Proper use of the word these

Pronouns are an essential part of English vocabulary. They save us from repeating a name multiple times. They are alternatives to nouns, which can be used to exchange the noun. For this reason, correct applications of the pronoun make the sentence acceptable.

However, incorrect use of the pronouns can also create confusion. “This” and “These” may sound similar, but they have different meanings. These two words are used to portray the quantity of the object.

With the proper use of these two words, it is possible to glance at the contents available in the sentence. Whether single, multiple, or uncountable, numbers of objects can be easily expressed.

Key Takeaways

1. “This” is used to refer to a single object that is near the speaker or the subject.
2. “These” is used to refer to multiple objects that are near the speaker or the subject.
3. The difference between “this” and “these” is in the number of objects referred to.

This is used to refer to a single object which is in a near place and time to the subject. It can also use to refer to uncountable objects. For example, this is my book. These are used to refer to multiple objects that are in a near place and time to the subject. For example, these are 20 books.

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“This” and “These” are considered demonstrative pronouns used to point to any particular object. They replace the noun for ease of conversation.

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Comparison Table

Parameter of Comparison	This	These
Number of letters	Four	Five
Pronoun	singular pronoun	plural pronoun
Pronunciation	Makes an “S” sound at the end.	Creates a “Z” sound at the end.
Rules of use	The word “This” is used to describe a single object located nearby. It can also be applied to those objects which are not countable.	The word “These” is used to describe multiple objects located nearby. It cannot be applied to those objects which are not countable.
Example	“This book is making me rethink my opinion.”	“These two books are making me rethink my opinion.”

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When to Use This?

“This” is a four-letter word and is considered a singular pronoun. According to English grammar rules, it is strictly exercised to depict a singular countable noun. At the time of use, it is required to determine that the number of the object doesn’t exceed more than one.

This countable noun can be any physical object like a car, house, animal, book, or toy.

Consider the following sentences to understand the application of the word “This”.

1. “This car is brand new.”
2. “This house is beautiful.”
3. “This dog is very obedient.”
4. “This book is making me rethink my opinion.”
5. “This toy is broken.”

Here the word “This” refers to a single object. At the time of application, the user must know the position of the object, which must be nearby to the user.

The word “This” can also be used for non-physical objects, which are non-countable. However, these objects must not have plural forms like time, emotion, water, tea, rice, etc. Here are some examples of the word “this” with non-plural objects.

1. “This tea is flavorful.”
2. “This type of hate is not good.”
3. “This water is cold.”
4. “This tea is quite refreshing.”
5. “This rice is overcooked.”

As an introductory word, “This” can be used in a sentence. As an example, consider the following sentences.

1. “This is my wife, Jaclyn.”
2. “This is my car.”

At the time of pronunciation, the word “This” makes an “S” sound.

When to Use These?

“These” is a five-letter word and is considered a plural pronoun. In an English sentence, this word is exercised to depict plural nouns, which are multiple and countable. At the time of application, it is required to determine that the objects must be more than one and under the countable limit.

The word “These” can be used as a plural noun where the objects are multiple, like cars, houses, animals, books, toys, etc.

Consider the following sentences to understand the application of the word “These”.

1. “These two cars are brand new.”
2. “These three houses are beautiful.”
3. “These four dogs are very obedient.”
4. “These two books are making me rethink my opinion.”
5. “These three toys are broken.”

In these sentences, the word “These” refers to multiple objects. At the time of application, the objects must be close to the user. However, “These” cannot be used for uncountable objects like water, tea, rice, etc.

The word “These” can also be used to introduce anything. As an example, consider the following sentences.

1. “These are my college mates, Dave and Lind.”
2. “These are the special crockery that we use on special occasions.”

At the time of pronunciation, the word “These” makes the “Z” sound.

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Main Differences Between This and These

1. The first difference between “This” and “These” is the number of letters. The word “This” contains four letters, and the word “These” contains five letters.
2. As a pronoun, the word “This” is a singular pronoun. But the word “These” is a plural pronoun.
3. At the time of pronunciation, these two words make two different sounds. The word “This” makes an “S” sound at the end. The term “These” makes a “Z” sound at the end.
4. The word “This” can be used to portray any single object. But the word “These” depicts multiple countable objects.
5. “This” can be used in a few sentences if the objects are multiple but uncountable, like water, tea, rice, etc. However, “These” cannot be used for these uncountable various objects.
6. As an example, in the sentence “This house is beautiful.” The user is referring to one house. Where in the sentence “These three houses are beautiful.” The user is referring to multiple houses.

References

1. https://grammar.yourdictionary.com/parts-of-speech/pronouns/types-of-pronouns.html
2. https://www.dictionary.com/browse/demonstrative-pronouns

Emma Smith holds an MA degree in English from Irvine Valley College. She has been a Journalist since 2002, writing articles on the English language, Sports, and Law. Read more about me on her bio page.

В этом уроке вы познакомитесь с английскими указательными местоимениями this и that. Эти местоимения имеют форму единственного и множественного числа.

ПРИМЕРЫ
This boy is my brother. – Этот мальчик – мой брат.
Take these apples. – Возьмите эти яблоки.
I don’t like that dress. – Мне не нравится то платье.
I didn’t see those girls yesterday. – Я не видел тех девушек вчера.

Указательные местоимения this, these, that, those (для начинающих)

ПРИМЕРЫ
Hello! This is Olga. — Is that Julia? — Это Ольга. — Это Джулия? (в телефонных разговорах).
We had a lot of rain that summer. — В то лето было много дождей.
I hope he will come home by that time. — Я надеюсь, он придет к тому времени.

Это книга. — This is a book.
Это книги. — These are books.

What does this mean? – Что это означает?
Is that so? – Это так?
That’s all right. – Правильно.

Указательные местоимения this, these, that, those. Упражнения

Упражнение 1. Поставьте существительное в множественное число.

1. This cup is dirty. 2. That pie was tasty. 3. This is good hotel. 4. There is a children’s playground in the park. 5. That is a new supermarket in our town. 6. This is a lemon ice-cream for tea. 7. This is a nice dress for my niece. 8. This man is a banker. 9. That woman is my sister. 10. This child is my son. 11. That goose is big and white. 12. This mouse is grey. 13. This man is my uncle. 14. That woman is my cousin. 15. There is a girl playing in the garden.

Упражнение 2. Переведите на английский язык.

1. Это ребенок. Это дети.
2. Это мальчик. Это мальчики.
3. Это девочка. Это девочки.
4. Это птица. Это птицы.
5. Это животное. Это животные.

Упражнение 3. Поставьте следующие предложения во множественное число.

1. This is a bird. 2. Is that also a bird? — No, it isn’t. That is a cat. 3. Is that a good horse? — Yes, it is. 4. Is that cow big or small? — It is big. 5. This is an apple and that is a flower. 6. Where is the coin? — It is in the box. 7. What colour is the box? — It is green. 8. What is it made of? — It is made of wood. 9. What is that man? — He is a clerk. 10. Is he in the office? — Yes, he is. 11. Is that woman a nurse? — No, she isn’t. — What is she? — She is a doctor. 12. Is his brother at home? — Yes, he is. 13. This house has a balcony. 14. This building is quite modern. 15. This is a new district of St. Petersburg. 16. There is a shop, a cinema and a theatre in the new district. 17. He is a worker. 18. I am a doctor. 19. We hear a child’s voice. 20. She is a nice girl.

Указательные местоимения this, these, that и those. Упражнения с ответами

Сегодня поработаем над указательными местоимениями. Упражнения на this / that, these / those помогут вам раз и навсегда разобраться в теме указательные местоимения в английском. Я подобрала несколько несложных упражнений для детей и парочку посложнее для взрослых. Упражнения на this, that, these и those идут в порядке возрастания сложности. В конце статьи вы найдете ответы на большинство упражнений.

This, that, these, those упражнения.

Упражнение 1. Circle the correct word.

1. this /these shoes
2. this / these trousers
3. this / these socks
4. this / these shorts
5. this / these trainers
6. this / these hat
7. this / these dress
8. this / these blouse
9. this / these skirt
10. this / these scarf
11. this / these boots
12. this / these tights

Упражнение 2. Choose the correct word.

1. This / These trousers are black.
2. That / Those shirt is very nice.
3. That / Those shoes are comfortable.
4. This / These skirt is old.
5. This / Those T-shirt is my brother’s.
6. That / Those T-shirt is very small.

Упражнение 3. Write in this or these.

1. Take _______ trousers.
2. Take _______ sweater.
3. Don’t take _______ bag.
4. Don’t take _______ shorts.
5. Take _______hat
6. Take _______scarf.
7. Don’t take_______ boots.
8. Take _______ shoes.

Упражнение 4. Составь и запиши предложения. Make sentences.

Упражнение 5. Circle the right word.

1. This /These is a car.
2. That / Those are planes.
3. Those /That is a whale.
4. That / Those are sharks.
5. This / These is my guitar.
6. That / Those is an island.

Упражнение 6. Insert the correct word.

1. This __________ is easy. a) questions b) homework
2. These ___________ are my neighbors. a) women b) man
3. What are you doing ________ afternoon? a) that b) this
4. Who’s ________ speaking? a) this b) it
5. These are my glasses and ________ are hers. a) those b) that
6. We are going to the seaside __________ summer. b) this a) that
7. __________ man over there is a famous politician. b) These a) That

Упражнение 7. Insert this, that, these, those.

1. None of _______ present expressed any surprise on hearing __________.
2. Try one of _____________.
3. _________ is a computer
4. ___________ are the TV sets of the latest type.
5. Suddenly I felt something soft and warm on my knees. _________ was a cat.
6. Whom were you talking with? ________ was a friend of mine.

Упражнение 8. Fill in the gaps with this, that, these, those.

1. _________ people over there are waiting for the bus
2. The day I first came to London was wonderful. I will remember _______day for ever.
3. ______ summer I’m pretty busy.
4. I’m working as a receptionist _______days.
5. ________ were the days!
6. Do you remember _______ winter when we all went to Egypt?
7. Hello!__________ is Alan. Can I speak to Harry, please?
8. _________ is a new cathedral and _________ one over there was built 900 years ago.
9. Will you come over at five o’clock? I’ll be at home at _________ time.
10. The summer of 1999 I spent in the country. I remember we had a lot of rain _______ year.
11. _________ are my sisters. They have just arrived from London.
12. Who was ________ girl I saw you with last night?
13. Do you want to sit on ______chair here or on ________ one over there?
14. _________ sweets you gave me last night were very nice.
15. Look at _______ colourful air balloons in the sky!
16. Clyde and Nancy have decided to buy a house ______ year.
17. _________ trees over there were planted by the pupils of our school
18. ______ buildings just in front of you were erected in the 18th century.
19. Hello, Mrs Swift.________ is Mr Willis from Globe &Co speaking
20. I wish I would have bought ______ woolen sweater last Sunday.
21. You’d better take ________ The others we saw don’t match your dress.
22. I couldn’t forget_________ beautiful girl I had met in the park.
23. Do you know ________ little boy? He says he has been lost in the shop
24. Can you reach ________ old books on the top shelf?

Упражнение 9. Write answers to the questions.

Example: Whose watch is this? (Linda) This is Linda’s watch

1. Whose books are these? (the pupils)
2. Whose house is this? (John)
3. Whose offices are these? (the bankers)
4. Whose flowers are these? (my mother)
5. Whose translation is this? (my friend)
6. Whose shoes are these? (my sister)
7. Whose stamps are these? (Ted)
8. Whose fields are these? (the farmers)
9. Whose discovery is this? (Newton)
10. Whose duties are these? (the pupils)
11. Whose words are those? (our teacher)

Упражнение 10. Напишите эти предложения во множественном числе.

This is a cat. These are cats.

1. That is a car
2. This is a dog
3. That is a star.
4. This is his pencil
5. That is his pen.
6. This is a sheep.
7. That is a child.

Упражнение 11. Translate into English paying attention to the use of demonstrative pronouns.

1. Это были самые красивые розы, какие я когда-либо видел.
2. Посмотрите, кто это? — Это один из наших студентов.
3. Я где-то видел этого человека. — Это один из наших спортсменов. — Да, теперь я узнаю, это он
4. Кто там? — Откройте, это я.
5. Какие это были чудесные цветы!

Ответы к упражнениям на указательные местоимения.

1 these, 2 these, 3 these, 4 these, 5 these, 6 this, 7 this, 8 this, 9 this, 10 this, 11 these, 12 these

1 these, 2 that, 3 those, 4 this, 5 this, 6 that

1 these, 2 this, 3 this, 4 these, 5 this, 6 this, 7 these, 8 these

Your own sentences.

1 this, 2 those, 3 that, 4 those, 5 this, 6 that

1 b, 2 a, 3 b, 4 a, 5 a, 6 b, 7 b

1 those / that, 2 these или those, 3 this или that, 4 these или those, 5 that, 6 that

1 those, 2 that, 3 this, 4 these, 5 those, 6 that, 7 this, 8 this /that, 9 that, 10 that, 11 these, 12 that, 13 this /that, 14 those, 15 those, 16 this, 17 those, 18 these, 19 this, 20 that, 21 these, 22 that, 23 this. 24 those

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Указательные местоимения this, that, these, those в английском языке

Сегодня мы разберем указательные местоимения в английском языке: this, that, these, those. Эти местоимения указывают на объект, который имеет в виду говорящий человек. Этот объект может находиться близко или далеко. Так же объект может быть один, а может быть много. Разберемся в каких случаях, какой из местоимений использовать.

Указательные местоимения this, these в английском языке

This указывает на предмет (ед. число), который находится в непосредственной близости от говорящего. То есть, если предмет находится так близко, что мы можем до него дотянутся рукой, то в таком случае используется местоимение this.

This is a pan. — Эта ручка.
Например в данный момент я держу эту ручку у себя в руках.

This is a book. — Эта книга.
Книга лежит на столе в непосредственной близости от нас(я могу до нее дотянуться и взять в руки).

These указывает на предметы (мн. число), которые находятся в непосредственной близости от говорящего.

These are pans. — Эти ручки.

These are books. — Эти книги.

Указательные местоимения that, those в английском языке

Местоимение that указывает на предмет, который находится вдали от говорящего. То есть мы не можем дотянуться до предмета рукой.

That is a pan. — Вон та ручка.

That is a book. — Вон та книга.

Those используется по тому-же принципу, что и that, только с множественным числом.

Those are pans. — Вон те ручки.

Those are books. — Вон те книги.

Как вы видите, использование указательных местоимений в английском языке, довольно простая тема.

Источники: http://englishinn.ru/this-these-that-those-v-angliyskom-yazyike-dlya-nachinayushhih.html, http://grammar-tei.com/ukazatelnye-mestoimeniya-this-these-that-i-those-uprazhneniya-s-otvetami/, http://ouenglish.ru/difficult/this-that-these-those-english

Сегодня поработаем над указательными местоимениями. Упражнения на this / that, these / those помогут вам раз и навсегда разобраться в теме указательные местоимения в английском. Я подобрала несколько несложных упражнений для детей и парочку посложнее для взрослых. Упражнения на this, that, these и those идут в порядке возрастания сложности. В конце статьи вы найдете ответы на большинство упражнений.

Упражнение 1. Circle the correct word.

1. this /these shoes
2. this / these trousers
3. this / these socks
4. this / these shorts
5. this / these trainers
6. this / these hat
7. this / these dress
8. this / these blouse
9. this / these skirt
10. this / these scarf
11. this / these boots
12. this / these tights

Упражнение 2. Choose the correct word.

1. This / These trousers are black.
2. That / Those shirt is very nice.
3. That / Those shoes are comfortable.
4. This / These skirt is old.
5. This / Those T-shirt is my brother’s.
6. That / Those T-shirt is very small.

Упражнение 3. Write in this or these.

1. Take _______ trousers.
2. Take _______ sweater.
3. Don’t take _______ bag.
4. Don’t take _______ shorts.
5. Take _______hat
6. Take _______scarf.
7. Don’t take_______ boots.
8. Take _______ shoes.

Упражнение 4. Составь и запиши предложения. Make sentences.

This That These Those

is a are

sheep. pupils. farm dogs. car.

 Упражнение 5. Circle the right word.

1. This /These is a car.
2. That / Those are planes.
3. Those /That is a whale.
4. That / Those are sharks.
5. This / These is my guitar.
6. That / Those is an island.

Упражнение 6. Insert the correct word.

1. This __________ is easy.          a) questions b) homework
2. These ___________ are my neighbors.          a) women b) man
3. What are you doing ________ afternoon?        a) that b) this
4. Who’s ________ speaking?      a) this b) it
5. These are my glasses and ________ are hers.      a) those b) that
6. We are going to the seaside __________ summer.       a) that b) this
7. __________ man over there is a famous politician.      a) That  b) These

Упражнение 7. Insert this, that, these, those.

1. None of _______ present expressed any surprise on hearing __________.
2. Try one of _____________.
3. _________ is a computer
4. ___________ are the TV sets of the latest type.
5. Suddenly I felt something soft and warm on my knees. _________ was a cat.
6. Whom were you talking with? ________ was a friend of mine.

Упражнение 8. Fill in the gaps with this, that, these, those.

1. _________ people over there are waiting for the bus
2. The day I first came to London was wonderful. I will remember _______day for ever.
3. ______ summer I’m pretty busy.
4. I’m working as a receptionist _______days.
5. ________ were the days!
6. Do you remember _______ winter when we all went to Egypt?
7. Hello!__________ is Alan. Can I speak to Harry, please?
8. _________ is a new cathedral and _________ one over there was built 900 years ago.
9. Will you come over at five o’clock? I’ll be at home at _________ time.
10. The summer of 1999 I spent in the country. I remember we had a lot of rain _______ year.
11. _________ are my sisters. They have just arrived from London.
12. Who was ________ girl I saw you with last night?
13. Do you want to sit on ______chair here or on ________ one over there?
14. _________ sweets you gave me last night were very nice.
15. Look at _______ colourful air balloons in the sky!
16. Clyde and Nancy have decided to buy a house ______ year.
17. _________ trees over there were planted by the pupils of our school
18. ______ buildings just in front of you were erected in the 18th century.
19. Hello, Mrs Swift.________ is Mr Willis from Globe &Co speaking
20. I wish I would have bought ______ woolen sweater last Sunday.
21. You’d better take ________ The others we saw don’t match your dress.
22. I couldn’t forget_________ beautiful girl I had met in the park.
23. Do you know ________ little boy? He says he has been lost in the shop
24. Can you reach ________ old books on the top shelf?

Упражнение 9. Write answers to the questions.

Example: Whose watch is this? (Linda) This is Linda’s watch

1. Whose books are these? (the pupils)
2. Whose house is this? (John)
3. Whose offices are these? (the bankers)
4. Whose flowers are these? (my mother)
5. Whose translation is this? (my friend)
6. Whose shoes are these? (my sister)
7. Whose stamps are these? (Ted)
8. Whose fields are these? (the farmers)
9. Whose discovery is this? (Newton)
10. Whose duties are these? (the pupils)
11. Whose words are those? (our teacher)

Упражнение 10. Напишите эти предложения во множественном числе.

This is a cat. These are cats.

1. That is a car
2. This is a dog
3. That is a star.
4. This is his pencil
5. That is his pen.
6. This is a sheep.
7. That is a child.

Упражнение 11. Translate into English paying attention to the use of demonstrative pronouns.

1. Это были самые красивые розы, какие я когда-либо видел.
2. Посмотрите, кто это? — Это один из наших студентов.
3. Я где-то видел этого человека. — Это один из наших спортсменов. — Да, теперь я узнаю, это он
4. Кто там? — Откройте, это я.
5. Какие это были чудесные цветы!

Ответы к упражнениям на указательные местоимения.

Exercise 1.

1 these, 2 these, 3 these, 4 these, 5 these, 6 this, 7 this, 8 this, 9 this, 10 this, 11 these, 12 these

Exercise 2.

1 these, 2 that, 3 those, 4 this, 5 this, 6 that

Exercise 3.

1 these, 2 this, 3 this, 4 these, 5 this, 6 this, 7 these, 8 these

Exercise 4.

Your own sentences.

Exercise 5.

1 this, 2 those, 3 that, 4 those, 5 this, 6 that

Exercise 6.

1 b, 2 a, 3 b, 4 a, 5 a, 6 b, 7 a

Exercise 7.

1 those / that, 2 these или those, 3 this или that, 4 these или those, 5 that, 6 that

Exercise 8.

1 those, 2 that, 3 this, 4 these, 5 those, 6 that, 7 this, 8 this /that, 9 that, 10 that, 11 these, 12 that, 13 this /that, 14 those, 15 those, 16 this, 17 those, 18 these, 19 this, 20 that, 21 these, 22 that, 23 this. 24 those

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One area of English grammar that many international researchers struggle with when they are writing papers is the proper use of articles.

In English, articles are the little words that we put in front of nouns: “the,” “a,” or “an.”

While seemingly unimportant, proofreading your work with a view toward correcting errors in your use of “the” and “a» or «an” can make a difference in the clarity of your writing. In many cases, it gives the reader information, such as if it’s something that’s been previously introduced or if you are referring to something abstract or general or something identifiable and specific.

The

“The” is used before a noun that can be clearly identified by readers; it is called a definite article. “The” is also used before most plural proper nouns and some singular proper nouns.

Examples:

The research focused on the conditions under which sepsis occurred most often.

The patterns could be easily discerned.

Take care when pouring out the liquid.

The Rockies in Colorado are a popular tourist destination.

“The” is used with singular proper nouns in the following categories:

Government bodies (the Congress, the Senate)

Historical periods (the Restoration, the Ming Dynasty)

Religious texts, entities, and leaders (the I Ching, the Methodist Church, the Pope)

Geographical Terms

Sometimes “the” is used with a geographical term, and sometimes it is not.

The following use “the”:

Landmarks (the Eiffel Tower, the Colosseum)

Large bodies of water (the Atlantic, the Red Sea)

Points on the globe (the North Pole, the Equator)

Deserts, forests, gulfs, peninsulas, and mountain ranges (the Himalayas, the Sahara Desert)

Tip: If you are unsure if a proper noun takes “the,” try looking it up in a dictionary or usage guide. The Oxford Reference is a good place to try (oxfordreference.com). This will give you several examples of the term being used.

Do not use “the” with the following nouns:

Languages and nationalities (Korean, Arabic)

Subjects (math, reading, biology)

Sports (football, badminton)

Note that the definite article might be used in front of some of these words when they are used as a modifier for another noun, so be sure to determine whether the word is being used in this way, as in the following examples:

The Latin abbreviation

The math book

The badminton team

A/an

“A/an” is used when it comes before something nonspecific or it’s the first time you are using the term; therefore, it’s called an indefinite article. “A” is used before nouns that begin with consonants. “An” is used before nouns that begin with a vowel or a vowel sound. If there’s a modifier between the article and the noun, you choose “a” or “an” based on whatever words comes after it, because it all depends on sound.

For example, “an” would be used here:

an examination

But “a” would be used here:

a thorough examination

In some cases, to decide on whether to use “a” or “an,” you may need to determine the sound of the first letter. For example, if the “h” is silent, as in “hour,” the word begins with a vowel sound, and it would have “an” in front of it. However, “horse” would not because the “h” is pronounced. (Online dictionaries often provide auditory versions of words and/or phonetic spellings.) Other tricky letters to be aware of are “u” (which can sometimes have a “y” sound, as in «ukelele”) and “o” (which can sometimes make a “w” sound, as in “one”). Here are some examples:

A research study undertaken 40 years ago suggested that the drug could be used for pain relief.

A pattern could not be found.

An apple was left outside over the course of 20 days.

It is an odorless gas. 

Note: When referring to the above nouns in subsequent sentences, you would then use the definite article “the” (the study, the pattern, the apple, the gas) because the nouns have now been identified. See the following example:

A major rainstorm moved in. The rain did a lot of damage.  

Because the second sentence is referring to the rain mentioned in the first, “the” is used.

When Articles Are Not Used

Articles are not generally used before a “noncount” noun. Some examples of noncount nouns include sand, milk, and rain and abstractions like joy, anger, and obedience.

The dog was trained for strict obedience.

The medication was associated with bouts of anger.

Articles are also often not needed when the term is used to refer to something in general.

Milk cannot be used as a substitute for infant formula.

Milk is used in a general sense here; it does not refer to one particular cup, bottle, or jug of milk.

Compare the above example to:

The milk in the jug has gone bad.

This refers to specific, identifiable milk.

Acronyms

The same rules for the use of definite and indefinite articles apply to acronyms (phrases in abbreviation using the initial letter of each word).

The APA requires website addresses in bibliographies.

A GOES was used for this research.

(APA refers to the American Psychological Association. “The” is used because it is a proper, identifiable noun.)

(GOES refers to a Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite. “A” is used here because there are several of these and a specific one has not yet been identified.)

As an ESL author or even a native English author, correctly using definite and indefinite articles might be your biggest challenge when writing manuscripts, but once mastered, you will significantly boost the clarity of your writing and, in turn, boost your chances of being published and read. The rules given above will hopefully help you master those tricky articles!

References

1. Berry, Chris, and Allen Brizee. “Articles: A versus An,” Purdue OWL. 27 July 2011.

   owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/591/01. Accessed 2 November 2016.

2. Bullock, Richard, et al. The Little Seagull Handbook, 2nd ed. With exercises.

   W.W. Norton & Company, 2014.

3. Lynch, Paul, et al. “Using Articles,” Purdue OWL. 3 March 2011. 

   owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/540/01. Accessed 2 November 2016. 

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About the Author:

Dr. Alyssa Colton has a Ph.D. in English from the University at Albany, State University of New York (SUNY). She has taught and worked with students of all levels and backgrounds on writing skills for 20 years. She is a freelance writer and editor specializing in science, health, productivity and career development.