Articles
The 3 articles in English are a, an and the. The learner has to decide noun-by-noun which one of the articles to use*. In fact, there are 4 choices to make, because sometimes no article is necessary. Native-speakers, of course, use the articles correctly without thinking. English learners, on the other hand, need to have some guidelines for making the right choice - particularly those learners whose own language does not have articles, such as Japanese or Korean. The guidelines that follow here should help ESL students to a basic understanding of English article use.
The most important first step in choosing the correct article is to categorize the noun as count or uncount**:
- A count noun is a noun that can have a number in front of it: 1 teacher, 3 books, 76 trombones, 1,000,000 people.
- An uncount noun is a noun that cannot have a number put in front of it: 1 water, 2 lucks, 10 airs, 21 oils, 39 informations. Once you have correctly categorized the noun (using your dictionary if necessary), the following "rules" apply:
Uncount nouns * You cannot say a/an with an uncount noun. * You cannot put a number in front of an uncount noun. (You cannot make an uncount noun plural.) * You use an uncount noun with no article if you mean that thing in general. * You use the with an uncount noun when you are talking about a particular example of that thing.
Count nouns * You can put a number in front of a count noun. (You can make a count noun plural.) * You can put both a/an and the in front of a count noun. * You must put an article** in front of a singular count noun. * You use a plural count noun with no article if you mean all or any of that thing. * You usually use a/an with a count noun the first time you say or write that noun. * You use the with count nouns: * the second and subsequent times you use the noun in a piece of speech or writing * when the listener knows what you are referring to (maybe because there is only one of that thing) * You use an (not a) when the next word (adverb, adjective, noun) starts with a vowel sound.
Note:
* The above rules apply whether there is or there is not an adjective in front of the noun. * Some nouns can be either count or uncount, depending on the context and meaning: * Do you have paper? I want to draw a picture. (uncount = a sheet of paper) * Can you get me a paper when you’re at the shop? (count = a newspaper) * Uncount nouns are often preceded by phrases such as: a lot of .. (luck), a piece of .. (cake), a bottle of .. (milk), a grain of .. (rice).
* Instead of an article, the noun can also be preceded by a determiner such as this, that, some, many or my, his, our, etc.

Following are some of the most important guidelines listed above, with example sentences: 1. You use an uncount noun with no article if you mean all or any of that thing. | * I need help! * I don't eat cheese. * Do you like music? | 2. You use the with an uncount noun when you are talking about a particular example of that thing. | * Thanks for the help you gave me yesterday. * I didn't eat the cheese. It was green! * Did you like the music they played at the dance? | 3. You usually use a/an with a count noun the first time you say or write that noun. | * Can I borrow a pencil, please? * There's a cat in the garden! * Do you have an mp3 player? | 4. You use the with count nouns the second and subsequent times you use the noun, or when the listener already knows what you are referring to (maybe because there is only one of that thing). | * Where's the pencil I lent you yesterday? * I think the cat belongs to the new neighbours. * I dropped the mp3 player and it broke. * Please shut the door! | 5. You use a plural count noun with no article if you mean all or any of that thing. | * I don't like dogs. * Do they have children? * I don't need questions. Give me answers! | 6. The above rules apply whether there is or there is not an adjective in front of the noun. | * I don't eat German cheese. * Can I borrow a red pencil, please? * There's an extremely large cat in the garden! * I don't like small, noisy children. |
This page contains short, generalized information about this enormously complex aspect of English grammar. For more detailed information, consult a good reference work such as Swan's Practical English Usage. And do not worry too much about article mistakes - only very rarely will they cause your listener or reader to misunderstand you!
Articles
First the good news:There are only three articles in English: a, an and the.
There are two types of articles indefinite 'a' and 'an' or definite 'the'. You also need to know when not to use an article.
The bad news is that their proper use is complex, especially when you get into the advanced use of English. Quite often you have to work it out by what sounds right, which can be frustrating for a learner.
Indefinite articles - a and an (determiners)
A and an are the indefinite articles. They refer to something not specifically known to the person you are communicating with.
A and an are used before nouns that introduce something or someone you have not mentioned before:- For example: | "I saw an elephant this morning."
"I ate a banana for lunch." |
A and an are also used when talking about your profession:- For example: | "I am an English teacher."
"I am a builder." |

Note! | You use a when the noun you are referring to begins with a consonant (b, c, d, f, g, h, j, k, l, m, n, p, q, r, s, t, v, w, x, y or z), for example, "a city", "a factory", and "a hotel". You use an when the noun you are referring to begins with a vowel (a, e, i, o, u)Pronunciation changes this rule. It's the sound that matters, not the spelling.

If the next word begins with a consonant sound when we say it, for example, "university" then we use a. If the next word begins with a vowel sound when we say it, for example "hour" then we use an.We say "university" with a "y" sound at the beginning as though it were spelt "youniversity".
So, "a university" IS correct.We say "hour" with a silent h as though it were spelt "our".
So, "an hour" IS correct.(Lots of people get this wrong - including native speakers.) |

Definite Article - the (determiners)
There are two ways to pronounce "the". One "thuh" and the other "thee". To learn when we use them see the pronunciation files: How to pronounce "the".
Strong pronunciation Weak pronunciation
You use the when you know that the listener knows or can work out what particular person/thing you are talking about. For example: | "The apple you ate was rotten."
"Did you lock the car?" |
You should also use the when you have already mentioned the thing you are talking about. For example: | "She's got two children; a girl and a boy. The girl's eight and the boy's fourteen." |
We use the to talk about geographical points on the globe. For example: | the North Pole, the equator |
We use the to talk about rivers, oceans and seas For example: | the Nile, the Pacific, the English channel |
We also use the before certain nouns when we know there is only one of a particular thing. For example: | the rain, the sun, the wind, the world, the earth, the White House etc.. |
However if you want to describe a particular instance of these you should use a/an. For example: | "I could hear the wind." / "There's a cold wind blowing." "What are your plans for the future?" / "She has a promising future ahead of her." |
The is also used to say that a particular person or thing being mentioned is the best, most famous, etc. In this use, 'the' is usually given strong pronunciation: For example: | "Harry's Bar is the place to go." "You don't mean you met the Tony Blair, do you?" |
!Note - The doesn't mean all:- For example: | "The books are expensive." = (Not all books are expensive, just the ones I'm talking about.) "Books are expensive." = (All books are expensive.) |
No article
We usually use no article to talk about things in general:- | Inflation is rising.People are worried about rising crime. (Note! People generally, so no article) |
You do not use an article when talking about sports. For example: | My son plays football.Tennis is expensive. |
You do not use an article before uncountable nouns when talking about them generally. For example: | Information is important to any organisation.Coffee is bad for you. |
You do not use an article before the names of countries except where they indicate multiple areas or contain the words (state(s), kindom, republic, union). Kingdom, state, republic and union are nouns, so they need an article. For example: | No article - Italy, Mexico, Bolivia, England Use the - the UK (United Kingdom), the USA (United States of America), the Irish RepublicMultiple areas! the Netherlands, the Philippines, the British Isles |

1. When you talk about things in general:
*The main rule to remember is: you don’t need an article when you talk about things in general. ‘The‘ does NOT = all.
Use plural count nouns:
Cats make great pets!
*You’re not talking about one specific cat or one specific pet; you’re just talking about all cats in general.
Women love it when men send them flowers!
Houses are expensive in that neighbourhood.
People think all Canadians speak English and French, but they’re wrong!
Companies in Canada pay very high taxes.
I love reading books.
Use non-count nouns:
I love listening to music.
*Here you are just saying that you enjoy music in general – not any specific kind of music or song.
She’s afraid of heights, so we couldn’t go to the top of the Eiffel Tower.
I love chocolate!
Have you eaten lunch yet?
She’s a vegetarian. She doesn’t eat meat.
2. Names – holidays, geography, companies, languages.
[*these are all proper nouns]
a) Holidays
I got a beautiful new dress for Christmas.
I got my mom a movie catalogue for Mother’s Day.
On St. Patrick’s Day everybody wears green.
What are you doing on Valentine’s Day?
b) Geography
*Articles are not used before countries, states, cities, towns, continents, single lakes, single mountains.
I live in Canada.
I’m going to Europe next month on vacation.
Lake Ontario and Lake Huron are 2 of the Great Lakes.
Mt. Fuji is the highest mountain in Japan.
Mt. Rosa is part of the Alps mountain range.
*Mt. Rosa is one mountain; The Alps describe a group of mountains.
*Of course, there is an exception to every rule in English: the United States the Czech Republic
c) Companies
Bill Gates founded Microsoft.
Wal-Mart is the largest employer in the U.S.
McDonald’s has restaurants in 119 countries.
I use Twitter and Facebook every day.
d) Languages
I am studying Russian.
I speak French.
In Brazil people speak Portuguese.
I teach people how to speak English.
3. Places, locations, streets
*Streets, some locations and places do not need an article:
I left my book at home.
I have to go to work [the place where I work / the location] early tomorrow.
He was found guilty of murder and sent to jail for life.
I usually go to church on Sundays.
Good night everyone! I’m going to bed.
Did you go to school today?
When I was in high school, everyone had to study French.
She’s studying business at university.
*also note: you don’t need an article for subjects you study at school: math, geography, business, history, science
My office is located on Main street.[a street name is also a proper noun]
*Places that you DO need to use an article: the bank, the movies, the hospital, the post office, the airport, the train station, the bus stop, the doctor, the dentist.
4. Sports
*Sports and other physical activities do not need an article:
I love to go skiing in the winter.
I play football every day after school.
He loves watching hockey on TV.
She tries to do yoga at least 3 times a week.
My daughter really enjoys dancing.
5. Noun + number
*I add this category because I hear it a lot during lessons, especially when students are doing matching activities.
Picture number 6 matches with ‘window’ [an example of a matching activity in class]
He’s staying at the Hilton hotel in room 221.
[NOT the room 221]
The train to Paris leaves from platform 2.
My English class is in room 6 on the first floor.
*’First’ is an adjective in this sentence, used to describe ‘the floor.’