second language have problems with articles,
especially those learners whose own language does not have them. To
help you use definite and indefinite articles correctly, we’ve created a
complete guide with some examples.

What is an article?

The article is a tiny word that precedes a noun and indicates whether it is
singular or plural form, in specific instances or unspecific ones.

Consider the following examples:

I need a phone. — Not a specific phone, any phone.

Please give me the phone on the table. — One specific phone that the
listener can see on the particular table.
 There are three articles in English: a, an, and the. “A/an” called
the indefinite article, “the” is the definite one. Let’s see these two types
in more details.

The indefinite article: when to use a and an

There are two forms of indefinite article: a and an. The indefinite article shows that
a noun refers to a general thing, not something specific.

I want to buy a car. — There are different types of car, and I don’t know yet which
one I want.

I need a stamp for this latter. — Not a particular stamp, a stamp in general.

There is a book in my bag. — No matter what book I have.

We also use them when we:

 mention something for the first time;

There is a lion. The lion is big.

I read a book. The book is fascinating.

 talk about a person’s profession.

He is a firefighter.

She is a singer.
 Remember that this type of article is used only with singular nouns that can be
counted. For example:

They are a doctors. — Incorrect as “doctors” is a plural noun.

She is a doctor. — Correct as we describe her profession.

Mike asked her for an advice. — Incorrect as “advice” is an uncountable noun.

Mike asked her for advice. — Correct as advice is the uncountable noun, and no
article is needed.

What to choose: a vs. an

As you can see, “a” and “an” are used in the same way. But when to use a or an?
The rule is simple:

 “a” goes before a word beginning with a consonant sound: a cucumber, a rabbit, a
pen;

 “an” goes before a word beginning with a vowel sound (a, e, i, o, u): an apricot, an
antelope, an idea.

While this rule is easy to remember, there are some exceptions. When choosing
what type of indefinite article to use, always trust the sound, not the first letter of the
word. After all, it’s about pronunciation.

It’s important to note that not all words that begin with the consonant letter start
with the consonant sound. For example, pay particular attention to what type of
indefinite article, a or an, use before h. Before a noun starting with a pronounced
“h” use “a”. Choose “an” with specific nouns beginning with an unpronounced “h”.
So what is correct: a hour or an hour? Of course, “an hour” is the right answer.

Likewise, some words start with a vowel that makes a consonant sound. For
instance, there is a rule about “a” or “an” before “u”. Use “a” before “u” when it
sounds like [ju:]. So an university or a university? In this case, “a” is required.

The same rules apply to acronym and initialism. Thus, when you need to choose the
right form of the indefinite article, pay attention to what sound is used in front of it.
Here are some examples:

a MBA or an MBA — an MBA is correct because M sounds like [em].

a URL or an URL — a URL is correct as U sounds like [ju].

Indefinite article + adjective

The indefinite article comes before an adjective that is followed by a singular,

countable noun. Keep in mind that in this case the use of the a/an depends on the
first sound of the adjective, not the noun that comes after it.

a man — a generous man

a book — an interesting book

a watch — an expensive watch

an elephant — a big elephant

The indefinite article isn’t used if there is no noun after the adjective. Consider the
following examples:

The cat is black. It’s a black cat.

The house is big. It’s a big house.

The match was exciting. It was an exciting match.

Indefinite article + Adverb + Adjective

The same rule comes in handy when we need to use the indefinite article that comes
before an adverb followed by adjective before a noun. But in such a case, choose the
indefinite article based on the first sound of the adverb, not the adjective or noun.

a generous man — an unbelievably generous man

an interesting book — a very interesting book

Pay attention to the use of the indefinite article followed by adverbs such and quite.
Here are some examples:

Mr. Houston is a such great teacher. — Incorrect

Mr. Houston is such a great teacher. — Correct

This is a quite delicious apple. — Incorrect

This is quite a delicious apple. — Correct

 Indefinite articles with uncountable nouns

As it was already mentioned, the indefinite article should never be used with the
uncountable nouns. As you might have guessed, these nouns can’t be counted. Most
uncountable nouns are related to:

 liquids (water, tea, coffee, milk);

 bulk food (salt, sugar, pepper, flour);

 abstract ideas (information, advice, motivation);

 feelings (live, anger, happiness);

 natural phenomena (rain, snow, sunshine, fog);

 materials (paper, iron, glass);

 collective nouns (hair, furniture, luggage, money).

With an uncountable noun, we can use the word “some” or an expression that shows
an exact measurement like “a cup of,” “a pinch of,” “one kilo of,” etc. For example:

Please give me some water.

Please give me a bottle of water.

Would you like some coffee?

Would you like a cup of coffee?

Note that some nouns can be both countable and uncountable depending on the
context. Take a look at these sentences:

We’ve been to London four times. — Countable, a specific event.

I didn’t have enough time to complete this task. — Uncountable, the general concept
of time.

The definite article

What is a definite article? There is only one definite article in English — ‘the’. And
it’s the most frequently used English word. “The” can precede the singular, plural
and some uncountable nouns when we talk about a specific object and believe the
reader or listener knows exactly what we’re referring to. Let’s see in detail when to
use “the”.

When the definite article is needed

we talk about or identify a specific person or object;

She is the doctor I came to see.

My bag is still in the car. I’ll get it.

Could you shut the door, please?

Do you know where I left the car keys?

we’ve already mentioned the noun we’re referring to in a previous sentence;

There is a book in my bag. The book is about war.

This is a train. The train goes to London.

a person or object is unique, or there is just one of something in a certain place;

The North Star is the guiding star.

The moon is huge tonight.

The president will give a press conference tonight.

We live in a small town next to the church.

superlatives and ordinal numbers come before a noun;

It’s the most interesting movie I’ve ever seen.

She is the tallest girl in the class.

Sara is the first person I’ve met in this city.

This is the third cup of coffee I have today.

we want to say something about a whole group of people, animals or objects.

The tiger is a dangerous animal.

He gives a lot of money to the poor.

The rich should pay more taxes.

The Browns live next door.

How to use “the” with names

The definite article is never used with the names of person, country, language,
months and specific places.

Berlin is the capital and largest city of Germany.

Joanne Rowling wrote Harry Potter.

But we must use “the” when it comes to:

countries that include words like state, republic or kingdom in their names (the
United States, the United Kingdom);

countries that have plural nouns as their names (the Philippines, the Netherlands);

geographical areas, mountain ranges, groups of islands, canals, rivers, seas, and
oceans (the Atlantic, the Arctic Circle, the Rocky Mountains, the Himalayas);

famous buildings and places of interest (the Colosseum Theatre, the Royal Opera
House, the Lincoln Memorial, the Louvre). But there are some exceptions such as
Big Ben, Stonehenge, Trinity Church, Carnegie Hall, etc.;

newspapers (The Sun, The Times, The Washington Post);

works of art (the Mona Lisa, the Sunflowers);

organizations, unions, and clubs (the United Nations Organization, the World
Health Organization, the European Union, the Kennel Club). But: Greenpeace;

names of restaurants and hotels, unless they are named after a person (the Plaza, the
Hilton Hotel).

Omission of the articles

In English grammar, articles can be omitted before particular types of nouns. In this
case, the article, which is called a zero article, is implied but not actually used in a
sentence. Generally, zero article precedes proper nouns, uncountable nouns that
refer to abstract ideas or plural nouns when the reference is indefinite. Here are
some examples:

Clean air is vital for a healthy environment.

Wisdom is the gift of heaven.

German is a difficult language to master.

Children like chocolates.

Conclusion

The articles are a crucial part of the English language, so if you’re trying to learn

English as a second language you need to know how to use them. To master your

skills, set aside some time to practice every day: read books and articles, listen to
podcasts or watch videos on YouTube. Pay attention to how native English speakers

or writers use the articles, whether in fiction or academic writing.

We hope our guide will help you overcome your challenges with the use of articles.
Of course, there are more rules and exceptions, but by following this guide and
proofreading your writing in the future, you’ll surely reduce the number of mistakes
you make.