Articles in English (Definite and Indefinite)
Articles are a special type of determiners in English Grammar, as they determine the noun and they are also called adjectives because they qualify the noun.
These articles come directly before the noun; however, it’s not necessary that articles always appear with nouns. There are two basic kinds of articles in English. These are definite and Indefinite articles.
1. Definite Article
The definite article is “the” and it can be only used with nouns that are clear-cut or specific. For example, “I like the book which I had given to you”. In this sentence, I used the definite article “the” with “book”, because I know about that book and that book is specific to me as I am already aware of that book.
It is necessary to note that definite articles are not always used with every specific name. There are some rules regarding the use of articles.
- The Definite Article with Singular/Plural and Countable/Uncountable Nouns:
It doesn’t make any difference to use the definite article with singular or plural, but one thing that should be kept in mind is that it can be used only with definite nouns.
Examples:
I gave advice to my friend about admission to the (D. A)) University (S) where I study. (In this example, I used “the” with the noun “University”, because I already knew about that and It was specific to me.)
- The Definite Article with Proper Nouns:
We use definite articles with proper nouns, but there are some exceptions. We should always use the definite article with the names of mountain ranges, rivers, oceans, and seas.
Examples: The Himalayan mountains, the Ravi, the Atlantic, the Pacific Ocean, etc.
Note: I already have mentioned that we can’t use definite articles with all proper nouns.
Such as we don’t use definite articles with the names of lakes, people, and countries, but there are some exceptions; like ‘the United States of America’, ‘the People Republic of China”, and ‘the United Kingdom'.
The simple rule is that we don’t use articles with the names of countries except for the names of countries having plural meanings. It means that we can use definite articles with the names of the countries that give plural meanings.
The Definite Article with Singular and Plural Nouns:
A definite article can be used with singular or plural nouns. It doesn’t make any difference whether it’s singular, plural, countable, or uncountable, but the main thing is that it must be definite or specific.
4. The Definite Article with Unique Things:
Examples: the Moon, the Sun, etc.
Definite Article with Abbreviations:
The UNO, the UNESCO, the UK, the USA, etc.
2. Indefinite Articles
Indefinite articles can be used with general things or names. They can only be used with singular and countable nouns.
In the case of plural and uncountable nouns, we can use ‘some’ with those nouns. There are two variants or divisions of indefinite articles; “A" and "An”.
1. “A” Article:
We use “A” article with the indefinite, singular, and countable noun which starts with a consonant sound.
Examples:
A man
A boy
A chair
A dog
A fan
A jug
A cup
A lamp
A university
A union
2. “An” Article:
We use an “An” article with an indefinite, singular, and countable noun which gives the vowel sound.
So, if the sound of the initial letter of the noun is of vowel, then we use “an” article with that noun. Remember, if the initial letter is a vowel, but the sound is not of a vowel, then we can’t use "an" article with that noun.
Examples:
An elephant
An egg
An umbrella
An aunt
An honest
An elbow
An ink
An onion
An uncle
