Use of articles in English. Articles in English

Continuing to talk about articles, we will finally look at the definite article. How do you know that you need to put the in front of a noun?

By the way, I’ll start with the good news that in English there is only one definite article, the, and it does not change, either by numbers, or by gender, or by any other grammatical categories. Those who have studied the German language will certainly appreciate this - after der/die/das (and at the same time dem with den) - it is a pleasure to use only one form - the.

Now about when to use it. In its most general form, the rule looks like this: if the noun that we are telling the interlocutor about is already known to him (or we think that he knows) - the article the is used before this noun. Let's take a closer look at the main cases when this happens.

1. With a noun that has already been mentioned before

This is the basic rule. After the first mention with the indefinite article a, the object becomes known, becomes “that”. And therefore, any subsequent time you must use the article the with it.

I have an apple and a banana. The apple is sour and the banana is rotten. I have an apple and a banana. The apple is sour and the banana has gone bad.

2. The interlocutor knows what kind of object we are talking about

If the noun has not yet come up in conversation, but the interlocutor should already understand which of the many objects we are talking about, use the. For example, if you, while visiting, ask the owner where the toilet is, most likely you mean the toilet in his apartment, and not the toilet in general: therefore, “Where is the bathroom?” would be a perfectly correct use of the definite article.

Dude, are you going to the party? – Do you mean tonight at John’s? No. man, I can't. Dude, are you going to a party today? Which one does John have? No, I can't.

3. There is an indication of what kind of object we are talking about

Articles in English: definite - the, indefinite - a (an), zero. The use of articles with geographical names.

Using articles in English is a difficult task for beginners in learning this one of the most widely spoken languages ​​in the world. There are three types of articles in English, and although there are clear rules explaining their use, choosing the right article can sometimes be difficult.

• definite article the: Did you enjoy the party?
• - Did you like the party?

two indefinite articles in English: Article a - used if the following word begins with a consonant: I’m reading a book about England

two indefinite articles in English: - I'm reading a book about England an

• - if the word after it begins with a vowel: I read an interesting story - I read an interesting story

“zero article” (zero article in English) is the absence of articles: Does she like meat or fish?

- Does she like meat or fish?

Articles in English can appear directly before a noun:

She is an artist - she is an artist

In addition, articles in English can be separated from a noun using an adverb or adjective:

the newly renovated church - recently restored church

a beautiful young woman - beautiful young woman:

Rules for using articles in English

The use of indefinite articles in English “a” and “an”

1. Indefinite articles in English “a” or “an” are used with nouns only in the singular in the following cases:

1.1. If an object or person is mentioned for the first time, and also if an adjective precedes the noun as a descriptive definition: Can I make a suggestion?

- May I take a guess? “ Suddenly there was a loud bang

- suddenly there was a loud bang

1.2. With nouns in construction

there is” (there was):

There was a noise outdoors - there was some noise on the street

1.3. With nouns combined with the adjective “such”:

Such a day, such a car etc.

1.4. In exclamatory sentences with the intensifying pronoun “what”, indefinite articles are used in English:

What a day! “What a nice journey!”

1.5. With nouns preceded by the word “half”: half an hour, half a day etc. 1.6. Words that begin with the letter “u”, provided that it is pronounced as /ju: / (for example, “united”, “useful”), are always used with the article “a” (not “an”):

1.5. With nouns preceded by the word “half”: English is 1.6. Words that begin with the letter “u”, provided that it is pronounced as /ju: / (for example, “united”, “useful”), are always used with the article “a” (not “an”):

an universal

language.

a universal

1.7. The words “one and ones” and all phrases beginning with these words (such as one-sided, once-over) are always used with the article “a”:.

1.9. As part of some stable combinations, the indefinite article is used in English:

a lot of, twice a day, as a result, it’s a pity.

1.10. With professions:

a pilot, an engineer.

Use of the definite article in English “the”

2. The definite article the in English is used with both the singular and the plural; with both countable and uncountable nouns in the following cases:

2.1. If we are talking about a specific person or thing in a specific situation: Can you walk the dog? Can you put the book on the table? Both interlocutors know which dog and which book they are talking about. In other words, the definite article the is the equivalent of “that particular one over there.” Imagine that you are returning from the store and say to your friend: “I bought the phone.” With these words you will mislead your friend, because in fact you said: “I bought that phone », and your friend has no idea what phone we are talking about. Therefore, when mentioning an object or person for the first time, it would be correct to say: I bought a phone yesterday.

2.2. If an object or phenomenon has a description:

“This is the phone that I was telling you about yesterday”.

2.3. If an object or person was mentioned in context earlier:

This is a house. The house is very old.

the best friend, the longest trip etc.

the first day, the second chance etc.

2.7. When used with the adjective “same”:

the same day, the same time etc.

2.8. With nouns denoting the names of lakes, waterfalls, straits, mountain ranges, groups of islands, cardinal directions, rivers, seas, oceans (i.e. with geographical names):

the Thames, the Atlantic Ocean, the Alps, the Bermudas, the English Channel, the Gulf Stream, the Suez Canal, the Niagara Falls etc.

2.9. With the names of countries consisting of several words, including the following: federation, republic, union, state, kingdom. For example:

the German Federal Republic, the USA, the UK etc.

2.10. The names of deserts also use the definite article the in English:

the Sahara Desert

2.11. As an exception, the definite article the in English is used with the following geographical names: the Netherlands (translated into Russian - No Man's Land, to show that they still belong to someone, they use the definite article in English):

the Crimea, the Caucasus, the Vatican, the Congo, the Lebanon, the Hague and with some others

2.12. With nouns denoting the names of hotels, theaters, museums, ships:

the Hilton, the Covent Garden, the Titanic, the Bolshoy Theater etc.

2.13. With nouns denoting the names of English-language newspapers:

the Financial Times, the Daily Mail etc.

2.14. As part of stable combinations, the definite article the is used:

to play the piano/ the violin / the guitar / the cello etc., to tell the truth, to go to the cinema/ theater, to listen to the radio, the other way

2.15. With surnames, if the surname is plural and denotes the entire family:

the Smiths, the Browns etc.

The use of the zero article “zero article” (omission of articles in English)

3. Articles in English are omitted in the following cases:

3.1. Before proper names, as well as before nouns denoting ranks and titles:

Professor N., General B., Queen Y.

3.2. Before nouns denoting days of the week in English:

Monday, Sunday….

3.3. With nouns combined with prepositions in English “from….to, from…. till":

from beginning to end, from north to south, from nothing till everything, from head to foot etc.

3.4. With nouns followed by number or number:

page 45, room 8, tram 7

3.5. With nouns after the verbs “to appoint”, “to elect”:

to appoint director, to elect deputy.

3.6. Articles in English are not used with nouns denoting the following geographical concepts:

3.6.1. names of continents, as well as countries and cities, consisting of one proper name:

Europe, Asia, Australia, France, Italy, Spain etc.

3.6.2. names of individual islands (if these are not groups of islands), mountains (if this is not a mountain range), as well as names of lakes (if their name contains the word “Lake”):

Malta, Elbrus, Lake Ontario etc.

3.6.3. names of streets and squares:

Red Square, Trafalgar Square, Street, Regent Street etc.

3.7. In newspaper headlines and magazine articles:

Tasty farewell to winter, Color of Dream

3.8. In some stable combinations, articles are not used in English:

on foot, by heart, by car, at home etc.

3.9. When using such nouns in a general sense:

Time is money. Life isn't easy. Love and friendship…

When defining these nouns in a specific meaning, the definite article in English is used:

Don’t you know anything about the life of this people? Where is the money I’ve laid on the shelf?

At first glance, there are a lot of rules about articles in the English language and it’s impossible to remember them all. In fact, you don’t need to remember absolutely all the rules, since in the process of listening to English speech you will remember the correct choice of one or another article in English quite quickly.

The indefinite article is used when you mention something for the first time or want to say: “any one”, “any”, “one of”.

Using the indefinite article a (an)

two indefinite articles in English: Article (- I'm reading a book about England) is only used before singular countable nouns - i.e. in front of those where you can mentally say one.

Countable nouns are those that can be counted. For example, books, trees, dogs, etc.

In the plural, the indefinite article is not used.

1. At first mention

I've seen Article new film. The film is called Slumdog Millionaire. - I watched a new film. It's called Slumdog Millionaire.

This is a classic example: the first mention uses the article Article, when repeated - article the.

2. General situation (some one, some, any)

We are talking about something in general, and not about something specific.

Example

I'd like to buy a dress. - I want to buy a dress.
We are not talking about a specific dress, but about some kind of dress.

What if you said:
I’d like to buy the dress - this would mean that you do not mean some unknown dress, but a specific dress, this.

3. We are talking about a representative isolated from a number of similar

Example

Ludwig van Beethoven was a great composer. - Ludwig van Beethoven was a great composer.

Those. one of the great composers. If we put here instead of the article Article article the, this would mean that Beethoven - the only one great composer in the world. But that's not true. There are many great composers, and Beethoven is only one of them.

The difference between the article a and an

two indefinite articles in English: Article used before words that begin with a consonant, and the article - I'm reading a book about England- from a vowel.

Examples

A book - the word begins with a consonant sound.
An apple - the word begins with a vowel sound.

It seems that everything is simple and clear? Yes, but there are also more complex situations. Please note - from a consonant (vowel) sound, not letters.

Examples

A house - the word begins with a consonant sound.
An hour - the word begins with a vowel sound.
A university - the word begins with a consonant sound.
An umbrella - the word begins with a vowel sound.

How can this be, you ask? Why before the word university there is an article Article? After all, this is a vowel sound! Remember, it's not about spelling, it's about pronunciation. Look at the transcription of the word university: it starts with . And this is a consonant sound! By the way, in Russian th- this is a consonant sound.

Examples

The words in the table below begin with a consonant, so they are preceded by Always the article is put Article.

The words in the table below begin with a vowel sound, so they are preceded by Always the article is put - I'm reading a book about England.

Note

Choice of article Article or - I'm reading a book about England affects the first sound of the word that immediately follows the article. Please note - the first word will not always be a noun!

Example

An umbrella is the vowel sound in the word umbrella
A black umbrella - consonant sound in the word black
An hour - vowel sound in the word hour
A whole hour - consonant sound in the word whole

This article explains the difference between the indefinite (a/an) and definite (the) articles.

What is an article? At its core, the article is an adjective. Like adjectives, the article modifies the noun.

There are two articles in English: the and a/an. The article the is used before definite or special nouns; The article a/an is used to change the meaning of indefinite and non-special nouns. We call the article the definite article, and the article a/an the indefinite article.

the = definite article

a/an = indefinite article

For example, if you say “Let”s go in the room,” then this means a certain specific room. If you say, “Let”s go in a room,” then you mean any room, and not any specific one.

Another explanation is that the article the is used to highlight some particular or special member of a group. For example, "I just heard the most horrible story." There are many stories, but only one of them is the most terrible. Therefore, the definite article the is used here.

The article "a/an" is used to highlight some non-special or non-special member of the group. For example, "I would like to go to a pub." This phrase does not refer to any specific pub. This means any pub. There are many pubs and I want to go to any of them. I don't mean any specific pub.

Let's look at each of the articles in more detail.

Indefinite articles: a and an

The articles "a" and "an" indicate that the noun is indefinite and it refers to any member of the group. Example:

• "My son really wants a cat for Christmas." This means any cat. We don't know which cat exactly because we haven't found it yet.
• "Somebody call a doctor!" This also means any doctor. We don't need any special doctor; we need any available doctor.
• "When I was in the church, I saw an angel!" Here we are talking about one, non-specific object, in this case about an angel. There may be several angels in the church, but there is only one that we are talking about here.

Remember that the use of the articles a or an depends on what sound the word following the article begins with. So...

• a + singular noun starting with a consonant: a toy; a cat; a zoo; a bike; a dog
• an + singular noun starting with a vowel: an angel; an apple; an avocado; an olive an ear
• a + a singular noun starting with a consonant: a user (sounds like “yoo-zer”, that is, starting with a consonant “y”, so the indefinite article “a” is used); a university; a unicycle
• an + noun starting with an unpronounceable "h": an hour
• a + noun starting with a pronounced "h": a horse
  • In some cases, if the letter "h" is pronounced, for example in the word "historical," then the indefinite article an can be used.
    However, the use of the indefinite article a is more common and desirable.
    A historical event is just something that happened in the past.

Remember that these rules also apply when using acronyms:

Who is a Member of Technical Staff (MTS)? This is an engineer and his/her work effort in a technical subject area within the organization mission and all the elements needed to support that engineer. Therefore, an MTS can also be considered a "manyear of technical service".

This rule also applies in another case, when acronyms begin with a consonant letter, but a vowel sound is pronounced:

Apply Now for an MBA (Master of Business Administration) Program in one year.
The algorithm to compute the Cholesky factor of an SPD (Symmetric Positive Definite) matrix is ​​close to the Gaussian elimination algorithm.

If a noun is qualified by an adjective, then the choice between the articles a and an depends on the first sound in the adjective that follows the article:

• a broken wing
• an unusual gem
• a European city (sounds like "yer-o-pi-an", that is, the word begins with a consonant sound "y")

Remember that in English we use indefinite articles to indicate group membership:

• I am a welder. (I am a member of a large group known as welders.)
• Cody is an Irishman. (Cody is a member of the group of people known as the Irish.)
• Frank is a practicing Catholic. (Frank is a member of the group of people known as Catholics.)

Definite article: the

The definite article is used before nouns in both the singular and plural if the noun is definite or special. The article the indicates that the noun is definite and refers to some member of the group. Example:

"The cat that scratched me ran away." Here we are talking about a certain cat who scratched me.

"I was happy to see the doctor who saved my dog!" It also talks about a certain doctor. Even if we don't know his name, he is still a special doctor because he saved my dog.

"I saw the tiger at the zoo." Here we are talking about a certain definite noun. Perhaps there is only one tiger in the zoo.

Countable and uncountable nouns

With uncountable nouns, you can use the definite article the, or you can do without the article at all.

• "I like to sail over the water" (meaning a specific part of the water) or "I like to sail over water" (meaning any water surface).
• “He spilled the drink all over the floor” (meaning a certain drink, perhaps one that was purchased in the morning of the same day) or “He spilled drink all over the floor” (any drink in general).

The indefinite articles "a/an" can only be used with countable nouns.

• "I need a bottle of rose."
• "I need a new glass of drink."

In most cases, you cannot say "She wants a water" unless you mean, for example, a bottle of water.

Using the definite article the with place names

There are special rules for using the definite article the with place names.

The definite article the Not used before:

• names of most countries and territories: Georgia, Spain, Italy; but the Netherlands, the Dominican Republic, the Republic of Poland, the United States
• names of cities or states: Quebec, Miami, Texas
• street names: Independence Blvd., Elm St.
• names of lakes and bays: Lake Tahoe, Lake Bell, with the exception of names of a group of lakes, for example the Great Lakes
• names of mountains: Mount Rushmore, Mount Vernon, with the exception of names of mountain ranges, for example the Alps or the Rockies, as well as unusual names like the Matterhorn
• names of continents: Australia, Europe
• island names (Cocos Island, Maui, Key West), with the exception of island chains, for example, the Aleutians, the Hebrides, or the Canary Islands

The definite article the is used before:

• names of rivers, oceans and seas: the Nile, the Atlantic
• names of points on the globe: the Equator, the South Pole
• names of geographical areas: the Middle East, the West
• names of deserts, forests, bays and peninsulas: the Sahara, the Persian Gulf, the Black Forest, the Iberian Peninsula

Cases when articles are not used

Articles are not used with some common types of nouns:

• with names of languages ​​or nationalities: Chinese, English, Spanish, Korean (if you do not mean the population of a nation: " The Turks are known for their warm hospitality.")
• with names of sports: football, baseball, hockey
• with the names of academic subjects: physics, history, biology, geology

Many foreign languages ​​have such a part of speech as the article (The Article). This is a auxiliary part of speech and acts as a noun determiner. There is no such part of speech in the Russian language, so it is difficult for Russian-speaking people starting to learn English to get used to using articles in speech.

How and why are articles used in English?

But if we do not use them, difficulties may arise in communicating with an Englishman, because it will not be clear to him what kind of subject we are talking about, whether he knows anything about it or not. To avoid problems in communication and to simply learn how to express yourself correctly, it is important and necessary to study articles in English and cases of their use.

Today we will talk about such an important topic as the use of articles in English, and we will also look at cases when it is necessary to use articles.

• There are two types of articles in English:
• Definite Article

Indefinite Article (indefinite article) THE ðǝ - definite article or Definite Article, and it is pronounced [ ðɪ ] when a noun begins with a consonant and [ ] when the noun begins with a vowel. For example: ðǝ the [ ðɪ ] school, the [
] apple. or A AN Article— indefinite (Indefinite Article). When a noun begins with a consonant, we say " - I'm reading a book about England banana", but if with a vowel, then "

To better understand what the difference is between the definite and indefinite article in English, we will give an example in Russian: When articles are used in English

Cases of using articles in English

Here it is important to remember what rules exist for using articles in English:

• The article is used before every common noun.
• We do not use the article when the noun is preceded by a demonstrative or possessive pronoun, another noun in the possessive case, a cardinal number or the negation no (not not!).

This is Article girl. - It's a girl.
My sister is - I'm reading a book about England engineer — My sister is an engineer.
I see the girls jumping the rope. — I see girls jumping rope.

As a rule, the indefinite article in English is used when the subject is spoken about for the first time, as well as if nothing is known about the subject. The definite article (Definite Article) is present where something is already known about the subject or it is mentioned again in conversation. Let's see this with a few examples. Note:

He has got Article computer.- He has a computer (what kind of computer, what’s wrong with it, what brand, etc. - we don’t know.
The computer is new. - The computer is new (Now some information about the computer has appeared - it is new).
This is Article tree. — This is a tree (it is not clear what kind of tree, nothing is known about it).
The tree is green. — The tree is green (something is already known, the tree is covered with green leaves).
What articles are used and when in English?

• Indefinite Article a, an can be used in exclamatory sentences beginning with the word what: What a surprise! - What a surprise! What a beautiful day! - What a beautiful day!
• Indefinite article a, an in English it is used only with countable nouns: This is a book. - This is a book. I see a boy. - I see a boy.
• Definite Article is used with both countable and uncountable nouns: The book I read is very interesting. — The book I am reading is very interesting. The meat you've bought is fresh. — The meat you bought is fresh.
• Indefinite Article is used before an adjective if it is followed by a noun: We have a large family. - We have a big family. I read an interesting book. — I’m reading an interesting book.
• The indefinite article can be used in a sentence to mean “one, one, one”: My father has three children, two sons and a daughter. — My father has three children - two sons and one daughter. Today I bought a copy-book and two pens. — Today I bought one notebook and two pens.
• Definite Article is used in the superlative degree of adjectives: Pink Street is the largest street in that town. — Pink Street is the largest in this city.
• The definite article is used with geographical names, that is, before the names of rivers, canals, seas, mountains, oceans, bays, straits, archipelagos. But it is not used with the names of lakes, countries, continents. Exceptions: the United States of America, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, the Netherlands, the Ukraine, the Congo, the Crimea.

And now, friends, pay attention to which stable phrases in English always contain a definite article:

• In the south
• In the north
• In the east
• In the west
• To the south
• To the north
• To the east
• To the west
• What's the use?
• To the cinema
• To the theater
• To the shop
• To the market
• At the cinema
• At the theater
• At the shop
• At the market.

There are still many individual cases of using articles in English. We will look at them in more detail in articles, which are separately devoted to the definite article and separately to the indefinite article.

In general, the situation with articles in English is very serious. They need and should be used in speech, without them there is simply no way, otherwise we ourselves can get confused and confuse our interlocutor in the information presented. And in order not to get confused about which articles exactly and when to use them, just memorize these cases. And you will see how this small but very necessary service part of speech will bring clarity to your conversation, and your speech will be beautiful and complete! So let the kids the, a and an become your assistants in your English speech!