Articles: 'a', 'an', 'the'
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
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
Hello and i wish you a happy evening to each one of you. I was reading an example, and I did not understand something. I would like someone to help me to clarify my doubt. Here is the paragraph below:
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.
The word that follows "a" is "university". Does the work university has a consonant sound?
The word that follows "an" is "hour". Does hour has a vowel sound?
Thaks
Hello EMG,
The word 'hour' is pronounced the same was as the word 'our', so it begins with a vowel sound. You can check this in any dictionary:
https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/our
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team
The vowel sound means when you speak, the flows form you mouth did not blocked by your lips or teeth, like the words: ant and hour etc.. Consonants are pronounced by stopping the air from flowing easily through the mouth, especially by closing the lips or touching the teeth with the tongue, like the cat and dog. Renmember mind the first pronounce of a words.
Today I am writing first time .I hope this proccess will be good I want to try using article . Today I learned We always use a/an or the or any determiner such my, you that before singular and countable noun. We use a and an when we talk about something ıf we speak about it first time or if it is a part of type or group for example I have a car. This example is for a part of group , car is a member of of cars and it is any car .if I said I want a car ,the car will be bmw this example is both include a and the because the first time I mentioned the car I used 'a car' after that I used 'the car' because before I mentioned.
Omg, it is not so easy, but I could understand. It’s easy to understand but is not easy use it in original sentences. I will write some sentences to practice it. I see a park. The park is very gorgeous. I bought an apple because I wanted to eat. The cake what you cooked was so delicious.
-I see a park that is really gorgeous.
-I bought an apple because I wanted to eat it. (If you wanted to eat it: it=apple)
-The cake (-) you cooked was so delicious.
-The cake that / which you cooked was so delicious.
Sandwiches are not good for our health. A doctor came to our school and advised us about this. He also told us to avoid listening to loud music.
Please refer to this sentence "Thank you for being a remarkable leader and a role model.". Can I use repeatedly the determiner "a" in a sentence like the "a" before a remarkable and "a" before the word role? Will the sentence be grammatically incorrect if I do not write "a" before the word role? Will it be redundant to write "a" before the word role?
Hello Vince43,
You can include the second 'a' or not; it's purely a question of style. Personally, I think omitting it makes the sentence read better unless you want to emphasise 'role model'. Putting in the second 'a' makes it more emphatic in the same way the repeating the whole phrase does:
Phrasing it like this raises the level of the second item. Rather than saying 'thank you for x, where x has two parts' you are saying 'thank you for x and also thank you for y'.
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team
Hello LearnEnglish Team,
Which one of the following sentences would be considered correct?:
The plural of nucleus is nuclei, I think.
Thank you.
Yogme Shetu.