What is an article in English. The definite article THE in English
The topic of articles is always difficult for students who are just starting to learn English. There is no such thing as an “article” in Russian, so it can be difficult for us to understand what it is for. Let's open a secret: in all languages of the world, the main function of the article is to show that it is followed by a noun. The article seems to say: “Pay attention, after me there will be some object, phenomenon or person!” In Russian, the form of the word itself shows that it is a noun. But in English it often happens that the same form of a word can be a noun, or it can be a verb, for example: a hand- hand, to hand- to convey something. Therefore, it is so important to pay special attention to the topic of articles. Imagine someone speaking Russian without nouns. This is how our speech sounds to foreigners when we do not use articles!
Forms of the indefinite article
Today we will focus on the indefinite article. The indefinite article in English language (the indefinite article) two forms:
- A before consonants ( a b oy, a p lane, ach air).
- An- before vowels ( an o officer, an i incident, an i dea).
These are two forms of the same phenomenon and they mean the same thing. Why are there two forms of the indefinite article? For euphony of speech. After all, it is difficult to pronounce words in which several consonants or vowels go in a row, it is more convenient to “link” words according to the principle “consonant + vowel + consonant”. When choosing a or an focus on pronunciation, not spelling. We use the article a, if the word begins with a consonant sound (namely, a sound, not a letter) and take an if the word starts with a vowel:
This is a university. - This is a university. (the word university begins with a vowel u, but the sound is /ju/ or /yu/, that is, a consonant)
He is an honest man. - He honest man. (the word honest begins with the consonant letter h, but this letter is not pronounced, and the next sound is the vowel /o/)
By the way, notice that in the second example, after the article, there is not a noun, but an adjective ( honest). It all depends on what sound the word that immediately follows begins with. indefinite article, even if it is not a noun. The table shows how to choose the correct form of the indefinite article.
History of the origin of the indefinite article
The indefinite article in English owes its origin to the English numeral one(one). This will make it easier for you to remember that the indefinite article is only used with singular nouns! Always in the only one! However, this does not mean that the article a/an and word one interchangeable.
I need an apple. - I need an apple. (any)
I need one apple. - I need one apple.
As you can see, the sentences are different in meaning. If you are trying to emphasize the singularity of a person or object, use the numeral one. Why do we need to use the indefinite article?
When is the indefinite article used in English?
- The indefinite article is used when we are talking about something general (some, some, one of a group of the same people or objects), and not about a specific one.
I'd like to buy dress. – I would like to buy a dress. (some, not specific dress)
It's a trolley-bus. - This is a trolleybus. (some kind of trolleybus)
He's a doctor. - He is a doctor. (one of the group of doctors)
Note that we can use an adjective before a noun:
- A house- house (some kind of house).
- A new house- a new house (some new house).
- A new two-storeyed house- a new two-story house (some new "two-story building").
- We use a/an, when the noun acts as a representative of a group of objects, persons, phenomena, that is, a kind of generalizing concept for the entire group. In this case, instead of the article, you can substitute the words "any", "each", "any" ( every, any) is a representative of this group.
If you want to be a teacher, you should study a lot. If you want to become a teacher, you must study a lot. (teacher as a representative of this profession)
Would you like an orange? - Do you want an orange? (any)
This meaning of the indefinite article is especially noted in the proverbs and sayings of the English language, which express the properties characteristic of any of a given class of objects or persons.
A friend in need is a friend indeed. - Friend is known in trouble. (any friend)
A liar is not believed when he speaks the truth. - A liar is not believed when he tells the truth. (to any liar)
- The third meaning of the indefinite article in English is the meaning of singularity. It is connected with the origin of this article, as mentioned above. The value of singularity is especially evident when expressing measures of time, distance, weight, quantity.
I'd like a cup of coffee, please. – I would like a cup of coffee. (one cup)
I ran a kilometer without a stop. I ran a kilometer without stopping. (one kilometer)
We find the singularity of the indefinite article in stable phrases that convey the one-time action:
- To have a rest- relax.
- To have a snack- have a bite to eat.
- To make a mistake- make a mistake.
- To give a lift- give a ride.
- To play a trick- play a trick.
- As a result of- as a result.
- We use a/an, When first we are talking about some object, person, phenomenon. But the repeated and further repeated mention of the same subject will be represented by the definite article the.
Yesterday I saw a cat in the street. The cat was hungry. Yesterday I saw a cat on the street. This cat was hungry. (the first time we are talking about “some” cat, and the second time we are talking about a certain “this” cat)
This morning I bought a newspaper and a magazine. The newspaper is in my bag but I don't know where the magazine is. This morning I bought a newspaper and a magazine. The newspaper is in my bag, but I don't know where the magazine has gone. (in the first sentence I bought "some" magazine and newspaper, and in the second "these" newspaper and magazine lie somewhere)
- Use the article a/an in phrases such as "once a month (every month)", "twice a year (every year)", "three times a week (every week)", because here we are talking about the repetition of an action for one unit of time - month, year, week:
I buy newspapers once a week. I buy newspapers once a week.
She drinks champagne twice a year. She drinks champagne twice a year.
BUT! When we use the plural " once every two days ” - “once every two days”, “ three times every four weeks ” – “three times every four weeks”, article a/an not needed.
When not to use the indefinite article
- If in all five cases described above we use nouns in plural, then we do not use the article a/an.
They are doctors. - They are doctors.
I'd like to buy dresses. I would like to buy dresses.
- If we use , then the indefinite article is also not used.
We bought new furniture yesterday. We bought new furniture yesterday.
water covers more than 70% of the Earth's surface. - Water occupies more than 70% of the Earth's surface.
In conclusion, I suggest you take a small test only for the indefinite article. Dare!
Test
Indefinite article in English
Every language has rules and there are exceptions. The former are subject to explanation and logic, the latter to cramming. If you study english language, and Russian is your native language, you are incredibly lucky! You will have to cram less than you would if you mastered Russian.
Getting acquainted with topics in English, such as modal verbs or articles, you may not agree with me: there are so many rules that your head is spinning. And yet, I will allow myself to insist on my own. The variety of use cases can be reduced to a few basic points, and in all other cases you need to be able to find the logic of the first. And, of course, the rest will have to be remembered. This article will focus on the most basic rules for using articles and situations where the article is not required at all.
As you know, in English language There are 2 types of articles: uncertain (a/an) - for countable entities. in the singular, which is omitted in the plural, and definite(the).
The logic of all the rules for the use of articles comes down to a few basic points.
Indefinite article
because is the former numeral a/an can be used only with countable nouns (which we can count):
a car, a cup, a lamp , a bottle, an apple
Have a drink. There is a bottle of wine in the fridge.
because this is the numeral "1", we can use a/anonly with countable singular nouns In plural the article disappears:
_ car s, _ cup s, _ lamp s, _ bottle s
Have a drink. There are (several) _ bottle s of wine in the fridge.
indefinite article a/an is an evolved Old English numeral "one". This fact determines 2 basic rules for the use of this article.
indefinite article highlights one item out of many like it, no different from it. You have little information about him.
I had a sandwich for breakfast.
There is a book on the table.
Definite article
Like indefinite, it came from Old English, which had demonstrative pronoun that. And if you point to something, then your interlocutor will immediately understand what kind of subject it is, and any uncertainty disappears. Definite the article is called definite because it is clear from the situation what person / object / event you are talking about
The sandwich that I ate for breakfast(identifies which particular sandwich was bad) was obviously bad. I feel sick now.
The book on the table(book on the table) is the Adventures of Tom Sawyer.
And now about situations when the article is not needed at all
The article is not put if
If you have uncountable noun and you do general statement
_ Love is a wonderful feeling.
_ Coffee is good for your health when consumed in moderation.
I often listen to _ music.
The word is part of an expression that is an exception and must be remembered
What did you have for breakfast?
It's time to go to bed now.
However ATTENTION! There are a number of expressions that will be used either without an article or with a definite article, depending on the situation and the meaning that you put in. These are expressions containing words prison, hospital, school, university, church and some others.
If we get into one of these establishments and use them, so to speak, according to their intended purpose, that is, serving a term (prison), undergoing treatment (hospital), receiving a general education (school) or studying a specific specialization (university), reading prayers and confessing (church), then there will be no article in all expressions with these words. In all other cases, an article is needed. Compare:
Table. The use of the article with the names of institutions in English
Now for a little practice. Here are a number of combinations with articles. It is necessary to explain the use of this or that article.
Why do we say:
- Can you turn off the light, please? - Because it is clear that the light must be turned off in the room where the speaker is
- I took a taxi to the station. Because not just to any station, but a station in this city, and you go to a particular bus or railway station
- Do you like _ Chinese food? Chinese food/cuisine - General term consisting of an uncountable noun and an adjective
- I'd like to talk to the manager please. - Because the store has one general manager to whom you can contact with questions, complaints, etc.
- The sun is a star. Because there are many different stars, and the sun is one of them.
- I often go to the cinema/theatre. - Probably, it happened historically: earlier in the cities, if there were cinemas or theaters, then, so to speak, in a single copy. Therefore, when you say that you are going to the cinema, there were no questions about which one.
- I must go to the bank. - You apply to the bank in which you have an account, and not to any.
- I listen to _ classical music from time to time. - Classical music - general concept, consisting of an uncountable noun and an adjective
- Is there a bank near here? - This is a situation in which you do not care which bank branch to contact. For example, when you are abroad and you need to withdraw money from the card.
- I work in the city centre. - There is only one center in the city.
- Can you tell the time? - You want to know the current time
- _ Doctors are paid more than _ teachers. - Doctors in general. You can also say: A doctor is paid more than a teacher.
- Who is the best player in your team? There is only one best player. When you talk about the very best(superlative degree) - the very best, the biggest, the most beautiful, the most interesting etc. always use the.
I repeat once again that you can read about stable combinations with this or that article in any grammar textbook, all other cases are amenable to the logic outlined above. Language, after all, is a pretty logical thing, and sometimes doing a grammar test is akin to solving mathematical equations or logic puzzles. Therefore, turn on the logic, remember the exceptions, and the articles will submit to you!
Continuing to talk about articles, we will finally look at the definite article. How to understand that before a noun you need to put the?
By the way, I’ll start with the good news that in English the definite article the is one and does not change, neither by numbers, nor by gender, nor by any other grammatical categories. Students will surely appreciate this. German- after der / die / das (and at the same time dem with den) - use only one form - the - a pleasure.
Now about when to use it. In the very general view the rule looks like this: if the noun that we tell the interlocutor is already known to him (or we think that he is known), the article the is used before this noun. Let's take a closer look at the main cases where it happens.
1. With a noun that has already been mentioned before
This base rule. After the first mention with the indefinite article a, the object becomes known, becomes "thus". And therefore, in any subsequent time, the article the must be used 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 they are talking about
If the noun has not yet come up in a conversation, but the interlocutor should already understand which of the many objects they 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? – You mean tonight at John's? no. man, I can't. Dude, are you going to the party tonight? Which one does John have? No, I can't.
3. There is an indication of which object in question
That is, the absence of the article. Consider when the article the is used, which, by the way, according to linguists, is the most common word in the English language, although, of course, it is difficult to call it a word.
How to use the definite article THE - the basic rule
Most of the rules for using the definite article the are as follows: the is placed before a noun denoting something specific. The article the itself comes from the word that (this, that) - knowing this, it is easier to understand how it is used.
This is the place that we were talking about. - This is the place we were talking about.
You have the file what I need. – Do you have the document that I need.
The article here defines not, of course, but the noun defined by this adjective. The article the is needed because the superlative degree of a sign or person distinguishes it as unique:
This is the most delicious ice cream in the world. - This is the most delicious ice cream in the world.
He is the smartest student in the university. He is the smartest student at the university.
5. Before a number of adjectives implying the uniqueness of the subject.
These are words like the same(same), only(the only one), left\right(left \ right). Like adjectives in superlatives, they indicate the specificity of what is at stake.
This is the only way out. - This is the only way out.
turn the left valve, please. – Turn the right valve, please.
My sister had the same problem. My sister had the same problem.
6. Before ordinal numbers.
Ordinal - denoting a number, not a quantity. If an item is "first" or "twentieth", this implies its relative uniqueness (in the context of the conversation). This also applies to words like the last (last), the previous(previous), which are similar in meaning to ordinal numbers.
Who was the first human in the space? Who was the first man in space?
I am reading the third chapter now. I am currently reading the third chapter.
Let's invite the previous candidate again. Let's invite the previous candidate again.
This is the last warning. “This is the last warning.
7. Before the names of people, when it comes to the family as a whole.
The surname is used in the plural, as in Russian.
I don't know the Allens, but they seem to be nice people. “I don't know the Allens, but they seem like nice people.
The Petrovs moved out on Monday. The Petrovs moved out on Monday.
8. Before wordspast, present, future, winter, spring, summer, autumn (fall).
These words are worth highlighting separately, because many expressions of time use the indefinite or zero article, for example: a week ago(a week ago) on Monday- on Monday. Speaking of the past, future, present, we use the:
That is my plan for the future. Here is my plan for the future.
Whatever happened in the past , stays in the past. Whatever happened in the past, it will remain in the past.
When we talk about the seasons, we use the when we mean, say, the fall of a certain year. Speaking about the season in general, we use the zero or definite article:
- I moved to London autumn of 2010. – I moved to London in autumn 2010.
- Poets love (the) autumn. Poets love autumn.
Note: words autumn And fall mean "autumn" autumn is the British version fall- American.
9. In front of some geographical names
- a rather confusing topic, I will highlight the main cases:
- The article the is not needed before names of single-word countries (Russia, Spain), but is needed before names that include words like federation, kingdom, states: the Russian Federation, the Kingdom of Spain, the United Stated of America.
- The is also placed before place names used in the plural: the Netherlands(Netherlands), the Virgin Islands(Virgin Islands), the Urals(Ural Mountains).
The article THE before adjectives and pronouns
Any article, both the and a\an, can be used before an adjective. The article at the same time determines the noun, the attribute of which denotes this adjective:
This is the new guy I told you about. “This is the new guy I told you about.
have a nice day. - Have a nice day.
Neither the article the nor a\an is used before a possessive (my, his, your, etc.) or demonstrative (this, these, that, those) pronoun that defines a noun - it already speaks of belonging in itself, and therefore the specificity of the subject.
- Wrong: Where is my car?
- Right: Where is my car?
Greetings, my dear readers.
I know that I usually start with something else, but today I have a task for you right away. I want you to look at these sentences and tell me what is the difference.
Tommy sat down on a chair while waiting for his turn. Tommy sat down on a chair while waiting for his turn.
Tommy sat on the chair nearest to the door while waiting for his turn. Tommy sat down on the chair closest to the door while he waited his turn.
You have probably already noticed that the difference is in the very articles and the meanings that they carry. And yes, my dears, today we will have an exciting journey, where there will be an important topic for you and me - articles in English. I will tell you the basic rules, give many examples, both for children and adults. And I also immediately give you links to and on the topic of articles.
What is it and what is it used for?
Let's define right away: article is something that should always come before a noun. He defines the noun, very roughly speaking, so that we can better understand what is being said.
What are they and what are they used for?
There are three of them in total: a, an and the.
And their use depends on which noun follows next. There are two types of nouns in English:
- Countable- those that we can count. For example:
Pen
Earring - earring
- Uncountable The ones we can't count. For example:
Sugar - sugar
water - water
To understand when articles are used, we also need to remember that nouns are singular (diamond - diamond) or plural (diamonds - diamonds).
And now, just to be absolutely clear, here is table with examples where you can clearly see where and with what they are used.
Brother "a"
This article also bears the not at all proud name " uncertain » ( ). This is because it is usually placed in front of objects, of which there are many throughout the world. And it is used only with nouns that can be counted, and even then if they are in the singular. That is, if there is a lot of something, and you need to mention one thing, it is necessary to use this particular article. Let's look at examples:
This morning I bought a magazine.- I bought a magazine this morning. (Not any specific magazine, but one of those that were in the store).
I had a sandwich for lunch.- I had a sandwich for lunch. (Some one sandwich).
My sister got a job. - My sister got a job. (One of existing works worldwide).
By the way, the article "a" has a small, modest brother, which appears quite rarely - before words that begin with vowels. This is "an". His goal is the same, so do not be afraid - do not get confused.
I've got an apple and an orange with me. - I have an apple and an orange with me.
Brother "the"
The article the, it also bears the name definite , is used when we know the subject to be discussed. Next to him calmly coexist countable and uncountable nouns both singular and plural ( You can learn more about him).
In addition, very often it is used with geographical names and set expressions that you just need to learn. But it is important to remember that everywhere, including the names of places, there are exceptions that we will learn separately ( Come in to find out about it.).
Rosy doesn't feel well. She went to the doctor. Rosie doesn't feel well. She went to the doctor. (To the doctor she usually goes to).
Did Molly get the job she applied for? Did Molly get the job she applied for? (Exactly the job she applied for).
When is it not at all?
OK then,- you say. - When these articles are used, we understand. But we do not always use only them!
And here you will be right, because the English language prepared a small test for us and created cases where the article is not needed at all. And this phenomenon even got its name - zero article. Its use is mainly associated with exceptions to the previous rules. Or if we use in speech proper names(Tom, Mary, Ritha) or any concepts in general.
Apples grow on the trees.- Apples grow on trees. (In general, all apples as a species).
Tom bought a bike. Tom bought himself a motorcycle. (There is no article before proper nouns.)
There are also situations when nothing needs to be put before a noun. It happens after pronouns(my, our, his, this, that, etc.).
By the way, my dears, after completing the lesson with the rules, never forget to practice. I have for you that will help to fix for a long time new material. You can also, which will help you remember the rules for using articles for a long time. Of course, the articles are not the most simple rules for children, whether it's 2nd grade or 8th grade. And adults usually suffer with them too. But with my help, I hope you can figure them out faster.
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