Rules for using the article the in English. Rules for using the definite and indefinite article. The definite article in a specific meaning

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Indefinite article a/an in English (the indefinite article) has two forms:

a[ə] - used before consonants. That is, if a word begins with a consonant, use a:

a b ook, a t able, a m an a g irl a c computer, a t omato, a yacht [ jɒt], a unit[ ˈj uːnɪt]

an[ən] - used before vowels. That is, if a word begins with a vowel sound, use an:

an a pple, an e ngineer, an i dea, an o range an a nswer, an hour [ˈ aʊə(r)]

Please note that the choice of the form of the indefinite article is determined not by spelling, but by pronunciation.

For example, the word hour starts with a vowel sound, so we use the article an (an hour), although the first letter in writing is a consonant h. Or, for example, the word yacht (yacht) written with a vowel y, but the consonant sound [j] is pronounced, so we choose a (a yacht). Using different forms of the same article helps make speech harmonious, easy, and natural. Try to pronounce an apple or an book, and you will feel how difficult and uncomfortable it is.

Remember:

Indefinite article a/an used only with singular:

a pen(pen), a story(story), a chair(chair), a child(child), a flower(flower)

If the noun is used in the plural form, then there is no indefinite article. The absence of an article before a noun is usually called the "zero article".

pens(pens), stories(stories), chairs(chairs), children(children), flowers(flowers)

When to use the indefinite article a/an

Below you will find a description of the main uses of the indefinite article a/an in English.

№1

Indefinite article a/an used when we first mention an object or person. In this case, we assume that our interlocutor does not know what or who exactly we are talking about.

Yesterday I bought a handbag. — Yesterday I bought a handbag.
Up until this point, I hadn’t even talked about how I was going to buy a bag. That is, I mention this for the first time (my interlocutor knows nothing about this bag), hence the indefinite article a/an.

If you continue to talk about this bag, then the noun handbag (bag) will already be used with the definite article the, since this time the interlocutor knows which specific bag we are talking about:

Yesterday I bought a handbag. The handbag is very beautiful. — Yesterday I bought a handbag. The handbag is very beautiful.

Although most often a personal pronoun is used instead of a noun, it sounds more natural and avoids repetition:

Yesterday I bought a handbag. It is very beautiful. — Yesterday I bought a handbag. She is very beautiful.

№2

Indefinite article a/an is used when we are not talking about a given (specific) object or person, but simply about any, some, one of a group of the same objects or people. In other words, when we talk about an object or person in general, without having a specific one in mind skirt, work, handle or dog:

I want to buy a skirt. — I want to buy a skirt. (some kind of skirt, I don’t know which one yet; I only know that I want a skirt, not a dress)
He refused to look for a job. — He refused to look for work. (some kind of work)
Give me a pen, please. - Give me a pen, please. (any, any)
It is a dog. - This is a dog. (some dog, any dog)

When we are not talking about a specific object or person, but about anyone, then further, if we need to re-designate it, we do not use personal pronouns or the definite article the. And again we use the indefinite article a/an or pronoun one.

She wants a car but he says they don’t need one. “She wants a car, but he says they don’t need it.”
or
She wants a car but he says they don’t need a car. — She wants a car, but he says they don’t need a car.
She wants to have a car (not a motorcycle, not a bicycle, but some kind of car, so a car), but he says that they don’t need a car (they don’t need any car at all, not just a specific one). Since in the second part of the sentence we are again talking about any / indefinite machine, we again use a car.

№3

Indefinite article a/an we also use it to describe or give any information about something that has already been mentioned earlier. In this case, an adjective is often used before the noun. Please note that although the article comes before an adjective, it refers to a noun:

It is a beautiful place. - This is a beautiful place. (describe what this place is)
He is a clever boy. - He's a smart boy. (we characterize what kind of boy he is)
Do you live in a big house? — Do you live in a big house? (we ask which house)

When we talk about a person’s profession or work, we also use the indefinite article a/an:

She is a teacher. - She is a teacher.
I am a doctor. - I am a doctor.

№4

Historically indefinite article a/an came from the numeral one (one). Hence the possibility in some cases to replace the article a/an numeral one. Such a replacement is possible when the article a/an essentially means "one". For example, this meaning of the indefinite article is observed in numerals a hundred (one hundred), a thousand (thousand), a million (million) and in the word a dozen (dozen) when they are used independently or before a noun:

This toy costs a thousand roubles. = This toy costs one thousan d roubles. — This toy costs a thousand rubles (one thousand rubles).
Give me a dozen, please. = Give me one dozen, please. - Give me a dozen, please (one dozen).

It is precisely with the origin from the numeral one (one) and the meaning of the singularity of the indefinite article is associated, which is especially evident when expressing measures of time, distance, weight or quantity:

This chocolate bar costs a dollar. — This chocolate bar costs a dollar. (=one dollar, we can replace a dollar on one dollar)
I'll call you in an hour. - I'll call you in an hour. (=in one hour, we can replace an hour on one hour)
Can I have a kilo of tomatoes, please? — Can I have a kilogram of tomatoes, please? (=one kilogram, we can replace a kilo on one kilo)

Please note that the numeral one instead of an article a/an should only be used when you want to emphasize that you are talking about just one thing or person, that is, when you want to be very precise:

I have got one sister. - I have one sister. (not two sisters, not three, but only one)
I have got a sister. - I have a sister. (in this case I just say that I have a sister)

The meaning of the singularity of the indefinite article can be seen in some stable phrases that convey the one-time action:

have a look- take a look
have a snack- have a snack
have a try- try, try
have a rest- relax
have a good time- have a good time
give a chance- give a chance
give a hint- hint
give a lift- give me a ride
make a mistake- make a mistake
play a trick- play a trick

№5

Indefinite article a/an also used when it is necessary to indicate the quantity per unit of measurement. For example, when we talk about the price of oranges per kilogram, the amount of wages per month, the number of classes per week, or the speed of a car per hour. A noun denoting this same unit of measurement will be used with the indefinite article.

The oranges were 80 rubles a kilo. — Oranges cost 80 rubles per kilogram.
She works 8 hours a day. — She works 8 hours a day.
I go to aerobics twice a week. — I go to aerobics twice a week.

№6

Indefinite article a/an can also be used with some uncountable abstract nouns (for example, humor - humor, hatred - hatred, anger - anger, magic - magic) in the case when they have an adjective with them. Typically, such use of the indefinite article is characteristic of book style and expresses the author’s desire to emphasize the individual, special character of this or that abstract concept.

Please note that in the above case, the use of the indefinite article is optional. If you do not want to highlight in a certain way the special character of any emotion, character trait, etc., the article a/an may not be used.

On a note

To learn to use the indefinite article a/an more or less automatically, try to form a rule in your head: use the indefinite article with singular countable nouns when there is no other reason for using the definite article the or some other determiner (possessive or indefinite pronoun).

Setting the article often causes difficulties for Russian-speaking people learning English. And all because in our native Russian language such a grammatical phenomenon simply does not exist, so it is difficult for us to understand how and why it should be used. Let's try to understand the basic rules for using the article.

• What words are preceded by an article?

The article is placed only before nouns and substantivized parts of speech, for example, before.

• Why is the article needed?

Just to say whether an object is definite (familiar, understandable from context) or indefinite.

There are 2 articles in English: definite (definite) the And uncertain(indefinite) a/an. Some grammars also distinguish zero article (zero article) to describe those cases when the article is not placed before nouns.

The meaning of the definite article the.

The definite article the is nothing more than a shortened form of the demonstrative pronouns this (this), that (that), these (these), those (those).

We will put the article the before nouns if it is clear to us what exactly the subject is being discussed.

The telephone is out of order. Let's fix it. - The phone doesn't work. Let's fix it.

In this case, the phone is specific, this one, which is in front of us and which we are going to fix.

The article the matters this specific item, which we are talking about. We don’t mean just any phone, but a specific phone around which the whole situation unfolds.

The article the can be used with both singular and plural nouns.

The meaning of the indefinite article a/an.

• When to use A, and when an?

A and an are the same article. They are identical in meaning. An will be placed before words if the first sound (not a letter!!!) in their pronunciation is a vowel, A– if consonant.

A European A manuscript	An apple An eagle An uncle An x-ray

A /an is an abbreviation of the word one (one), from which one can guess that this article is used only with countable nouns in singular.

The indefinite article a is used when we are talking about one, some, indefinite object.

I need a telephone to make a call. - I need a phone. To make a call.

I need one, any phone, no matter what, just to call.

Lack of article.

The article will be missing before uncertain nouns in the plural, that is, if in the singular you would put the article a /an, then you don’t need to put anything in the plural.

I like puppies. – I like puppies.

I don't like specific puppies, but all puppies in the world.

Let's look at some more examples of using articles.

I "d like an apple. - I would like an apple.

The apple is very juicy. - The apple is very juicy.

Apples are health-giving. – Apples are good for health.

In the first example, the indefinite article an is used, since it means any one apple.

In the second example, the article the is used because it refers to a specific apple.

In the third example, we mean all apples, not just any specific ones. The plural does not give us the right to put the article an, so there is no article.

That is, the absence of an article. In this article we will look at the indefinite article a\an in English.

Article a or an?

The indefinite article has two forms: a and an. The rule for using them is very simple.

• Article in the form “a” used before a consonant: a boot, a tie, a lock, a house, a car, a job.
• Article in the form “an” used before vowels: an apple, an iron, an oven, an error.

Even if a word begins with a consonant but begins with a vowel sound, “an” is used. These cases include:

• Unpronounceable h at the beginning of a word: an hour[ən ˈaʊə], an honor[ən ˈɒnə].
• Some abbreviations that are read by individual letters: an FBI agent[ən ɛf biː aɪ ˈeɪʤənt].

The indefinite article a\an in English is the basic rule

If we reduce the rules to the basic general, it will be like this.

General rule: The indefinite article is used to denote not specific, but some, some subject (that is why it is called indefinite). In Russian, we could instead say “some”, “some”, “some”, “one”.

By the way, the article a\an comes from the word one (one) - knowing this, it is not difficult to understand its meaning and use. Let's look at examples.

I need a shovel. - I need (some kind of) shovel.

I'd like to buy a ticket. - I would like to buy (one, some) ticket.

Compare, if you replace a \ an with the definite article the, the meaning will change:

I need the shovel. – I need (this particular) shovel.

I'd like to buy the ticket. – I would like to buy (that specific) ticket.

Rules for using the article a (an) in English

Let's look at more specific rules. So, the article a\an is used when:

1. This means everyone, no matter what representative of a class of objects or persons.

A baby can do that. – A baby (anyone) can do this.

A triangle has three sided. – A triangle (any triangle) has three sides.

The article does not necessarily come immediately before; there may be a sign between them, denoting the attribute of a noun.

I need a cheap ball pen. – I need (some) cheap ballpoint pen.

I want to buy a good hockey stick. – I want to buy (some) good hockey stick.

Please note that if in a similar case we put the definite article the, the meaning will change greatly, for example:

I want to buy the hockey stick. – I want to buy (a certain) club.

2. A noun names who or what an object or person is.

Most often this is a profession, if we are talking about a person, or the name of an object (class of objects), if we are talking about something inanimate. In this case, the article is difficult to “translate” into Russian. You need to understand that a noun denotes an object/person as a whole, not as a separate instance, but as a general concept.

I am a doctor. - I am a doctor.

He is anexperienced graphicdesigner. – He is an experienced graphic designer.

This is a snowboard. - This is a snowboard.

If you use the, we will not be talking about the class of objects as a whole, but about a specific representative:

Hi is the experienced designer. – He is (the same) experienced designer.

3. We are talking about one object or person.

That is, literally about an object in the amount of one piece. Here the article a\an means almost the same as one.

I'd like a cup of hot chocolate. – I would like (one) cup of hot chocolate.

I need a day to rest. – I need (one) day to rest.

With the article the, we will also, in general, talk about one subject, but about a specific one. For example, not just about a cup of chocolate, but about the cup that you brewed first, it had a nicer foam:

I’d like the cup of hot chocolate. - I would like (that) cup of hot chocolate.

4. We are talking about an object or person mentioned in a conversation for the first time...

... and when we speak for the second, third, tenth time, we use the article the.

Here the use of articles is dictated by simple logic. When talking about an object for the first time, we usually talk about it as “something”, “something”.

– You know, I watched an interesting movie yesterday. – You know, yesterday I watched (some) interesting film.

Five minutes have passed, we have already discussed the film inside and out, and we are no longer talking about it as some kind of, and how about quite certain movie:

– Yeah, I think, I’m going to rewatch the movie!– Yes, I think I will review (this) film.

In general, this rule is very easy to break. For example, I decided to intrigue my interlocutor and tell him right away that I watched not just some movie, but THAT SAME movie:

– You know, I watched the movie yesterday. – You know, yesterday I watched THAT SAME movie.

Or, in this particular conversation, the subject may be mentioned for the first time, but both interlocutors understand perfectly well what it is about.

Mary: Honey, where is the mirror? - Darling, where is the mirror?

John: Your mom’s present is in the bathroom, as always. – Your mother’s gift is in the bathroom, as usual.

5. In a number of stable expressions

Basically, they are related to time and quantity:

• in a day \ week \ month \ year - every other day \ week \ month \ year
• in an hour - in an hour
• in a half an hour - in half an hour
• a few - several
• a little - a little
• a lot (great deal) of – a lot

The indefinite article a \ an is often used in set expressions like to have (to take) + noun, implying some kind of one-time action:

• to have (take) a look – take a look
• to have a walk - take a walk
• to have (take) a seat – sit down
• to take a note – make a note, write down

Notes:

1. Some expressions according to this scheme are used with a zero article, for example: to have fun - have fun.
2. In most cases, the following words are used with the definite article the: the future, the past, the present.
3. The names of the seasons are used with the or the zero article: in (the) winter, in (the) summer, etc.

The indefinite article before an adjective and pronoun

Articles (any) can be used before adjectives. In this case, they serve as modifiers not for adjectives, of course, but for the noun, the attribute of which these adjectives denote:

• She is a nice beautiful girl. - She's a sweet, beautiful girl.
• I need the red hat. - I need a red hat.

Articles are not used before a noun if it is already defined by a possessive (my, your, his, her, etc.) or a demonstrative pronoun (this, these, that, those). The meaning is that if an object is said to be “whose -that”, this already means that the object is concrete, definite - this makes the article a \ an impossible, and the article the unnecessary.

• Wrong: I am looking for a (the) my dog.
• Right: I am looking for my dog.

Having trouble with articles? Can't remember more than a couple of rules? We promise to tell you everything you need to know about articles in English. Read our article about how to use English articles correctly!

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Articles are one of the riches of the English language... and a big problem for those who speak other languages ​​where there are no articles. It is quite difficult for most Russian speakers to understand the category of certainty-uncertainty, which is used by native English speakers... A real restructuring of the mind, a reconfiguration of logic is required.

But English has long gotten rid of the complex system of cases and the category of grammatical gender, which are preserved in Russian and so frighten everyone who is going to master it. And perhaps it was this transformation from a synthetic language to a predominantly analytical one that helped the English language achieve a truly unique worldwide recognition.

Despite all the simplifications, the rules for using articles in Englishfor a number of reasons they are difficult for speakers of other European languages. For comparison, take the sentence in German: “Da er_Botaniker ist, liebt er die Natur” (“Being a botanist, he loves nature”) and the corresponding one in English: “Being a botanist, he is fond of nature.” As you can see, in the English version there is an indefinite article before the name of the profession, but not in the German version. Conversely, English does not place articles before nouns such as “nature,” but German requires a definite article in the same position.

Even between British and American English there are differences in this case. Thus, Americans usually say about someone who is in the hospital, “in the hospital”; in the same way he could be in a bank, “at the bank,” or in a park, “in the park.” For a Briton, this means that there is only one hospital in the city, or an American talks about a specific hospital that he constantly visits. The British will say that the patient is “in hospital”, the child is “at school”, and the criminal is “in prison”. In their understanding, it is more about the profile of these institutions, and not about the buildings in which they are located. But if you just entered the building of a hospital, school or prison, then you are at the hospital, at the school or at the prison - here the British are in solidarity with the Americans.

These examples are intended to show that articles in English are a more significant part of the language than it seems at first glance. They are precise tools that help to delicately express all the subtle shades of meaning in English. In the vast majority of cases, the use of the article has a clear logical justification. Understanding this can help “disguise” non-native English when communicating with native speakers.

Getting to know articles in English

Several words can be combined with a noun, forming the so-callednoun phrase (noun phrase). A noun phrase consists of a noun and all those words that accompany it.

Let's consider the proposal:

The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.
(“The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog”).

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Many foreign languages ​​have such a part of speech as the article (The Article). This is a auxiliary part of speech and acts as a noun determiner. There is no such part of speech in the Russian language, so it is difficult for Russian-speaking people starting to learn English to get used to using articles in speech. How and why are articles used in English?

But if we do not use them, difficulties may arise in communicating with an Englishman, because it will not be clear to him what kind of subject we are talking about, whether he knows anything about it or not. To avoid problems in communication and to simply learn how to express yourself correctly, it is important and necessary to study articles in English and cases of their use.

Today we will talk about such an important topic as the use of articles in English, and we will also look at cases when it is necessary to use articles.

There are two types of articles in English:

• Definite Article
• Indefinite Article (indefinite article)

THE- definite article or Definite Article, and it is pronounced [ ðǝ ] when a noun begins with a consonant and [ ðɪ ] when the noun begins with a vowel. For example: the [ ðǝ ] school, the [ ðɪ ] apple.
A or AN— indefinite (Indefinite Article). When a noun begins with a consonant, we say " a banana", but if with a vowel, then " an orange."

To better understand what the difference is between the definite and indefinite article in English, we will give an example in Russian: When articles are used in English

Cases of using articles in English

Here it is important to remember what rules exist for using articles in English:

• The article is used before every common noun.
• We do not use the article when the noun is preceded by a demonstrative or possessive pronoun, another noun in the possessive case, a cardinal number or the negation no (not not!).

This is a girl. - It's a girl.
My sister is an engineer — My sister is an engineer.
I see the girls jumping the rope. — I see girls jumping rope.

As a rule, the indefinite article in English is used when the subject is spoken about for the first time, as well as if nothing is known about the subject. The definite article (Definite Article) is present where something is already known about the subject or it is mentioned again in conversation. Let's see this with a few examples. Note:

He has got a computer.- He has a computer (what kind of computer, what’s wrong with it, what brand, etc. - we don’t know.
The computer is new. - The computer is new (Now some information about the computer has appeared - it is new).
This is a tree. — This is a tree (it is not clear what kind of tree, nothing is known about it).
The tree is green. — The tree is green (something is already known, the tree is covered with green leaves).
What articles are used and when in English?

• Indefinite Article a, an can be used in exclamatory sentences beginning with the word what: What a surprise! - What a surprise! What a beautiful day! - What a beautiful day!
• Indefinite article a, an in English it is used only with countable nouns: This is a book. - This is a book. I see a boy. - I see a boy.
• Definite Article is used with both countable and uncountable nouns: The book I read is very interesting. — The book I am reading is very interesting. The meat you've bought is fresh. — The meat you bought is fresh.
• Indefinite Article is used before an adjective if it is followed by a noun: We have a large family. - We have a big family. I read an interesting book. — I’m reading an interesting book.
• The indefinite article can be used in a sentence to mean “one, one, one”: My father has three children, two sons and a daughter. — My father has three children - two sons and one daughter. Today I bought a copy-book and two pens. — Today I bought one notebook and two pens.
• Definite Article is used in the superlative degree of adjectives: Pink Street is the largest street in that town. — Pink Street is the largest in this city.
• The definite article is used with geographical names, that is, before the names of rivers, canals, seas, mountains, oceans, bays, straits, archipelagos. But it is not used with the names of lakes, countries, continents. Exceptions: the United States of America, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, the Netherlands, the Ukraine, the Congo, the Crimea.

And now, friends, pay attention to which stable phrases in English always contain a definite article:

• In the south
• In the north
• In the east
• In the west
• To the south
• To the north
• To the east
• To the west
• What's the use?
• To the cinema
• To the theater
• To the shop
• To the market
• At the cinema
• At the theater
• At the shop
• At the market.

There are still many individual cases of using articles in English. We will look at them in more detail in articles, which are separately devoted to the definite article and separately to the indefinite article.

In general, the situation with articles in English is very serious. They need and should be used in speech, without them there is simply no way, otherwise we ourselves can get confused and confuse our interlocutor in the information presented. And in order not to get confused about which articles exactly and when to use them, just memorize these cases. And you will see how this small but very necessary service part of speech will bring clarity to your conversation, and your speech will be beautiful and complete! So let the kids the, a and an become your assistants in your English speech!