Rules for writing the article the in English. Using the article THE. When we talk about things in general

Watch this video to get a basic understanding of articles in English before reading the article.

Why are articles needed in English?

Did you know that the article is a part of speech that does not exist in Russian?

We change stress and word order to give a phrase a flavor that is strictly fixed in English.

See how the meaning of the phrase changes:

• I like the car.
• I like the car.

Do you sense a catch? In the first case, it is not clear what kind of machine we are talking about, but in the second we are talking about a specific machine.

In English, words cannot be interchanged, so articles are used to give the desired connotation to a phrase A, An And The.

Article rules

The concept of the article in English grammar is associated with the category of definiteness. Simplified, the article rule sounds like this:

Remember!

If we are talking about an unknown object, then the indefinite article A / An. If we are talking about something specific, then an article is placed before it The.

Assignment: What articles should be used in the following examples?

We bought a car.

We bought the car we saw yesterday.

Click on the arrows to get the answer.

Clue.

Article The descended from This(this) - you can point with your finger.
A / An descended from One(one).

That's why the article A/An used only in the singular!

In a simplified form, the grammatical rules of articles can be represented as follows:

Plural noun?
Countable noun?
Have you heard of him before? (indefinite or definite article)
Are we talking about something in common?

What is the difference between the articles A and An?

Let's repeat!
Indefinite article A/An(which comes from one) We put only before in the singular!

So what's the difference between A And An?

Article A is placed before words that begin with consonants (a c at,a h ouse, a y ard), and An- before words that begin with vowels (an a pple, an h our).

Let this picture pop up before your eyes when you choose your food a And an.

When do we use the indefinite article?

1. When we classify an object, we attribute it to a certain group of objects.

• A cow is an animal. - A cow is an animal.
• An apple is a fruit. - An apple is a fruit.

2. When we characterize an object.

• My mother is a nurse. - My mother is a nurse.
• He is an idiot! - He's an idiot!

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 articles need to be used.

There are two types of articles in English:

• Definite Article
• Indefinite Article (indefinite article)

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

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 a girl. - It's a girl.
My sister is an 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. Please note:

He has got a 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 a 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 form 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!

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 you mean 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

An article in English is a determiner of a noun: a thing, place or person.

Errors in the use of articles, unfortunately, are the most common in language learning. This is easy to explain: there are many and many exceptions to the setting rules, which confuse beginners.

Now we do not set out to describe absolutely all the rules for using articles, otherwise you will get scared and simply close this tab. Our task is to explain the main principles with the help of which it will be easier for you to understand where to put the definite article ( definite article - the), and where is undefined ( indefinite article - a/an).

The topic seems difficult, especially to those who do not have such a concept as an “article” in their native language. In English, on the contrary, articles are used everywhere: both in writing and in speech. They play an important role in sentence construction; if you use articles incorrectly, your sentences will sound strange and you risk being misunderstood.

We will help you understand the rules: we will analyze the main points and main principles of using articles. And you will understand that the topic is not as complicated as it seemed, and in some places even interesting.

General information on the use of articles

There are 3 articles in total in English:

• Uncertain a or an. They are synonyms for such words in our language as one, one of, some. In English it can be considered a synonym any.

Imagine the situation: you come to a cafe with a great desire to drink delicious coffee and eat a muffin. There are a great many of them on display. They may have different fillings, but you don't need any specific muffin, you won't point the finger at the waiter (although who knows, of course): Just give me THAT muffin!!(Give me THAT muffin!) You say: Hello! I would like a muffin(Hello, I would like a muffin). That is, it doesn’t matter to you at all which one of those you see turns out to be yours - any ( any).

• Definite the corresponds to the words this, these, that, those. When do we use the, we are talking about something very specific.

Again the situation: you go to the store looking for a pair of shoes (yes, we are talking about women now). Of course, many husbands would really like to hear their wife say to the consultant: Oh, give me a pair of shoes, no matter what, any!(Please give me a pair of shoes, no matter what, what size or color, any!) It doesn’t happen like that, do you agree? A woman is looking for her DREAM SHOES. They cannot be something abstract: she saw them on a friend. This is a specific pair of shoes. That's why: Give me the red pair, please(Give me the red pair please).

• Zero article, i.e. neither an indefinite nor a definite article is required in the sentence. Most often, the zero article is an exception to the rules of use. a/an And the. There is no analogy in the Russian language, no matter how much one would like it.

Article Always comes before a noun, and it in turn happens:

• countable strawberry- strawberry and uncountable milk- milk;
• singular strawberry and in plural (plural) strawberries.

Let's systematize general information about the rules for using articles:

• the use of definite and indefinite articles in English can be reduced to one main principle: if you are talking about a subject for the first time, use a/an; at each repeated mention, description of details - use the;
• a/an used only with singular nouns (things/objects/people that can be counted);
• definite article the used before any nouns.

About writing rules a or an we talk a little lower.

The indefinite article in English

The indefinite article in English is only or a, or an.

We always put the article a before words that begin with a consonant: a table(table), a book(book) and an- before a vowel sound: an author(writer), an arm(hand), an ice-cream(ice cream).

Before choosing the right article, you should pay attention to the sound with which the word begins, for example:

hour(hour) h unreadable, the first sound is vowel [a], which means an hour;
hunter(hunter) h read, the first sound is a consonant [h], which means - a hunter;
union(union/association) [ˈjuːniən] u read as sound, the first sound is consonant [j], which means - a union;
umbrella(umbrella) [ʌmˈbrelə] u is read as the sound [Λ], a vowel, which means an umbrella.

The use of the indefinite article is subject to the following rules:

When we simply talk about someone, mention someone/something in speech, describe an object/person:

I am a student. I am a student (one of many).
This is an apple. This is an apple (one of many).

• In a conversation about something vague, unknown:

I know he has a cat. I know he has a cat. I know that he has some kind of cat, but I don't know her personally.
Do you want a beer? Do you want a beer? That is, he will drink not a specific glass of beer, but an indefinite one, any one.

• Speaking about professions:

S he is a teacher. She's a teacher.
Mr Smith is a police officer. Mr Smith is a police officer.

• When we talk about someone’s ideology, about religion:

He is a Christian. He is a Christian.
Margaret Thatcher was a conservative. Margaret Thatcher was a Conservative.

• When we talk about a social movement, a trend:

He is a Hell's Angel (a biker). He is a hell's angel (biker).
Sarah is a vegan. Sarah is a vegetarian.
I'm a hipster. I'm a hipster.

• When we talk about a person’s qualities, the quality in a sentence is expressed by a noun:

He is an orphan. He is an orphan.
She is an idiot. She is not distinguished by intelligence and intelligence.
Louise is drunk. Louise is a big drinker.

When we talk about nationality (only in the singular):

He is a Turk. He is Turkish. (Used in informal communication).
Marco is an Italian. He's Italian. But if you say He is Italian it won't be a mistake.

• When we talk about days of the week in general:

Christmas is on a Monday this year. Christmas falls on a Monday this year (because Christmas falls on a different day of the week every year). However, the option without an article Christmas is on Monday this year also faithful.
The inauguration of president is always on a Friday. The presidential inauguration always takes place on Fridays.

• Before an adjective that characterizes a noun. In sentences like these, to use correctly a or an, you should look at the first sound (vowel or consonant) of the adjective, not the noun.

J ulia has a beautiful smile. Julia has a beautiful smile.
T he cat has an expensive collar. The cat has an expensive collar.

• When we talk about a subject for the first time:

He bought a car yesterday. He bought a car yesterday (some kind, maybe a Tesla, but that's not certain).
I killed a fly yesterday. I killed a fly yesterday (some kind of vague, but very annoying one).

• When using There is:

There is a fly in my soup. There is a fly in my soup (from where?).

• When we talk about an object with meaning one one:

I"ll come back in an hour. I'll be back in (one) hour.
I"ll have a glass of red wine. I'll have a glass of wine. Not a bottle, but just one glass.

• When it comes to things that always go together. Please note that the article is only placed before the first noun. If you use it before the second one, it will not be an error, but the native speaker will understand that you are a beginner:

A knife and fork. Knife and fork.
A needle and thread. Needle and thread.

• In sentences with exclamations starting with what/such meaning what for, what:

What a mess! What a mess!
W hat's a surprise! What a surprise!

• In sentences with words such, quite, rather:

He is such a good father. He's a great father.
It is rather a long and scary story. This is a rather long and scary story.

• Some turns you just need to remember:

a lot of many, a little A little, in a loud voice in a loud voice, to be at a loss to be in difficulty it is a pity sorry, to have a look look etc.

The definite article in English

The main rule for using the definite article in English is this: if we use the, then we are talking about something concrete, specific, something that is familiar to both us and our interlocutor. Synonyms for the definite article can be considered words such as this, that.

Use of the definite article:

When talking about a specific subject or object:

Can you open the window? Could you open the window? There are millions of windows in the world, but we are talking about a specific window that both the speaker and his interlocutor know about.

Where is the bathroom? Where is the bathroom? A specific bathroom in the room in which both are located.

Do you remember the hotel we stayed at in Berlin? Do you remember the hotel we stayed in when we were in Berlin?

• When you use a superlative degree or an ordinal number (an analogy can be drawn with the following point about the uniqueness, specificity of the described object):

What is the most expensive car in the world? What is the most expensive car in the world?

He was the first to come. He came first.

• Before geographical names (oceans, seas, rivers, mountain ranges, parts of the world, etc.):

The Pacific ocean,the Black sea, the South,the Volga, the Himalaya.

• Before nouns, one of a kind, unique:

The sun shines so brightly today. The sun is shining so brightly today.

The Statue of Liberty is really worth going to see. The Statue of Liberty is truly worth a visit.

Compare and feel the difference:

But there are situations when we are not talking about the President of the United States, but the uniqueness of the “object” becomes clear from the context, for example:

A truck crashed into a tree. The driver was not injured. The truck crashed into a tree. The driver was not injured.

It is clear that in this situation we are talking about a specific driver who was in the truck, a “unique” object.

• When you talk about one thing, but mean a whole “class”, also before adjectives in the meaning of a plural noun:

The Amur tiger is listed in the Red Book. The Amur tiger is listed in the Red Book.

The government should help the poor. The government should help the poor.

Zero article in English

The zero article is not uncommon in English. We do not use any of the articles in the following cases:

• When we talk about something very general:

I hate shopping for clothes. I hate shopping for clothes.
Greek food is both healthy and tasty. Greek food is both healthy and delicious.

• Before proper names:

Mr. Johnson is a doctor. Mr Johnson is a doctor.
I met Jamie. I met Jamie.

We use the definite article the before surnames in the plural (this turn is used when we talk about all members of the family), for example:

The Johnsons. Johnson family.

• Before the names of countries and cities:

Stockholm is the capital of Sweden. Stockholm is the capital of Sweden.

The exception will be names of countries consisting of states and names of countries in the plural, e.g. The United States, The Netherlands, The UAE (The United Arab Emirates).

• Before the names of schools, companies, universities, etc.:

Bill Gates dropped Harvard to start Microsoft. Bill Gates dropped out of Harvard to found Microsoft.

• Seasons, months and days of the week - all without an article:

He always goes to the South in summer. In summer he always goes south.
English classes are on Monday. English lessons on Mondays.

• The article is not used when the sentence already has a “determiner”: this, that etc.

I like this one more than that one. I like this (thing) more than that.

• Before possessive pronouns.

Is this your bag or is it hers? Is this your bag or hers?

• In the headlines of periodicals, in advertisements, telegrams, etc.

Arrival of Australian Trade Delegation. Arrival of the Australian Trade Delegation (headline).
You must provide your car for inspection. It is necessary to present the car for inspection (telegram).

You can also find the use of the zero article in the following expressions:

I go home by bus. I go home by bus.
I go to school. I go to school (meaning I am a student).
We all want to live at peace. We all want to live in peace.

In the example - I go to school- the definite article is not used, since the purpose of going to school lies in the purpose of the building itself - study.

But the following situation is also possible: I go to the school. In this case, this means that the purpose of the visit to the school is different. For example, you forgot your textbook at school and tell your friend about it on the phone: I go to the school, because I want to pick up my textbook(I'm going to school because I want to pick up my textbook). That is, both you and your friend know which specific school we are talking about.

My mother is in hospital now. She's ill(My mother is in the hospital. She is sick).
Every day I go to the hospital to see her(I go to visit her in the hospital every day). I go to the specific hospital where my sick mother is staying.

In phrases where the verb is closely related to the noun:

Mother always takes care of her children. A mother always takes care of her children.
We'll take part in that spectacle. We will take part in this performance.

This is interesting: it is a known fact that British and American English are very different. And the point, as it turned out, is not only in pronunciation and compliance or non-compliance with grammatical rules, but also in the use of articles. An American will say about a person who is in a hospital “in the hospital”, while an Englishman will say “in hospital”. For the latter, the phrase “in the hospital” will mean that there is only one hospital in the city that the American is talking about.

It's time to summarize: there are countless rules for using and not using articles in the English language. We do not set ourselves the goal of rewriting a grammar textbook from start to finish. Our goal is to explain general principles, help you see the difference between a specific subject and an indefinite one, learn to correctly understand the context and use the right article.

After all, if you don’t follow the rules and use the wrong article, then your sentences will sound strange. In the Russian language, you can draw an analogy with cases and declensions: without knowing them, you speak like a Chinese boy poring over a Russian language textbook “We want to buy a white sneaker.”

The rules described in the article are general. The higher you rise in language learning, earning a new level, the more opportunities will open up for you to understand certain subtleties of using articles.

» Articles in English. When to use the definite article the

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

If in a sentence you define what kind of object you mean, then you need a definite article. Moreover, such a definition, depending on the situation, can be a simple adjective or an entire subordinate sentence.

You take the red pill– you stay in Wonderland and I show you how deep the rabbit-hole goes. If you take the red pill, you stay in Fairyland, and I'll show you how deep the rabbit hole goes (The Matrix)
You're face to face with the man who sold the world. You're face to face with the man who sold the world (David Bowie song. Or Nirvana cover)

4. With objects that are unique in nature