Indefinite Articles: a and an
"A" and "an" signal that the noun modified is indefinite, referring to any member of a group.
For example:
"My daughter really wants a doll for Christmas."
This refers to any doll. We don’t know which doll because we haven’t found the doll yet.
"Somebody call a policeman!"
This refers to any policeman. We don’t need a specific policeman;
we need any policeman who is available.
"When I was at the zoo, I saw an elephant!"
Here, we’re talking about a single, non-specific thing, in this case an elephant.
There are probably several elephants at the zoo, but there’s only one we’re talking about here.
Remember, using a or an depends on the sound that begins the next word. So
a+ singular noun beginning with a consonant: a boy; a car; a bike; a zoo
an + singular noun beginning with a vowel: an elephant; an egg; an apple; an orphan
a + singular noun beginning with a consonant sound:
a user (sounds like ‘yoo-zer,’ i.e. begins with a consonant ‘y’ sound, so ‘a’ is used);a university; a unicycle
an + nouns starting with silent "h": an hour
a + nouns starting with a pronounced "h": a horse
In some cases where "h" is pronounced, such as "historical," you can use an.
However, a is more commonly used and preferred.
A historical event is worth recording.
If the noun is modified by an adjective, the choice between a and an depends
on the initial sound of the adjective that immediately follows the article:
a broken egg
an unusual problem
a European country (sounds like ‘yer-o-pi-an,’ i.e. begins with consonant ‘y’ sound)
Remember, too, that in English, the Indefinite articles are
used to indicate membership in a group:
I am a teacher. (I am a member of a large group known as teachers.)
Definite Article: the
The definite article is used before singular and plural nouns when the noun is specific or particular.
The signals that the noun is definite, that it refers to a particular member of a group. For example:
"The dog that bit me ran away.
" Here, we’re talking about a specific dog, the dog that bit me.
"I saw the elephant at the zoo.
" Here, we’re talking about a specific noun. Probably there is only one elephant at the zoo.
Count and Noncount Nouns
The can be used with noncount nouns, or the article can be omitted entirely.
"He spilled the milk all over the floor"
(some specific milk, perhaps the milk you bought earlier that day)
or "He spilled milk all over the floor" (any milk).
"A/an" can be used only with count nouns.
"I need a bottle of water."
"I need a new glass of milk."
Most of the time, you can’t say, "She wants a water,"
unless you’re implying, say, a bottle of water.
Geographical use of the
There are some specific rules for usingthe with geographical nouns.
Do not use the before:
names of most countries/territories: Italy, Mexico, Russia;
however, theNetherlands, the Dominican Republic, thePhilippines, the United States
names of cities, towns, or states: Moscow, Miami
names of streets: Washington Blvd., Main St.
names of lakes and bays: Lake Baikal
except with a group of lakes like the Great Lakes
names of mountains: Mount Everest, except with ranges of mountains like the Andes
names of continents (Asia, Europe)
names of islands (Easter Island, ) except with island chains like the Canary Islands
Do use the before:
names of rivers, oceans and seas: the Nile, the Pacific
points on the globe: the Equator, the North Pole
geographical areas: the Middle East, the West
deserts, forests, gulfs, and peninsulas: the Sahara, the Arabian Gulf, the Black Forest.
Omission of Articles
Some common types of nouns that don’t take an article are:
Names of languages and nationalities: Chinese, English, Spanish, Russian
(unless you are referring to the population of the nation:
"The Spanish are known for their warm hospitality.")
Names of sports: volleyball, hockey, baseball
Names of academic subjects: mathematics, biology, history, computer science