What Are Articles of English?
Many test takers fail to use the articles of English well. They usually fail to understand when to use the definite article or indefinite articles.
Articles define a noun as specific or unspecific. Look at the following examples:
The book he stole was not particularly useful.
By using the article the, we’ve shown that it was one specific book that was not particularly useful.
A book was stolen from the library.
By using the article a, we’ve created a general statement, implying that the speaker is not specific about a particular book. What he knows is that a certain book was stolen.
There are two types of articles: definite and indefinite.
The definite and indefinite articles.
The Definite Article
The definite article is the word /the/. It limits the meaning of a noun to one specific thing. For example, your friend might ask, “Did you get the book?” The definite article tells you that your friend is referring to a specific book that both of you know about. It can be used with singular, plural, or uncountable nouns. Look at the following usage:
1. Please send me the book.
2. Please give me the chemistry book; the physics one is not what I want.
3. Please give me the pencil.
4. Please give me the long pencil; the one on top of the desk.
5. Please give me the book and the pencil.
The Indefinite Article
There are two forms of the indefinite article, /a/ when it precedes a word that begins with a consonant sound and /an/ when it precedes a word that begins with a vowel sound. In this case, a noun refers to a general idea rather than a specific thing. For example, “ I saw a boy at the gate with an apple.” What you know is that you identified the person as a boy not girl, but cannot tell the specific boy, that is, the name. You saw that he carried an apple, but could not tell whether a green or red apple. The indefinite article only appears with singular nouns. Look at the following:
1. Can you get me a good novel from the bookstore?
2. Please find for me an autobiography novel at the bookstore.
Exceptions: A or An
If the first letter of a word is a silent consonant, then use /an/ before the word. The first letter of the word honor, for example, is a silent consonant, meaning honor starts with a vowel sound. Therefore, we use an.
1. He was given an honor for his achievements in science.
2. He is an honorable gentleman.
If the first letter of a word is a vowel but pronounced as a consonant sound, use /a/.
1. They intend to build a university.
2. The workers are forming a union.
The words university and union start with /u/ which is pronounced as /y/, a consonant sound.
Other uses of articles.