Introduction
Definite and indefinite articles are parts of speech placed before nouns and noun phrases. They refer to determiners “the“, “a“, and “an“. They are used to identify whether a noun is known to the reader or not. For more details about these concepts, go through the following notes and tables.
Form of articles
| Article | Definite | Indefinite | Countable | Uncountable | Singular | Plural |
| a | √ | √ | √ | |||
| an | √ | √ | √ | |||
| the | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | |
| Ø (no article) | √ | √ | √ |
The definite article “the”
Generally, “the” is used to identify specific/known nouns. It is used with singular, plural, and all genders, starting either with a vowel or a consonant.
Examples:
- the boy – the girl – the elephant
- the boys – the girls – the elephants
The indefinite article s “a” and “an”
“a” and “an” are used to identify nonspecific/unknown nouns.
* The article ‘’a’’ is used before words that start with a consonant.
Examples:
a book – a toy – a car
* The article ‘’an’’ is used before words that start with a vowel.
Examples:
an elephant – an orange – an apple
Different uses of definite and indefinite articles
In the following table, we will go a bit deeper and explore the various uses of “the“, “a“, and “an“. Take a look at it.
| Article | Use | Example |
| the | 1) when something is unique (there is only one) 2) before nouns that have become definite because they are mentioned previously 3) before superlatives 4) before certain names of countries, mountains, rivers, oceans, etc. 5) with family names 6) with nouns that have become definite after adding an adjective or a phrase | 1) the Earth, the Sky, the Moon, the garden of the house 2) Do you know Alain Gomez? He is the new player in the League. 3) the first, the best, the most important 4) the Netherlands, the Alps, the Thames, the Atlantic, etc. 5) the Browns, the Smiths, the Dickens 6) the big boy, the girl from Texas |
| a/an | 1) before nouns of which there is more than one 2) with names of professions 3) with certain expressions and numbers 4) before expressions of price, speed, measurement, etc. 5) in exclamations | 1) They live in a flat – He bought an ice-cream 2) He is a doctor – She is an actress 3) a lot of, a great deal of, a hundred, a couple 4) $ 5 a kilo – 60 kilometers an hour – £1 a meter 5) What a pretty girl! – What an elegant dress! |
| Ø (no article) | 1) before indefinite/nonspecific plural nouns 2) with names of meals 3) before names of people, cities, countries, games, etc. | 1) dogs, meals, schools 2) breakfast, lunch, dinner 3) Omar, James, Paris, Rabat, Japan, tennis, etc. |
Practice of definite and indefinite articles
Exercise 1
Fill the blanks with “a”, or”an”
- This is ………. orange.
- That is ……… book.
- This is ………. hospital.
- That is ………. egg.
- He is eating ………. apple.
- This is ………. umbrella.
- That is ……… university.
- I’ll be away for ……….. hour.
- What ……… nice day!
- ……….. horse is ……….. animal.
Exercise 2
Fill the blanks with “the”, “a”, “an”, or Ø
- Greeks like ……….. coffee.
- English like ………. tea.
- ……….. exercise he is writing is very easy.
- ……….. exercise is good for our health.
- He lives in ……….. Japan.
- Is,…….. Chinese easy?
- ………… Chinese language is complex.
- Mr. Brown is ……… teacher.
- They took him to ……. hospital in ………….. ambulance
- ……….. good students work hard.
- ………., students must work hard.
- He is having…………. lunch.
