Articles: 'a', 'an', 'the'

Articles: 'a', 'an', 'the'

Do you know how to use a, an and the? Test what you know with interactive exercises and read the explanation to help you.

Look at these examples to see how articles are used.

She's a doctor.
I need an umbrella.
Have you heard the news?
I don't like spiders.

Try this exercise to test your grammar.

Grammar test 1

Grammar test 1: Articles 1

Read the explanation to learn more.

Grammar explanation

Here are some of the most important things to know about using articles.

Jobs

When we say what people's jobs are, we usually use a/an.

He's an architect.
She's a scientist.
My grandmother was a teacher.

Singular nouns

Singular, countable nouns always have an article – a/an or the (or another determiner – my, your, this, that, etc.).

We use a/an – the indefinite article – when we talk about something for the first time, or something that is part of a group or type.

I saw a good film yesterday.
Do you want a drink?

We use a when the word that follows it begins with a consonant sound. We use an when it's followed by a vowel sound. This makes pronunciation easier.

She has a university degree.
It took me an hour to get home.

We use the – the definite article – when the listener already knows which thing we are talking about because it was mentioned before or because there's only one of them.

I'm going to take the dog for a walk.
Have you seen the car key?
They go to the school next to the bridge.

Things in general

When we talk about things in general, we normally use a plural or uncountable noun with no article.

Birds eat worms.
Water freezes at 0°C.
Children need a lot of sleep.

Particular groups of things

When we talk about a particular group of things, we use the.

We went to the zoo and saw the kangaroos. (These are the particular kangaroos in that zoo – not kangaroos in general.)

Do this exercise to test your grammar again.

Grammar test 2

Grammar test 2: Articles 1

Average: 4.1 (113 votes)
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Hello again Tony_M,

1. Yes, 'first messages' works better in that case. If I've understood correctly, I might have written 'all my first messages' or 'the first messages I wrote', but if I didn't say either of those, then I agree that it's best to leave out the article.

2. Your solution looks good to me. 

3. You didn't ask about it, but I'd recommend saying 'are disappearing' instead of 'disappear'. In this case, the continuous aspect shows the idea that this is a problem that comes up from time to time. It can also show that it's something recent, i.e. a new occurrence of this recurrent problem.

Best wishes,
Kirk
LearnEnglish team

Hello Kirk,

Thank you for your invaluable help.
You and Jonathan R (who also helped me a lot) are absolute rock stars.

You made a great point in number 3.

I am going off the topic here, but I've noticed that you often use 'if I've understood correctly' in your messages. I do realize that this observation is a bit weird, to say the least, but that's the lesser of two evils. Such things as conveying my ideas clearly and avoiding ambiguities are much more important than any attempt to avoid the appearance of weirdness. I would really appreciate it if you could tell me what was unclear in my post.

Thank you.

Hi Tony_M,

I'm sorry that the phrase 'if I've understood correctly' threw you off! I often use this phrase in my responses to comments because sometimes I'm not completely certain I've understood the situation someone describes (or doesn't describe).

In this case, I found your explanation very clear and precise, and only said that in recognition of the slight possibility of some sort of misunderstanding on my part. But I don't think there is any.

Glad to help!

Best wishes,
Kirk
LearnEnglish team

Submitted by PEKO on Tue, 31/10/2023 - 11:16

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I am a teacher.
have you seen the English book?

Submitted by Sefika on Sat, 21/10/2023 - 17:09

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Which one of the following is used in English (apart from "Block E" or "Building E")?
a) She lives in E Block/Building).
b) She lives in the E Block/Building).
Do you use the definite article "the" before the letter "E" or another letter used before "Block" or "Building"?
Thank you in advance.

Hello Sefika,

As you suggest, 'Block E' and 'Building E' are the most common. Of the others, the first one (a) is quite common. The second (b) is not likely.

 

Peter

The LearnEnglish Team

Profile picture for user hasnaa sakr

Submitted by hasnaa sakr on Thu, 19/10/2023 - 19:09

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I have seen this movie for an hour.

I will eat a lump of meat in my lunch today.

I will take the dog for a walk.

the stakeholder is very picky.

Submitted by alessia baltis on Wed, 18/10/2023 - 14:30

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Hello! Thank you for this useful website. In the sentence "if you want to be a player or a member..", should i put an "a" before "member" or not? Thank you.

Hi alessia baltis,

It's correct both ways! It's your choice whether to repeat "a" or not. 

Thanks for your question. We are very glad to hear that you find the website useful!

Jonathan

LearnEnglish team