{"id":48199,"date":"2022-02-15T09:00:22","date_gmt":"2022-02-15T08:00:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/oxfordhousebcn.com\/?p=48199"},"modified":"2022-02-15T09:46:15","modified_gmt":"2022-02-15T08:46:15","slug":"how-to-use-articles-a-an-the-in-english","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/oxfordhousebcn.com\/en\/how-to-use-articles-a-an-the-in-english\/","title":{"rendered":"How to use articles (a, an, the) in English"},"content":{"rendered":"

Knowing what articles are and when to use them in English can be difficult for language learners to pick up<\/strong><\/span><\/em>. Especially considering that in some situations there is no article at all. <\/p>\n

But don\u2019t worry, we\u2019re here to help. <\/p>\n

In English there are three articles: a, an, and the. Today we\u2019re going to look at what these are, the differences between them and when to use them \u2013 or not, in some cases. <\/p>\n

Let\u2019s go!<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

What is an article?<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n

 <\/p>\n

Articles are a type of determiner. They function like adjectives, as they modify the noun in the sentence. The only articles in English are \u2018the\u2019 and \u2018a\/an\u2019. Yet, the tricky<\/strong><\/span><\/em> part is that we use them differently \u2013 and sometimes not at all. <\/p>\n

We call \u2018the\u2019 the definite article and \u2018a\/an\u2019 the indefinite article. <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

When to use a\/an, the and no article <\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n

 <\/p>\n

So when do we use articles in English? We\u2019re going to show you some explanations, examples and activities to practise so that by the time you finish reading, you\u2019ll be an articles pro!<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Definite and indefinite articles<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n

\"1_OH<\/p>\n

We use \u2018the\u2019 before a noun when:<\/p>\n

    \n
  • <\/i>referring to something specific<\/li>\n

  • <\/i>there is only one of something (e.g. the cathedral)<\/li>\n

  • <\/i>the noun has been mentioned before<\/li>\n<\/span>\n<\/ul><\/div>
    <\/div>\n <\/p>\n

    We use \u2018a\/an\u2019 before a noun when:<\/p>\n

      \n
    • <\/i>referring to something in general<\/li>\n

    • <\/i>mentioning something for the first time<\/li>\n

    • <\/i>describing someone\u2019s profession (eg. I am a teacher)<\/li>\n<\/span>\n<\/ul><\/div>
      <\/div>\n <\/p>\n

      Compare these two sentences:<\/p>\n

      Let\u2019s watch the TV series that we love<\/strong> (a specific TV series that is familiar to us or that we know about.)<\/p>\n

      Let\u2019s watch a TV series after dinner<\/strong> (we don\u2019t have a specific TV series in mind \u2013 it could be any series.)<\/p>\n

      It\u2019s important to remember that we use \u2018a\u2019 and \u2018an\u2019 differently: \u2018a\u2019 comes before a noun beginning with a consonant sound and \u2018an\u2019 comes before a noun beginning with a vowel sound. For example:<\/p>\n

      \"2_OH<\/p>\n

      If you were observant, you may be wondering why \u2018hotel\u2019 and \u2018hour\u2019 don\u2019t use the same indefinite article, even though they both start with \u2018h\u2019. Remember, we need to look at the starting sound, not letter, and since \u2018hour\u2019 is pronounced with a silent \u2018h\u2019, it starts with a vowel sound \u2013 which means you need \u2018an\u2019.<\/p>\n

      Here are some more examples of definite and indefinite articles: <\/p>\n

        \n
      • <\/i>Somebody call a<\/strong> policeman!<\/li>\n

      • <\/i>Did you see the<\/strong> film that was on Channel 4 last night?<\/li>\n

      • <\/i>Would you like a<\/strong> glass of milk?<\/li>\n

      • <\/i>I love to swim in the<\/strong> ocean.<\/li>\n

      • <\/i>The<\/strong> announcement lasted for 10 minutes.<\/li>\n<\/span>\n<\/ul><\/div>
        <\/div>\n <\/p>\n

        Learn more about the basics of definite and indefinite articles in this video:<\/p>\n