Teacher: Jos Baldallo

The Articles

There are only three articles: the, a and an.

They are very small words which cause very large problems if used
incorrectly. If, for example, you wanted someone to hand you the book,
but you accidentally said a book, the other person can take some time to
go shopping for a book they thought youd like
The use of an article can also change the meaning
of the noun:
I need to buy a book for the school
I need to buy a book for school
 Indefinite Articles: A/AN
Guideline:
They are articles only used for singular. A/ an mean the same, We use a for
the words stars with a consonat and An when the word starts with a
Vowel

A/an before a noun shows that what is referred to is not already known to
the speaker, listener, writer and/or reader (it is the indefinite article):

Do you have a car?

Do you live in a house?

No, actually, I live in an apartment.
 Indefinite Articles: A/AN
Guideline:
We only use a/an with singular countable nouns:

I have a sister and a brother.

That was an excellent meal

We dont use a/an before uncountable nouns:

Could I have rice instead of potatoes with my fish?

Not: Could I have a rice

I hope we have nice weather.

Not: I hope we have a nice weather.

 Indefinite Articles: A/AN
Use of the indefinite article a/an

Before phrases of time and measurements.

We have English 4 times a week.

I go on holiday twice a year.
Our car can do 220 kilometres an hour.
Tomatoes are $2 a kilo.

before phrases of jobs/ Professions

My father is a car mechanic/ She is an Engineer

with a noun complement

He is a good boy.
 Definite Article: The
Guideline:
Use the when you know or you assume the listener is familiar with the
specific thing or person you are talking about. E.g:

The sun is bright today.

Please hand this book to the teacher'.
Please open the door.
Omar is in the kitchen.
The pope is visiting Russia
The moon is very bright today

This is why we use the definite article with

a superlative adjective:

He is the tallest boy in the class.

It is the oldest building in the town.
 Definite Article: The
Guideline:
Use the for the second mention of an indefinite noun, e.g:

Yesterday I saw some dogs. The dogs were chasing a cat. The cat was
chasing a mouse. The mouse ran into a hole. The hole was very small.

A child is riding a bicycle along a sidewalk; the child is wearing the

helmet.
 Definite Article the
Guideline:
Do not use The with a plural countable noun or a noncountable
noun,when you are making a generalization, e.g:
The apples are my favorite fruit Incorrect
Apples are my favorite fruit. Correct
The gold is a metal Incorrect
Gold is a metal Correct

Generalization:
Curiosity is a great trait. Uncountable
Water is an important resource. Uncountable
Vegetables are good for you.
 Definite Article: The
Guideline:
Use the because there is only one in that place or in those surroundings/
The object or person is unique.
We live in a small village next to the church. = (the church in our village)
Dad, can I borrow the car?=(the car that belongs to our family)
When we stayed at my grandmothers house we went to the beach every
day. = (the beach near my grandmothers house)
Look at the boy in the blue shirt over there. =(the boy I am pointing at)
 Definite Article: The
Do not use the before the name of:

most countries or territories (e.g. Canada, China, New Zealand)

towns, cities or states (e.g. Ottawa, Paris, California/
streets (e.g. Front Street, Lakeview Avenue, Dogwood Crescent)
lakes (e.g. Lake Ontario, Lake Placid, Bear Lake)
bays, where the term bay comes after the name (e.g. the Bay of Fundy)
mountains (e.g. Mount Everest, Mount Kilimanjaro)
continents (e.g. North America, Africa)
islands (e.g. Fiji Islands, Prince Edward Island)
 Definite Article: The

Names of languages or nationalities( e.g. Chinese,English, Spanish,

russian)
Names of Sports( e.g. Volleyball, Soccer, Hockey,Baseball)
Names of Academic Subjects( e.g. Mathematics, Biology, history,
Computer Science)
Abstract nouns( e.g. Love, Hate, Honesty,Beauty
 Definite Article:The
Do use the before the name of:

rivers, oceans, seas (e.g. the Mississippi River, the Atlantic Ocean, the
Mediterranean)

bays, where the term bay comes first (e.g. the Bay of Fundy, the Bay of
Bengal)

gulfs and peninsulas (e.g. the Persian Gulf, the Arabian Peninsula)

mountain ranges (e.g. the Rockies, the Dolomites, the Laurentians)

Systemor service (e.g. The radio, The train, the bus, the police)
 Definite Article:The
points on the globe (e.g. the Equator, the North Pole)

geographical areas (e.g. the Middle East, the South)

deserts and forests (e.g. the Gobi Desert, the Black Forest)

Families(e.g. The Simpsons, The Smiths,The Hardys)

countries whose names include words like kingdom, states or

republic( e.g. The republic of China, the United States, The united
kingdom
LETS PRACTICE
Read the following text and decide If you have to use the articles: A-An-The or no article is
needed.

My names Anna. Im ___ teacher in ___ language school; I

teach___English. Im not from ___United States, Im from __ Britain.
I work in ___ Italy. I arrived here two years ago and really enjoy it. ___
school is in __centre of ___ Rome. I go to ___work by ____train
because ___traffic at___rush hour is always terrible. I really enjoy working at
___school, I find __ Italians are very friendly and we always have ___lot
of fun in ___classes.

At ___weekends I like doing ___sports. In ___ winter, I go to

___mountains for skiing and in __summer I like going to ___beach. Im very
lucky to have __ job like this and live in __place like ___Rome.
 LETS PRACTICE
___moon goes round ___ Earth every 27 days.
___ Soviet Union was ___first country to send a man into __
space.
Did you see the film on ___television or at ___cinema ?
I'm not very hungry, I had ___big breakfast.
I never listen to ___radio. In fact, I haven't got ___radio.
What is ___highest mountain in ___world ?
It was a long voyage. We were at ___sea for four weeks.
Look at ___ apples on that tree. They're very large.
____women are often better teachers than ___men.