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ARTICLES
What Are Articles?

Articles are words that define a noun as specific or unspecific. Consider the following
examples: EXAMPLE: After the long day, the cup of tea tasted particularly good.

By using the article, the, we’ve shown that it was one specific day that was long and one
specific cup of tea that tasted good.

EXAMPLE: After a long day, a cup of tea tastes particularly good.

By using the article, a, we’ve created a general statement, implying that any cup of tea
would taste good after any long day.

English has two types of articles: definite and indefinite. Let’s discuss them now in more
detail.

The Definite Article

The definite article is the word the. It limits the meaning of a noun to one particular thing.
For example, your friend might ask, “Are you going to the party this weekend?” The
definite article tells you that your friend is referring to a specific party that both of you
know about.
The definite article can be used with singular, plural, or
uncountable nouns. Below are some examples of the
definite article the used in context:
Please give me the hammer.
Please give me the red hammer; the blue
one is too small. Please give me the nail.
Please give me the large nail; it’s the only one strong enough to
hold this painting. Please give me the hammer and the nail.

The Indefinite Article

The indefinite article takes two forms. It’s the word a when it precedes a word that begins
with a consonant. It’s the word an when it precedes a word that begins with a vowel. The
indefinite article indicates that a noun refers to a general idea rather than a particular thing.
For example, you might ask your friend, “Should I bring a gift to the party?” Your friend
will understand that you are not asking about a specific type of gift or a specific item. “I
am going to bring an apple pie,” your friend tells you. Again, the indefinite article indicates
that she is not talking about a specific apple pie. Your friend probably doesn’t even have
any pie yet. The indefinite article only appears with singular nouns.
Consider the following examples of indefinite articles used in context:
Please hand me a book; any book will do.
Please hand me an autobiography; any autobiography will do.

Exceptions: Choosing A or An
There are a few exceptions to the general rule of using a before words that start with
consonants and an before words that begin with vowels. The first letter of the word honor,
for example, is a
consonant, but it’s unpronounced. In spite of its spelling, the word honor begins with a
vowel sound. Therefore, we use an. Consider the example sentence below for an
illustration of this concept.
Incorrect: My mother is a
honest woman. Correct:
My mother is an honest
woman.
Similarly, when the first letter of a word is a vowel but is pronounced with a consonant
sound, use a, as in the sample sentence below:
Incorrect: She is an United
States senator. Correct: She
is a United States senator.
This holds true with acronyms and initialisms, too: an LCD display, a UK-based company,
an HR department, a URL.

Article Before an Adjective

Sometimes an article modifies a noun that is also modified by an adjective. The usual word
order is article + adjective + noun. If the article is indefinite, choose a or anbased on the
word that immediately follows it. Consider the following examples for reference:
Correct: Eliza will bring a small gift to
Sophie’s party. Correct: I heard an
interesting story yesterday.

Indefinite Articles with Uncountable Nouns

Uncountable nouns are nouns that are either difficult or impossible to count. Uncountable
nouns include intangible things (e.g., information, air), liquids (e.g., milk, wine), and things
that are too large or numerous to count (e.g., equipment, sand, wood). Because these
things can’t be counted, you should never use a or anwith them—remember, the
indefinite article is only for singular nouns. Uncountable nouns can be modified by words
like some, however. Consider the examples below for reference: Incorrect: Please give me
a water.
Water is an uncountable noun and should not be used with the
indefinite article. Correct: Please give me some water.
However, if you describe the water in terms of countable units (like bottles), you can use
the indefinite article.
Correct: Please give me a
bottle of water. Incorrect:
Please give me an ice.
Correct: Please give me
an ice cube. Correct:
Please give me some ice .
Note that depending on the context, some nouns can be countable or uncountable (e.g.,
hair, noise, time):
Correct: We need a light in
this room. Correct: We need
some light in this room.

Using Articles with Pronouns

Possessive pronouns can help identify whether you’re talking about specific or nonspecific
items. As we’ve seen, articles also indicate specificity. But if you use both a possessive
pronoun and an article at the same time, readers will become confused. Possessive
pronouns are words like his, my, our, its, her, and their. Articles should not be used with
pronouns. Consider the examples below.

Incorrect: Why are you reading the my book?

The and my should not be used together since they are both meant to modify the same
noun. Instead, you should use one or the other, depending on the intended meaning:
Correct:
Why are you reading the
book?
Correct:
Why are you reading my
book?

Omission of Articles
Occasionally, articles are omitted altogether before certain nouns. In these cases, the
article is implied but not actually present. This implied article is sometimes called a “zero
article.” Often, the article is omitted before nouns that refer to abstract ideas. Look at the
following examples:
Incorrect: Let’s go out for a
dinner tonight. Correct: Let’s
go out for dinner tonight.
Incorrect: The creativity is a valuable
quality in children. Correct: Creativity is a
valuable quality in children.
Many languages and nationalities are not preceded by an article. Consider the
example below: Incorrect: I studied the French in high school for four years.
Correct: I studied French in high school for four years.
Sports and academic subjects do not require articles. See the sentences below
for reference: Incorrect: I like to play the baseball.
Correct: I like to play baseball .
Incorrect: My sister was always
good at the math . Correct: My
sister was always good at math .

Use 'A' before a word which begins with a consonant sound.

a man a movie a school a city

a pen a star a shoe a teacher

A boy a bike a bottle a website

a car a student a mouse a dollar

a fish a watch a tiger a machine

a house a computer a camera a game

Use 'AN' before a word which begins with a vowel sound

an umbrella an American an ice-cream

an elephant an automobile an ambulance

 an actor an airplane an offer

an emergency an ant an equipment

ARTICLES EXERCISE
Complete the following
sentences using
appropriate articles. In
some cases, no articles are
needed.
1. man is mortal.
2. I am university student.
3. She goes to the temple in mornings.
4. Kiran is best student in the class.
5. camel is the ship of the desert.
6. This book has won Booker prize.
7. Harishchandra was honest king.
8. I am fond of classical music.
9. I met boy in the store.
10. Gold is precious metal.
11. She returned after hour.
 12. There is ..................... . institution for blind in this city.

Answers
1. Man is mortal. (No article is needed.)
2. I am a university student.
3. She goes to temple in the mornings.
4. Kiran is the best student in the class.
5. The camel is the ship of the desert.
6. This book has won the Booker prize.
7. Harishchandra was an honest king.
8. I am fond of classical music. (No article is needed.)
9. I met a boy in the store.
10. Gold is a precious metal.
11. She returned after an hour.
12. There is an institution for the blind in this city.

Fill in: The, a, an or --- (leave blank)

1. I have just had great idea.

2. Columbus was one of first people to cross Atlantic.
3. British drink too much tea.
4. Thames flows into North Sea.
5. Judith earns € 2000 month.
6. Dancing is more interesting activity than reading.
7. As captain of ship I have complete authority.
8. people we met on holiday in north of England came
from USA.
9. What’s on TV today?

10. He was doing eighty miles hour on motorway.

11. How many hours do you work on average?
12. You are first to reach the top.
13. The people who live in Netherlands are called Dutch.
14. The burglar hit me on back of my neck.
15. Football is his whole life.
16. I try to go for run four times week.
17. Did you read book I gave you?
18. Sally went to prison to visit her husband.

19. Do you go to church on Sundays?

20. This is man I told you about.
21. This is exactly job I was looking for.
22. Trafalgar Square is near Charing Cross Station.
23. little knowledge is dangerous thing.
24. Philosophers seem to think that life is mystery.
25. I need time to think about offer you made.
26. I can’t play piano but I can play guitar.
27. There was time when I enjoyed skating.
28. The worst part of living in a tent is lack of space.
29. most cars start badly on cold mornings.
30. Prime Minister will give a speech this afternoon.
31. Tower of London is one of main attractions of London.
32. I haven’t been to concert like that before.
33. I was in pain after I twisted my ankle.
34. Of all these cars I prefer Japanese one.
35. Neil Armstrong made first footprint on moon.
36. Where are scissors you borrowed last week?
37. It’s long way by train to south of France.
38. French drink a lot of wine.

ANSWERS
1. I have just had a great idea.
2. Columbus was one of the first people to cross the Atlantic.
3. The British drink too much tea.
4. The Thames flows into the North Sea.
5. Judith earns € 2000 a month.
6. Dancing is a more interesting activity than reading.
7. As captain of the ship I have complete authority.
8. The people we met on holiday in the north of England
came from the USA.
9. What’s on TV today?
10. He was doing eighty miles an hour on the motorway.
11. How many hours do you work on average?
12. You are the first to reach the top.
13. The people who live in the Netherlands are called the
Dutch.
14. The burglar hit me on the back of my neck.
15. Football is his whole life.
16. I try to go for a run four times a week.
17. Did you read the book I gave you?
18. Sally went to the prison to visit her husband.
19. This is the only cinema in the area.
20. People who live in glass houses shouldn’t throw
stones.
21. Do you go to church on Sundays?
22. This is the man I told you about.
23. This is exactly the job I was looking for.
24. Trafalgar Square is near Charing Cross Station.
25. A little knowledge is a dangerous thing.

Philosophers seem to think that life is a mystery.

26. I need time to think about the offer you made.

27. I can’t play the piano but I can play the guitar.
28. There was a time when I enjoyed skating.
29. The worst part of living in a tent is the lack of space.
30. Most cars start badly on cold mornings.
31. The Prime Minister will give a speech this afternoon.
32. The Tower of London is one of the main attractions of
London.
33. I haven’t been to a concert like that before.
34. I was in pain after I twisted my ankle.
35. Of all these cars I prefer a Japanese one.
36. Neil Armstrong made the first footprint on the moon.
37. Where are the scissors you borrowed last week?
38. It’s a long way by train to the south of France.
39. The French drink a lot of wine.

Fill in an article (THE, A, AN) where necessary – or

leave blank !

1. Teachers are like weather, one minute they’re

good, other they’re bad.
2. Jake took out beer opened it and drank
cold beer from bottle. beer always
tasted better from bottle.
3. She is on diet, so she ordered calorie-free dinner.
4. We’d like to have wedding in early fall, in early
October if possible.
5. Emma’s eyes rested on letter. Here was
opportunity she had been waiting for.
6. The plane was climbing up through sky.
7. My grandmother was true original.
Strong of character, she ruled our family
with iron hand.
8. Maxim was at centre of her thoughts.
9. Winston Churchill, former Prime Minister of
England, went to Harrow.
10. Marmalade is usually made from oranges.
11. I live in apartment, which is brand new.
12. Royals is a serial which portraits life of
members of Royal family in
United Kingdom.
13. It was cold Saturday morning at beginning of
month.
14. It had rained earlier in the day and as
Maggie left the house she lifted her eyes
towards sky.
15. I arrived I USA last Monday. We left Rome,
flew over Alps and made a quick stop in London.
16. Before we landed at JFK airport, we saw
Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island and
Empire State building.
17. Most children like sweets.
18. Jane’s husband got home early from work.
19. Last year we visited St. Paul’s Cathedral and
Tower of London.
20. Our friends, Millers, moved to Florida last
summer.

Our children go to school by bus.

21. She likes Indian tea but she doesn’t like tea that
comes from Ceylon.
22. President of the United States is giving a speech
tonight.
23. The two countries reached peace after a long,
disastrous war.
24. We needed house to live in when we were in
London.
25. Elephants are intelligent animals.
26. This is a book on Irish history.
27. She had laughing eyes and most charming mouth.
28. I’ll book sleeper on Geneva-Paris train
tomorrow,
29. I’m tired. I think I’ll be going to bed.
30. We need to be at airport in hour.
31. Their car does over a hundred miles hour.
32. Carol’s father works as electrician.
33. Milk is rich in nutrients.
34. Money is one of most important things in
life.
35. Dogs make wonderful pets.
36. Do you happen to know who invented camera?

ANSWERS
1. Teachers are like THE weather, one minute they’re
good, THE other they’re bad.
2. Jake took out A beer opened it and drank THE cold beer
from THE bottle. A beer always tasted better from
THE bottle.
3. She is on diet, so she ordered A calorie-free dinner.
4. We’d like to have THE wedding in early fall, in early
October if possible.
5. Emma’s eyes rested on THE letter. Here was THE
opportunity she had been waiting for.
6. The plane was climbing up through THE sky.
7. My grandmother was A true original. Strong of
character, she ruled our family with AN iron hand.
8. Maxim was at THE centre of her thoughts.
9. Winston Churchill, THE former Prime Minister of
England, went to Harrow.
10. Marmalade is usually made from oranges.
11. I live in AN apartment, which is brand new.
12. THE Royals is a serial which portraits THE life
of THE members of THE Royal family in THE
United Kingdom.
13. It was A cold Saturday morning at THE beginning of
THE month.
14. It had rained earlier in the day and as Maggie left the
house she lifted her eyes towards THE sky.
15. I arrived in THE USA last Monday. We left
Rome, flew over THE Alps and made a quick
stopin London.
16. Before we landed at JFK airport, we saw THE
Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island and THE Empire
State building.
17. Most children like sweets.
18. Jane’s husband got home early from work.
19. Last year we visited St. Paul’s Cathedral and THE
Tower of London.
20. Our friends, the Millers, moved to Florida last
summer.
21. Our children go to school by bus.
22. She likes Indian tea but she doesn’t like THE tea that
comes from Ceylon.
23. THE President of THE United States is giving a speech
tonight.
24. The two countries reached peace after a long,
disastrous war.
25. We needed A house to live in when we were in
London.
26. Elephants are intelligent animals.
27. This is a book on Irish history.
28. She had laughing eyes and A most charming mouth.
29. I’ll book A sleeper on THE Geneva-Paris train
tomorrow,
30. I’m tired. I think I’ll be going to bed.
31. We need to be at THE airport in AN hour.
32. Their car does over a hundred miles AN hour.
33. Carol’s father works as AN electrician.
34. Milk is rich in nutrients.
35. Money is one of THE most important things in life.
36. Dogs make wonderful pets.
37. Do you happen to know who invented THE camera?
Fill in the correct article (A , AN or THE) where
necessary – or leave blank !
1. modern life is stressful.

2. What’s capital of your country?

3. doctor earns more than teacher.

4. Do you know who invented computer ?

5. Have you seen newspaper? I can’t find it anywhere.

6. Is this first time you’ve stayed at Hilton ?

7. Is Nile or Amazon longest river on

earth ?

8. Several million visitors year are attracted to ski slopes of

Alps.

9. I’ll meet you outside post office. I’ll be there in quarter of hour.
10. young people tend to think that life was more
difficult in
past.

11. In my opinion education should be free.

12. education I got at school was excellent.

13. In some cities, cars have been banned from the

centre.

14. I went to Buckingham Palace today. It was great.

15. I took train to London and then underground

to
Victoria Station. It’s short walk from there.
16. Would you like to come with us to see Titanic
at the cinema tomorrow?

17. I had experience at work today.

18. The car sped past at 100 miles hour.

19. Mount Everest is the highest mountain in

wold.

20. Middle East is one of the world’s hot spots.

21. We lived in Netherlands before moving here.

22. If you ever go to London you must see Tower

of London and Tate Gallery.

23. We noticed strong smell coming from

refrigerator.

24. She lives in England, which is part of UK.

25. After his wife’s death he left home and joined
army.

26. He should have called me hour ago.

27. They visited grandmother in hospital.

28. history is an interesting subject, but what I

like most is history of the United States.
29. The Browns often watch television in the
evening.

30. Munich lies in south of Germany.

ANSWERS

1. --- modern life is stressful.

2. What’s the capital of your country?

3. A doctor earns more than a teacher.

4. Do you know who invented the computer?

5. Have you seen the newspaper? I can’t find it

anywhere.

Is this the first time you’ve stayed at the Hilton?

6. Is the Nile or the Amazon the longest river on ---

earth?

7. Several million visitors a year are attracted to the ski

slopes of the Alps.

8. I’ll meet you outside the post office. I’ll be there in a

quarter of an hour.
9. --- young people tend to think that --- life was more
difficult in the past.

10. In my opinion --- education should be free.

11. The education I got at --- school was excellent.

12. In some cities, --- cars have been banned from the
centre.

13. I went to --- Buckingham Palace today. It was

great.

14. I took the train to London and then the

underground to --- Victoria Station. It’s a short
walk from there.

15. Would you like to come with us to see --- Titanic at

the cinema tomorrow?

16. I had a bad experience at work today.

17. The car sped past at 100 miles an hour.

18. --- Mount Everest is the highest mountain in the
world.

19. --- Middle East is one of the world’s hot spots.

20. We lived in the Netherlands before moving here.

21. If you ever go to London you must see the Tower of

London and --- Tate Gallery.

22. We noticed a strong smell coming from the

refrigerator.

23. She lives in --- England, which is part of the UK.

24. After his wife’s death he left --- home and joined
the army.

25. He should have called me an hour ago.

26. They visited grandmother in the hospital.

27. --- history is an interesting subject, but what I like
most is the history of the United States.

28. The Browns often watch --- television in the

evening.

29. Munich lies in the south of Germany.