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11/28/2018 Learn English Grammar Articles (a, an, the)

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What are English grammar articles? An article is a word that is used before a
Speaking & noun to show whether the noun refers to something specific or not. A, an
Pronunciation and the are articles.
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In the sentence above we find the article "a". It shows us that the speaker
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does not need a specific chair. He can have any chair.
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"I want an apple."
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In the sentence above we find the article "an." It shows us that the speaker
does not want a specific apple. He can have any apple.

"I want the red apple."

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11/28/2018 Learn English Grammar Articles (a, an, the)

biGBonus
lebih besar

In the sentence above we find the article "the." It shows us that the speaker
wants a specific apple.

In English, there are two kinds of grammar articles.

Kini anda boleh


nikmati lebih The Definite Article
Internet & (For example: the box)
Panggilan dgn Digi
Prepaid BiGBonus
drpd RM30/bln

"Definite" means "clear, obvious."

The definite article tells us that the noun is specific. The speaker talks about
a particular (or known) thing.

The definite article in English is "the."

Examples:

"The car I bought broke down."


"He has a son and a daughter. The daughter is a doctor."
"The actors were really good."
"I remember the day we first met."

"The" can be used before both singular and plural nouns.

Examples:

"The flower he gave her was very beautiful."


"The flowers on the table are nice."
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The Indefinite Article


(For example: a box)

"In-" means "not," and "definite" means "clear, obvious."

"Indefinite" means "not clear, not exact."

The indefinite article tells us that the noun is not specific. The speaker talks
about any one of that type of thing.

The indefinite articles in English are "a" and "an."

Examples:

"I need a pen."


(The speaker doesn't tell us which pen he needs. He simply needs a pen, any
pen.)

"Lisa wants to see a movie."


(The speaker doesn't tell us which movie Lisa wants to see. She wants to see
some movie.)

"Joe has a car."


(The speaker doesn't tell us which car Joe has. He has some car.)

"She is a dancer."
(She dances for a living.)

What is the difference between "a" and "an"?

"A" and "an" have the same meaning.

We use "a" before a consonant sound.

Examples:
a dog
a building
a country
a professor
a university

We use "an" before a vowel sound.

Examples:
an apple
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11/28/2018 Learn English Grammar Articles (a, an, the)

an eye
an hour

Important!

We use "a" and "an" only before a singular noun. We can't use "a" and "an"
before a plural noun.

Examples:

Correct: a car.
Incorrect: a cars.

Correct: an orange.
Incorrect: a oranges.

What is the difference between "a" and "the"?

"The" is used to talk about specific or known things. These are usually things
that have been mentioned before or that the listener is familiar with.

"A" (or "an") is used to talk about things which are not specific. These are
usually things that haven't been mentioned before or that the listener is
unfamiliar with.

Let's say I tell you: "I went to see a doctor last week."
Explanation: I went to see some doctor. I didn't mention him before, and you
are not familiar with him. Another option is that it is not important who he is.
So I use the word "a".

Then I say: "The doctor said I should get more rest."


Now you already know which doctor I am referring to. I am referring to the
doctor I went to see. So I use the word "the."

Next I say to you: "Do you remember the movie we watched together?"
I use the word "the" because I mention a specific movie – you know which
movie I am talking about.

Then I tell you: "Well, I've seen a better movie since!"


You are not familiar with the new movie, so I use the word "a".

I also tell you: "A man on the street stepped on my foot."


You don't know who exactly stepped on my foot, I've never mentioned him
before. So I use the word "a".

Finally, I tell you: "I am a singer."


This sentence simply means that I sing for a living. If I said: "I am the
singer", you would understand that I am the singer that was mentioned
before.

For example:
- "Wow! I heard a great singer is coming to town."
- "Oh, it's me. I am the great singer."

Now that we understand the general idea of English grammar articles, here
are some more specific details:

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11/28/2018 Learn English Grammar Articles (a, an, the)

Specific Uses of English Grammar Articles

In this case Example Sentence


You mention something
I have a problem.
for the first time.
You want to say that something
This is a table.
belongs to a certain group.
Use "a" / You want to say that someone belongs
She is a designer.
"an" to a certain group.
You want to say that I've built a strong
something is that kind of thing. ship.
You want to say that
He is a nice guy.
someone is that kind of person.
The feeling I got was
You talk about a specific thing.
very strange.
Use
It is clear which thing
"the" I passed the test!
you are talking about.

There is only one such thing. Look at the sun.

You talk about Pigs can't fly.


No something in general. Diving can be difficult.
article You talk about cities,
We visited Italy.
countries, streets, etc.

Click here for more info on the definite article the.

So that was the explanation on the English grammar articles. Now let's
practice!

English Grammar Articles Exercises


Exercise 01

Exercise 02

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