ARTICLES
INDEFINITE ARTICLE A / AN
when first describing something, or making a general statement
about something not known or without any details
to give an example
A thermometer is used for measuring temperature.
for rates and speeds etc.
Some people can cycle at 50 km an hour. Phil earns €500 a month.
to refer to large whole numbers, fractions, weights and distances.
a hundred a million two and a half a kilo a third
a metre
with a headache, a cold etc. I've got a headache / a toothache / an
earache
Have you got a cold?
Note that most illness words use zero article.
I've got flu. (influenza) more common in British English
She's suffering from appendicitis.
A OR AN?
• a is used before a noun that starts with a consonant sound (e.g., “s,” “t,”
“v”).
• an is used before a noun that starts with a vowel sound (e.g., “a,” “o,”
“i”).
Note that the rule is not whether they start with a consonant or vowel, but
whether they start with a consonant or vowel sound.
a/an before u
a universe, uniform (u pronounced like ‘you’)
an umbrella (u pronounced like ‘uh’, ‘ur’)
1) The email was about ____ urgent matter.
2) They came to ____ understanding about the cost of the
repair.
3) It would have been helpful to have ____ user manual.
4) The invention of scissors proved ____ useful one.
a/an before h
a hotel, hat (h is pronounced)
an honour, hour, honest man (h is silent)
1) She wore ___ hat to keep out the sudden chill in the air.
2) They bought ___ house in May of last year.
3) He was thought to be ___ honest person, so his lies came as a surprise.
4) The meeting took ___ hour.
DEFINITE ARTICLE THE
ARTICLES
with things or people already mentioned.
First, I take a test tube. Then I pour 50 ml of water into the test tube.
when a noun is made definite by details following it.
That man outside was the man that the police were looking for.
when we definitely know what is being talked about.
Are you going to the post office? Pass me the salt, please.
with nationality adjectives that refer to all the people of that
nationality, eg Chinese, French, Spanish, British, Swiss. The French drink a
lot of wine. The Swiss are famous for their chocolate.
with plural nationality nouns in same way, eg Russians, Americans,
Poles, Greeks... The Russians and the Poles are used to cold weather.
with a singular noun to describe a class of things. The car has taken
over our cities.
with the names of shops and places with a general reference.
Anna's at the cinema / the supermarket / in the garden / in the
mountains / at the beach etc.
with some familiar objects when we think of them as the only one.
One moment the sun was shining, then, the moon seemed to rise out of
the sea.
ZERO ARTICLE
to describe something general or uncountable.
Love makes the world go round. Water boils at 100°c. Same people
believe that men and women think differently.
with general examples, countable or uncountable.
Doctors often have to work more than a hundred hours a week. Water is a
scarce resource in many parts af the world.
With at home, at school, in hospital, in prison, in bed when we speak in
general. David isn’t at school today. He’s in bed at home.
lakes, islands, beaches, mountains, streets, hospitals, stadiums, parks,
churches, universities,…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eCT2ZHY4rag
ARTICLES
