2.3.3.

Definite Article(the)
2.3.4.Indefinite Article( A/ An)
What is an Article?
An article is a part of speech .We can find in English indefinite and Definite articles.
Definite articles definition: a determiner (the) that introduces specific nouns and noun
phrases. Placing “the” before a noun makes it specific. In order to say “the book,” the
audience has to know to what book you are referring.

Indefinite articles definition: a determiner (a, an) that introduces nonspecific nouns and
noun phrases.
The examples below will further outline the difference.

 a cow (nonspecific—could be any cow)

 the cow (specific—referring to a particular cow)
 an animal (nonspecific—could be any animal)
 the animal (specific—referring to a particular animal)
When to use the: Use a definite article (the) when the noun is a known entity.or when we
are specific.
When to use a, an: Use indefinite articles (a/an) when the noun is an unknown entity.

The use of Define artitle The

Definite Article Examples:
 singular
 the chair, the city, the manager
 plural
 the chairs, the cities, the managers
 count
 the boxes, the towns, the women
 non-count
 the food, the luggage, the electricity.
 family names
 the Smith Family, the Jones Family
 kingdoms, states, republics, island groups, and plural noun countries
 the United Kingdom, the United States, the Dominican Republic, the
Philippines, the Canary Islands,
 mountain ranges, rivers, oceans
 the Rocky Mountains, the Amazon, the Atlantic Ocean

 newspapers, organizations, hotels, buildings

 the New York Times, the Red Cross, the Hyatt, the Capitol Building
The Indefinite Article
The indefinite article is “a” / “an” “A” and “an” refer to nonspecific nouns. The
object of reference is not clear and further identification would be needed to
know the exact object.

Indefinite Article Examples:

  singular
 a chair, a city, a manager
 plural—CANNOT BE USED
 count
 a box, a town, a woman
 non-count—CANNOT BE USED

When to use An: If the initial sound of the noun when pronounced is a
vowel sound, “an” is used.
 an apple
 an eel
 an honor
 A catchy soundtrack used to be enough, but the 21st century
needs an app to publicize shark activity near New England’s coasts. –
The Christian Science Monitor
When to use A: If the initial sound of the noun when pronounced is a
consonant sound, “a” is used.
 a bowl
 a gnat
 a hoax
 A few days after Britain voted to leave the European Union, Monika
Baginski was in a supermarket, chatting with a friend on the phone in
her native Polish, when a man followed her down the aisle. –The New
York Times
Practice

Select the appropriate article (a, an, the) and fill-in the blank below.

1. Do you have ___ different table available?

2. He was searching for ____ right word to describe the situation.
3. This is ___ last time I will remind you to do your chores.
4. Braxten brought ___ apricot, ___ sandwich, and ____ cookie for
lunch.
5. My mom demanded ____ explanation.