The word article used in a sentence

What articles and when are used in English?

In many foreign languages ​​there is such a part of speech as the article (The Article). This is an official part of speech and it acts as a determinant of a noun. There is no such part of speech in Russian, so it is difficult for Russian-speaking people who are 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, it may be difficult to communicate with an Englishman, because he will not understand which particular subject is being discussed, whether he knows something about him or not. To avoid communication problems and just to learn how to express yourself correctly, it is important and necessary to study articles in English and the cases of their use.

Today we will talk about such an important topic as the use of articles in English, and also consider the cases when you need to use articles.

Types of articles in English

There are two types of articles in English:

• Definite Article (definite article)
• Indefinite Article (indefinite article)

THE — the definite article or Definite Article, and it is pronounced [ðǝ] when the noun begins with a consonant and [rɪ] when the noun begins with a vowel.

For example: the [ðǝ] school, the [rɪ]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 is the difference between a definite and an indefinite article in English, we will give an example in Russian:

When articles are used in English

Use of articles in English

It is important to remember here what are the rules 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 negation no (not not!).

It 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 (Indefinite Article) in English is used when the subject is discussed for the first time, and also if nothing is known about the subject. The Definite Article appears where something is already known about the subject or it is mentioned again in the conversation. Let’s see this with a few examples. Note:

He has got a computer.- He has a computer (what kind of computer, what is with him, what brand, etc. — we do not know.
The computer is new. — The computer is new (Now there is some information about the computer — it is new).
It is a tree. — This is a tree (it is not clear which tree, nothing is known about it).
The tree is green. — The tree is green (something is already known, the tree is covered with green foliage).

What articles and when are used in English?

• Indefinite Article a, an can be used in exclamation sentences starting with the word que: 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 am reading an interesting book.
• The indefinite article can be used in a sentence in the sense of the word «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 superlative 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 there is always 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 separate cases of the use of articles in English. We will consider them in more detail in the articles, which are separately devoted to the definite article and separately to the indefinite article.

In general, the situation with articles in English is quite serious. They need and should be used in speech, there is simply nothing without them, otherwise we ourselves can get confused and confuse our interlocutor in the information presented.

And in order not to get confused about which articles and when to use them, just memorize these cases.

And you will see how this small but very necessary official part of speech will bring clarity to your conversation, and your speech will be beautiful and complete! So let the little ones the, a and an be your helpers in your English speech!

Source: https://englishfull.ru/grammatika/artikli-v-anglijskom.html

Article in English

a tree is a tree, a green tree is a green tree.

There are two types of articles in English: uncertain — a year и certain — the.

The presence of an article in front of a noun excludes the use of additional definitions in the form of demonstrative, possessive or indefinite pronouns before the same noun.

A definition can stand between an article and a noun only if it is expressed by an adjective, ordinal or other noun. For example:

a red pencil — red pencil, the first book — the first book, the Moscow flat — Moscow apartment.

Forms

The indefinite article comes from the numeral one — one and has two options — а и an: а used before nouns or definitions to them, starting with a consonant sound:

a man, a short man,

as well as before nouns beginning with vowels and or y, when pronounced with a consonant [j]:

a union is a union, a yacht is a yacht;

an used before words beginning with a vowel or with a dumb h, i.e. when h is unreadable:

an apple — an apple, an entrance examination — entrance exams, an hour — an hour.

HO: a hunter — hunter (the letter h is read, and therefore the article a is used).

Note. Numeral one can not always be replaced by articles a year, since the articles a, an are used to convey the meaning of «any», for example:

Give me an apple, please. Give me an apple, please (meaning any apple).

The numeral one means «one», «one», «one». For example:

Give me one apple. Give me one apple
(and no more).

Usage: Table of the use of English articles

The Definite Article

Definite article the originated from the demonstrative pronoun that — that and means: that, that, that, this, this, these.

Article the pronounced:
[ðe]:

• before nouns starting with a consonant letter: the tram — tram, the boy — boy;
• before nouns starting with vowels and, y, when pronounced with a [j] sound: the union is the union, the year is the year.

[ði]:

• before nouns starting with a vowel or with a consonant when not pronounced: the apple is an apple, the hour is an hour.

Usage: Table of the use of English articles

Rules for writing and reading the date and time of the clock in English.

Source: https://catchenglish.ru/grammatika/opredelennyj-i-neopredelennyj-artikl.html

LESSON 17 English

Abstract of the 17th lesson in PDF format can be viewed, printed and downloaded at this link

Do you know what is the most frequently used word in English? This is the article the! There is also an article a/an, and in some cases the article should not be used at all.

The topic of the correct arrangement of articles, despite its apparent simplicity, remains one of the «stumbling blocks» even for those who have been studying English for a long time.

In this lesson we will try to understand why this interesting part of speech is needed, in which cases it is necessary to use articles and how to do it correctly.

The meaning and use of articles

In English before everyone noun, as a rule, the article is put. Of course, there are cases when the article is not used (the so-called Article zero). But in general, the rule remains in force — this part of speech goes along with the noun «in conjunction». If a noun is used with adjective, the article is placed before the adjective, and all article placement rules remain in effect.

This topic seems difficult to us because in the Russian language there is no such part of speech as the article. However, we still have words that seem to play his role. Let’s look at how the definite and indefinite articles differ, and with what words they can be replaced in Russian.

Use of the indefinite article ‘a / an’

Article a/an in English comes from the word one — «one«. The analogue of this article in Russian will be the word “one”, But not in the meaning of quantity, but in the meaning of“ one of many ”. For example: “I knew one doctor «.

If the article is followed by a word that begins with a consonant, we put the article a, if with a vowel — use an… If a noun is used with an adjective, the rule applies to the adjective preceded by the article. For example: to book (book), an actress (actress), a nice girl, an interesting film (interesting film).

Pay attention! This rule is determined by phonetics (pronunciation), not spelling. For example, the word an hour [auə] («Hour») begins with a consonant, but with a vowel, so we put the article an. The words a university

Source: http://en1632.com/f/lesson32_17_synopsis.html

Artikli in English

Rules for the use of definite and indefinite articles (Articles) in colloquial English.

Correct use of the indefinite and definite articles in English is very important for mutual understanding. When communicating with an English-speaking person, you run the risk of being misunderstood if you make mistakes in using the article.

What is an article?

An article in English is a service word that is one of the main formal features of a noun, defines it, stands before a noun or before a word that defines it. The article itself is not used, has no meaning and is not translated into Russian.

Example

a pen — pen
a blue pen — blue pen

In the Slavic languages ​​and, in particular, in Russian, articles do not exist, therefore, for many students of English, this part of speech causes difficulties in understanding how, where and why to use articles. In English, using the articles, a clarification is made — we are talking about an abstract or concrete subject.

Indefinite article

The indefinite article has two forms: a и an, is used before countable nouns in the singular. The form a [ə] used before words that begin with a consonant. The form an [æn] used before words that begin with a vowel.

The indefinite article a (an) is used:

1. When we mention a subject for the first time.
Example:
I saw a cat. — I saw a cat.

2. Before the names of the professions.
Example:
I am a doctor. — I am a doctor.

3. Before a noun if there is an adjective in front of it that describes it.
Example:
She is a beautiful woman. — She’s a beautiful woman.

4. In combinations

• the couple
• a pair
• a little
• a few

Definite article

The definite article has one form the [ði:], is used when we are talking about something specific or already previously encountered in a context, conversation, or about what the interlocutor knows from his general knowledge. Definite article the comes from the word that (that), can be used with nouns in the singular and plural, with countable and uncountable.

Although the article the is always spelled the same, its production differs depending on which letter the next word begins with. Before vowels the pronounced with a long [i:] at the end (transcription [ði:]), and before consonants — with the sound [ə] (transcription [ðə]).

The definite article the is used:

1. When we talk about an object or person that has already been mentioned before, or it is clear from the context what we mean.
Example:I saw a cat. The cat was black.

We’ve talked about this cat before.

Source: https://english-odessa.com/stati/educational/artikli

8 rules for using the article the in English

An article is a word that defines a noun.

There are two types of articles in English: definite (the) and indefinite (a / an).

Based on the names, respectively, the indefinite article is used when we are talking about a phenomenon that we meet for the first time, an object in general, and a definite one — when we are talking about something specific, or already previously encountered in a conversation.

The concept of the article is present in many languages ​​of the world, but in the same number of languages ​​it is absent.

Therefore, do not panic if articles are not used in your native language.

Data 8 rules for using the article the in English help you make fewer mistakes when speaking English.

It is very important to be able to use the correct articles in your speaking or writing.

1.With the names of countries and continents

In this case, we do not use articles at all, BUT if the country name consists of parts, such as, USA, UK, UAEthen our article appears the, and will be: the USA, the UK, the UAE, the Czech Republic, the Netherlands.

This also applies to continents and islands: usually we do not use the article, but if the name is combined, the definite article has a place to be.

For example: Africa, Europe, Bermuda, Tasmania BUT the Virgin Islands, the Bahamas.

• She lived in America.
• They live in England.
• My friend is from the Czech Republic.

2.With the words breakfast, dinner, lunch

When it comes to eating in general, there is no article. But if you are talking about a specific breakfast, dinner or lunch, use the.

For example:

• I don’t eat breakfast.
• We didn’t the dinner.

3.With the names of work, profession

In this case, the indefinite article is used. a / an.

For example:

• I want to be a politician.
• My younger brother wants to be a vet.

4.With the names of the cardinal points

Usually the names of the cardinal points are written with a capital letter, so they are easy to recognize: the North, the South, the East, the West.

True, if a noun indicates a direction, then use it without an article and write with a small letter.

For example:

• They went east.
• The North is cooler than the South.

5.With the names of oceans, seas, rivers and canals

Remember that the definite article is always used with the names of these bodies of water.

For example: The Amazon, the Indian Ocean, the Red Sea, the Suez Canal.

• I would swim in the Red Sea, and you?
• The Amazon is the longest river in the world.

6.With the names of unique phenomena

It means that a phenomenon or object exists in one copy, one of a kind, in particular, the sun, the moon, the interNET, the sky, the earth.

For example:

• The sun is a star.
• We looked up at all the stars in the sky.
• He is always on the internet.

7.With uncountable nouns

This category of nouns implies those units and concepts that we cannot count. Plus, as an identification mark in most cases, they don’t have an ending. -S — plural indicator.

But do not forget that there are ten exceptions for one rule, that is, if you are talking in general about some uncountable concept, there will be no article, but again, if the case is special, use the.

For example:

• I bread / milk / honey.
• I the bread / the milk / the honey. (Specifically, this and nothing else.)

8.With surnames

If we are talking about members of the same family, you can put the article the before the surname. Thus, you will designate a group of people, a family in one word.

For example:

• The Smith are coming for dinner today.
• Have you seen the Jonson recently?

These are not all uses of articles in English. However, remember these rules first as you gradually deepen your knowledge of English grammar.

Good luck!

Source: https://preply.com/blog/2014/11/27/8-pravil-ispolzovaniya-artiklya-the-v-anglijskom-yazyke/

Every noun in English must be preceded by an article. In the absence of an article, one speaks of the zero article.

Indefinite article a (an) comes from the word one and literally means «any one», «one of many», «any». The indefinite article can only be used with countable nouns in the singular («one»). The following example demonstrates the analogue of the indefinite article in Russian:

Once upon a time one man — There was a Mon

Definite article the comes from the word That and means «the same», «specifically that». The definite article is used before nouns when it comes to objects and concepts known to the speaker and listeners (for example, the subject has already been mentioned in the conversation). In Russian, there is also an analogue of the definite article:

You book-that read? — Have you read the book?

In Russian, the absence of articles is compensated by the free word order in the sentence. The original topic, known to the speaker and listeners, is usually put first, followed by additional (new) information. In the following examples, the original topic (known constituent) is highlighted in green and the new information is highlighted in red:

В a room has entered boy (To a certain room some boy).
Youngster entered into a room (A certain boy to some room).

In English, the word order is fixed. Therefore, to separate the known and new components, the articles are used: the — a well-known topic («the same»), a / an — new information («some»).

A boy entered the room — AT a room has entered boy.
the boy entered a room — Youngster entered into a room.

Scheme of using articles in English

Countable in Unities. number number

a book — some kind of book	books — some books	water — some kind of water
the book — specific book	the books — specific books	the water — specific water

Phonetic variants of articles

  Before a consonant Before a vowel

Article	Pronunciation	Example
a [ə]	to book [əbuk]
an [ən]	an hour

Source: https://english.tulagorod.ru/grammar/articles

Source: https://www.wallstreetenglish.ru/blog/opredelennyy-i-neopredelennyy-artikl-v-angliyskom-yazyke/

A, an, the: how not to confuse articles in English

A, an, the: how not to confuse articles in English

A, an, the: how not to confuse articles in English

A, an, the: how not to confuse articles in English

Let’s remember how many articles are in English. There are three of them: a, an, the. If we turn to linguistics, then you can easily remember: the definite article is used when we have the clearest idea of ​​the subject.

As the most remarkable puzzle in the English language, it raises a lot of questions and difficulties to remember. There are no articles in the Russian language, so it is difficult for us to understand how the British use them to separate old information from new, and also very important from just important.

Also, with their help, we find out how many subjects we are talking about — one or more.

So when is the article used in English? It is placed before a noun to define the context of a given noun in a sentence.

Articles are certain и undefined, and perform an orientation function. Thanks to the chosen article, we clearly understand the meaning of the statement.

The definite article the originated from the word «that», it is used with countable and uncountable nouns, both in the singular and plural.

• We have the same feelings towards you. — We have the same feelings for you.
• Is this the same book as ever it was? — Is this the same book as always?

Indefinite article a / an comes from «one», so it can only be used with singular nouns.

• She is a teacher. — She is a teacher.
• A friend in need is a friend indeed. — Friend is known in trouble.

The article is not used in a variety of cases; below we will analyze these cases. For now, a couple of examples:

• I am going to have dinner. — I’m going to dinner.
• He claims total memory loss. — He has a complete memory loss.

Articles in English: Are the Rules That Simple?

English articles: rules and intuition (part 1)

English articles: rules and intuition (part 1)

English articles: rules and intuition (part 1)

The fact is that articles in English give us a lot of trouble. Remember how many times your friends or you yourself were indignant: «why are these articles even needed!» Not only do we do well without them in Russian, but the countless rules of their use in English that we learn do not save us in all cases. As a result, inappropriate use of articles is one of the most common problems in English speech and texts of our compatriots.

School rules for the use of articles are a vivid example of how the school curriculum emphasizes the systematization of knowledge, rather than deepening understanding and developing intuition. Tellingly, the English themselves use the articles without hesitation, and even the most grammatically savvy of them (which is a great rarity in itself) often cannot explain their choice of the article.

Therefore, let’s consider the English articles, focusing on the development of a sense of language (which, by the way, does not exclude, but organically complements the cramming of the rules, if you like it).

Below we will answer the already mentioned «cry from the heart» — «why are these articles even needed ?!» Then, in the next article in the series, we’ll look at how definite articles relate to indefinite ones (and if they do at all!).

Finally, in part three, we will consolidate our intuitive understanding of the articles by examining a long list of examples.

* * *

Lesson 27. Indefinite article a / an in English

Lesson 27. Indefinite article a / an in English

Lesson 27. Indefinite article a / an in English

• 1 Rules for the use of the article a / an
• 2 Tasks for the lesson

Sofia StalskayaHigher linguistic education. Work experience 5 years.

As you may have noticed, English is in many ways different from Russian, and in this lesson we will look at another of its differences, namely the presence of a part of speech called the article.

It is important to remember that the article is used only with nouns. There are three articles in total: indefinite (a / an), definite (the) and zero, that is, its absence. In this tutorial, we’ll talk about the indefinite article.

Rules for the use of the article a / an

Articles a, an and the in English — examples of use

Articles a, an and the in English — examples of use

Articles a, an and the in English — examples of use

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

Why do we need articles in English?

Use of the article THE

Use of the article THE

Use of the article THE

In this article we will touch upon the topic «Articles» — one of the most «unloved» topics of our students.

Many admit that, although they have gone through this topic many times, they continue to put articles at random and cannot systematize knowledge in any way. Particularly difficult is the article THE. Perhaps you have the same problem.

In preparing this article, we asked our students and subscribers to formulate questions related to the use of THE article, which they find it difficult to answer on their own. I would like to note that the questions were very similar, so we summarized them. And here are the questions that students are interested in:

• Which article to choose: A or THE?
• When is THE always used?
• When is THE used with place nouns?
• How to tell if the article is needed with plural and uncountable nouns?

If you are also not completely sure of the depth of your knowledge about the use of the definite article THE and your previous experience of studying «from the textbook» turned out to be useless, then this material will help you systematize the existing knowledge and, possibly, learn something new.

Which article should I choose A or THE?

Article in English

Article in English

Article in English

Zolotareva T.P., teacher, secondary school № 100, Krasnodar

Terms of use of the article in English

Article in English

Article in English

Article in English

First of all, let’s understand what, in general, an article is. As an English teacher, I often hear from my students the following phrase: “I don’t understand why articles are needed, I don’t feel the difference between a definite and an indefinite article and I don’t know when to put which of them, in front of what, exactly, to put them and when you can not use them at all.

Let’s talk about everything in order.

The article is a part of speech that is used in some languages ​​to denote the category of certainty or uncertainty of objects and is not translated into Russian. For example, here’s a sentence:

Give me a pen, please!

Where to put the article here?

Of course, before the noun «pen», since the article is the prerogative of only the noun and its definitions, but there is no definition of the noun here. If we slightly changed our sentence and a definition of a noun expressed by an adjective (but not a pronoun and not a numeral) would appear, we would put the article before the whole group “adjective + noun”. For example:

Give me a red pen, please!

Which article to put here definite or indefinite depends on the situation described in the context or directly on what exactly you yourself mean.

If you are addressing a person with such a request, you do not mean anything specific, that is, you just need some, any red pen, since you are checking the notebooks of your students and you, for example, have run out of ink in your pen, you should put an indefinite article.

Give me a pen please!

Give me a red pen please!

If you change the contextual situation, for example, you saw a very beautiful new pen in your friend’s hands and want to examine it yourself better, and therefore, looking at it or pointing with your hand, ask to give it to you, you mean a completely definite object. You do not care what kind of pen your friend will give you, you want to consider exactly the same, new and beautiful, which he is now holding in his hands. In this case, the definite article should be used.

Give me the pen please!

Give me the red pen please!

Regarding the use of articles in general, you can deduce such a simple rule for yourself:

If before a noun or a pair of «adjective + noun» you can mentally put words such as: any, any, no matter which, one of many, etc., you should put an indefinite article.

If before a noun or a pair of «adjective + noun», you can mentally put words such as: this one, yours, yours, mine, that, etc., you should put a definite article.

The indefinite article can be meaningfully replaced by the numeral 1 (one of many).

The definite article can be meaningfully replaced by demonstrative (this, that, etc.), or possessive (mine, your, your, our, etc.) pronouns.

Indefinite article

Articles in English — definite and indefinite

Articles in English — definite and indefinite

Articles in English — definite and indefinite

The indefinite and definite articles, although they seem small and insignificant, actually play a very important role in the language. Their use is so important that when dealing with foreigners, you run the risk of driving yourself into a dead end if you don’t know how to use the article. In order not to get confused when to use them and in what form, let’s figure it out once and for all in simple, but very important rules.

What is an article?

What articles and when are used in English?

In many foreign languages ​​there is such a part of speech as the article (The Article). This is an official part of speech and it acts as a determinant of a noun. There is no such part of speech in Russian, so it is difficult for Russian-speaking people who are 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, it may be difficult to communicate with an Englishman, because he will not understand which particular subject is being discussed, whether he knows something about him or not. To avoid communication problems and just to learn how to express yourself correctly, it is important and necessary to study articles in English and the cases of their use.

Today we will talk about such an important topic as the use of articles in English, and also consider the cases when you need to use articles.

Types of articles in English

Article in English

a tree is a tree, a green tree is a green tree.

There are two types of articles in English: uncertain — a year и certain — the.

The presence of an article in front of a noun excludes the use of additional definitions in the form of demonstrative, possessive or indefinite pronouns before the same noun.

A definition can stand between an article and a noun only if it is expressed by an adjective, ordinal or other noun. For example:

a red pencil — red pencil, the first book — the first book, the Moscow flat — Moscow apartment.

The Indefinite Article

LESSON 17 English

Abstract of the 17th lesson in PDF format can be viewed, printed and downloaded at this link

Do you know what is the most frequently used word in English? This is the article the! There is also an article a/an, and in some cases the article should not be used at all.

The topic of the correct arrangement of articles, despite its apparent simplicity, remains one of the «stumbling blocks» even for those who have been studying English for a long time.

In this lesson we will try to understand why this interesting part of speech is needed, in which cases it is necessary to use articles and how to do it correctly.

The meaning and use of articles

Artikli in English

Rules for the use of definite and indefinite articles (Articles) in colloquial English.

Correct use of the indefinite and definite articles in English is very important for mutual understanding. When communicating with an English-speaking person, you run the risk of being misunderstood if you make mistakes in using the article.

What is an article?

8 rules for using the article the in English

An article is a word that defines a noun.

There are two types of articles in English: definite (the) and indefinite (a / an).

Based on the names, respectively, the indefinite article is used when we are talking about a phenomenon that we meet for the first time, an object in general, and a definite one — when we are talking about something specific, or already previously encountered in a conversation.

The concept of the article is present in many languages ​​of the world, but in the same number of languages ​​it is absent.

Therefore, do not panic if articles are not used in your native language.

Data 8 rules for using the article the in English help you make fewer mistakes when speaking English.

It is very important to be able to use the correct articles in your speaking or writing.

1.With the names of countries and continents

Articles

Every noun in English must be preceded by an article. In the absence of an article, one speaks of the zero article.

Indefinite article a (an) comes from the word one and literally means «any one», «one of many», «any». The indefinite article can only be used with countable nouns in the singular («one»). The following example demonstrates the analogue of the indefinite article in Russian:

Once upon a time one man — There was a Mon

Definite article the comes from the word That and means «the same», «specifically that». The definite article is used before nouns when it comes to objects and concepts known to the speaker and listeners (for example, the subject has already been mentioned in the conversation). In Russian, there is also an analogue of the definite article:

You book-that read? — Have you read the book?

In Russian, the absence of articles is compensated by the free word order in the sentence. The original topic, known to the speaker and listeners, is usually put first, followed by additional (new) information. In the following examples, the original topic (known constituent) is highlighted in green and the new information is highlighted in red:

В a room has entered boy (To a certain room some boy).
Youngster entered into a room (A certain boy to some room).

In English, the word order is fixed. Therefore, to separate the known and new components, the articles are used: the — a well-known topic («the same»), a / an — new information («some»).

A boy entered the room — AT a room has entered boy.
the boy entered a room — Youngster entered into a room.

Scheme of using articles in English

Source: https://www.wallstreetenglish.ru/blog/opredelennyy-i-neopredelennyy-artikl-v-angliyskom-yazyke/

A, an, the: how not to confuse articles in English

Let’s remember how many articles are in English. There are three of them: a, an, the. If we turn to linguistics, then you can easily remember: the definite article is used when we have the clearest idea of ​​the subject.

As the most remarkable puzzle in the English language, it raises a lot of questions and difficulties to remember. There are no articles in the Russian language, so it is difficult for us to understand how the British use them to separate old information from new, and also very important from just important.

Also, with their help, we find out how many subjects we are talking about — one or more.

So when is the article used in English? It is placed before a noun to define the context of a given noun in a sentence.

Articles are certain и undefined, and perform an orientation function. Thanks to the chosen article, we clearly understand the meaning of the statement.

The definite article the originated from the word «that», it is used with countable and uncountable nouns, both in the singular and plural.

• We have the same feelings towards you. — We have the same feelings for you.
• Is this the same book as ever it was? — Is this the same book as always?

Indefinite article a / an comes from «one», so it can only be used with singular nouns.

• She is a teacher. — She is a teacher.
• A friend in need is a friend indeed. — Friend is known in trouble.

The article is not used in a variety of cases; below we will analyze these cases. For now, a couple of examples:

• I am going to have dinner. — I’m going to dinner.
• He claims total memory loss. — He has a complete memory loss.

Articles in English: Are the Rules That Simple?

A, an, the: how not to confuse articles in English

Let’s remember how many articles are in English. There are three of them: a, an, the. If we turn to linguistics, then you can easily remember: the definite article is used when we have the clearest idea of ​​the subject.

As the most remarkable puzzle in the English language, it raises a lot of questions and difficulties to remember. There are no articles in the Russian language, so it is difficult for us to understand how the British use them to separate old information from new, and also very important from just important.

Also, with their help, we find out how many subjects we are talking about — one or more.

So when is the article used in English? It is placed before a noun to define the context of a given noun in a sentence.

Articles are certain и undefined, and perform an orientation function. Thanks to the chosen article, we clearly understand the meaning of the statement.

The definite article the originated from the word «that», it is used with countable and uncountable nouns, both in the singular and plural.

• We have the same feelings towards you. — We have the same feelings for you.
• Is this the same book as ever it was? — Is this the same book as always?

Indefinite article a / an comes from «one», so it can only be used with singular nouns.

• She is a teacher. — She is a teacher.
• A friend in need is a friend indeed. — Friend is known in trouble.

The article is not used in a variety of cases; below we will analyze these cases. For now, a couple of examples:

• I am going to have dinner. — I’m going to dinner.
• He claims total memory loss. — He has a complete memory loss.

Articles in English: Are the Rules That Simple?

Of course not. On the appropriate forums, students are in full swing discussing the specifics of using articles and lamenting how to remember them all. In this article, we analyze only the most basic rules that you most often face when learning English.

Basic rules for articles a and an:

English articles: rules and intuition (part 1)

The fact is that articles in English give us a lot of trouble. Remember how many times your friends or you yourself were indignant: «why are these articles even needed!» Not only do we do well without them in Russian, but the countless rules of their use in English that we learn do not save us in all cases. As a result, inappropriate use of articles is one of the most common problems in English speech and texts of our compatriots.

School rules for the use of articles are a vivid example of how the school curriculum emphasizes the systematization of knowledge, rather than deepening understanding and developing intuition. Tellingly, the English themselves use the articles without hesitation, and even the most grammatically savvy of them (which is a great rarity in itself) often cannot explain their choice of the article.

Therefore, let’s consider the English articles, focusing on the development of a sense of language (which, by the way, does not exclude, but organically complements the cramming of the rules, if you like it).

Below we will answer the already mentioned «cry from the heart» — «why are these articles even needed ?!» Then, in the next article in the series, we’ll look at how definite articles relate to indefinite ones (and if they do at all!).

Finally, in part three, we will consolidate our intuitive understanding of the articles by examining a long list of examples.

* * *

In general, the difficulties we face with the use of articles fit into a typical scheme:

• first we memorize a set of rules;
• then we try to apply these rules to the Russian language, because we translate what we think into English and continue to think in Russian.

In other words, in this case we are trying to make friends between English articles and Russian nouns. Well, just because “English should have an article”, right? .. But isn’t it better to make the articles serve us instead of voluntarily becoming their hostage? Think about it, because if the English were not of any benefit from them, then their language simply would not have preserved.

So, in short, articles in English have three functions:

• grammatical,
• contextual,
• index.

By the way, you are unlikely to read about this in a school textbook, since these formulations are the result of my personal experience. If we want to understand how to “use” and not “observe” articles, then I propose to start with these three properties. Let’s take a closer look at each item now.

The grammatical function of the article

Lesson 27. Indefinite article a / an in English

• 1 Rules for the use of the article a / an
• 2 Tasks for the lesson

Sofia StalskayaHigher linguistic education. Work experience 5 years.

As you may have noticed, English is in many ways different from Russian, and in this lesson we will look at another of its differences, namely the presence of a part of speech called the article.

It is important to remember that the article is used only with nouns. There are three articles in total: indefinite (a / an), definite (the) and zero, that is, its absence. In this tutorial, we’ll talk about the indefinite article.

Rules for the use of the article a / an

So the article a / an used with countable nouns in the singular — after all, originally, the article was once the word «one». Why do you need two indefinite articles, you ask? It’s simple — with words that begin with a vowel, you need to use the option an.

Compare:

• I have got an orange.
• I have got a cat.

If the noun is plural, the article is not used, but you can add some or many:

• I got oranges. I have got some oranges.
• I have got cats. I have got many cats.

If the noun is uncountable, you do not need to use the article: There is water in the glass.

Important! For nouns that begin with the sound [ju], the article a is used. You need to focus on how the word is pronounced, and not how it is spelled.

For example:

When to use the indefinite article? In the following cases:

• with professions: I am a teacher.
• after verbs to be and have got: I have got a sister. She is twelve.
• In exclamation points after what: What a beautiful picture!
• In meaning «one»: It will take me an hour.
• In meaning «any»: Give me a pen, please.

Do not forget that if the noun is plural, the above points become invalid and you do not need to use the article.

Important! If the noun is preceded by a possessive pronoun, you do not need to use the article: This is my brother

If there is an adjective along with a noun in a sentence, the article is placed before the adjective and depends on how it is pronounced:

old car,

to big house.

We’ll come back to the articles in more detail later, but for now, complete a few hands-on exercises.

Lesson assignments

Articles a, an and the in English — examples of use

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

Why do we need articles in English?

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

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

See how the meaning of the phrase changes:

• I like the car. 
• I like the car.

Feel the catch? In the first case it is not clear what kind of car we are talking about, and in the second we are talking about a specific car.

In English, words cannot be swapped, therefore, articles are used to give the desired shade to the phrase A, An и Tea.

Articles rules

Use of the article THE

In this article we will touch upon the topic «Articles» — one of the most «unloved» topics of our students.

Many admit that, although they have gone through this topic many times, they continue to put articles at random and cannot systematize knowledge in any way. Particularly difficult is the article THE. Perhaps you have the same problem.

In preparing this article, we asked our students and subscribers to formulate questions related to the use of THE article, which they find it difficult to answer on their own. I would like to note that the questions were very similar, so we summarized them. And here are the questions that students are interested in:

• Which article to choose: A or THE?
• When is THE always used?
• When is THE used with place nouns?
• How to tell if the article is needed with plural and uncountable nouns?

If you are also not completely sure of the depth of your knowledge about the use of the definite article THE and your previous experience of studying «from the textbook» turned out to be useless, then this material will help you systematize the existing knowledge and, possibly, learn something new.

Which article should I choose A or THE?

Let’s remember a little from theory. A(an) — this is an indefinite article, it indicates an indefinite subject, and emphasizes that the subject is one. THE — the definite article, it is used when something is mentioned that is already known to the speaker.

Consider this example:

— My father bought me UN Chien.
— Great! What color is the dog?
— The dog is black. And my mother bought me to book.

The first sentence uses article A, since the dog is mentioned for the first time and the interlocutor does not know anything about it yet. Further used article THE, since it became clear to both speakers what kind of dog they were talking about. In the last sentence, the word book also used with an indefinite article, since it is mentioned for the first time, the interlocutor has not yet determined what kind of book it is.

Some more examples:

Yesterday I got the letter. the letter was from my friend. — Yesterday I received a letter. The letter was from a friend of mine.

I am reading a newspaper… I bought the newspaper from the newsagent. — I am reading a newspaper. I bought a newspaper from a periodicals seller.

Remember the rule: If in front of you is a countable noun in the singular, then use A if this subject is mentioned for the first time or it is indefinite, insignificant. THE is used if the subject has already been mentioned before and is known to the interlocutors.

Sometimes, despite the fact that something is mentioned for the first time, we can understand from the context what it is about: when additional information about the subject is given, an explanation, or when it is clear from the situation itself. Let’s look at examples with explanations:

I was at the party yesterday. — I was at a party yesterday. (I mean some kind of party that we don’t know anything about yet)

I was at the party organized by my friend. — I was at a party organized by my friend.

(We understand what kind of party we are talking about)

He saw a woman in the corridor. — He saw (some) woman in the hallway.

(No additional information is given about the woman)

He saw the woman who lived next door to him. — He saw a woman who lived next door.

(We understand what kind of woman she is)

He entered a door… — He entered the door.

(He entered one of the doors, we do not know which one).

He entered the door nearest to the stairs. He entered the door closest to the stairs.

(Specifies which door)

When is THE always used?

Article in English

Zolotareva T.P., teacher, secondary school № 100, Krasnodar

Terms of use of the article in English

ARTICLE

indefinite article «a «(«an «) the definite article»the »

Indefinite article in english

Article in English

First of all, let’s understand what, in general, an article is. As an English teacher, I often hear from my students the following phrase: “I don’t understand why articles are needed, I don’t feel the difference between a definite and an indefinite article and I don’t know when to put which of them, in front of what, exactly, to put them and when you can not use them at all.

Let’s talk about everything in order.

The article is a part of speech that is used in some languages ​​to denote the category of certainty or uncertainty of objects and is not translated into Russian. For example, here’s a sentence:

Give me a pen, please!

Where to put the article here?

Of course, before the noun «pen», since the article is the prerogative of only the noun and its definitions, but there is no definition of the noun here. If we slightly changed our sentence and a definition of a noun expressed by an adjective (but not a pronoun and not a numeral) would appear, we would put the article before the whole group “adjective + noun”. For example:

Give me a red pen, please!

Which article to put here definite or indefinite depends on the situation described in the context or directly on what exactly you yourself mean.

If you are addressing a person with such a request, you do not mean anything specific, that is, you just need some, any red pen, since you are checking the notebooks of your students and you, for example, have run out of ink in your pen, you should put an indefinite article.

Give me a pen please!

Give me a red pen please!

If you change the contextual situation, for example, you saw a very beautiful new pen in your friend’s hands and want to examine it yourself better, and therefore, looking at it or pointing with your hand, ask to give it to you, you mean a completely definite object. You do not care what kind of pen your friend will give you, you want to consider exactly the same, new and beautiful, which he is now holding in his hands. In this case, the definite article should be used.

Give me the pen please!

Give me the red pen please!

Regarding the use of articles in general, you can deduce such a simple rule for yourself:

If before a noun or a pair of «adjective + noun» you can mentally put words such as: any, any, no matter which, one of many, etc., you should put an indefinite article.

If before a noun or a pair of «adjective + noun», you can mentally put words such as: this one, yours, yours, mine, that, etc., you should put a definite article.

The indefinite article can be meaningfully replaced by the numeral 1 (one of many).

The definite article can be meaningfully replaced by demonstrative (this, that, etc.), or possessive (mine, your, your, our, etc.) pronouns.

Indefinite article

It has only the singular form and, accordingly, cannot be used with plural nouns.

Before words beginning with a consonant, it has the form «a». For example: a table, a flat, a cat.

Before words beginning with a vowel, it has the form “an”. For example: an apple, an album.

Definite article

Articles in English — definite and indefinite

The indefinite and definite articles, although they seem small and insignificant, actually play a very important role in the language. Their use is so important that when dealing with foreigners, you run the risk of driving yourself into a dead end if you don’t know how to use the article. In order not to get confused when to use them and in what form, let’s figure it out once and for all in simple, but very important rules.

What is an article?

Due to the fact that there is no such thing as an «article» in Russian, articles cause a stupor in many English language learners.

Where? What for? And most importantly, how do you use articles in English? And, although not everyone is able to cope with them right away, first you need to remember: articles are placed in front of almost ALL nouns in English.

In colloquial speech, and sometimes in the English-language media, articles can be omitted, but this does not mean that they should be forgotten as a nightmare and never used.

The use of articles in English is necessary to clarify what is being discussed. Are you talking about an abstract subject or a concrete one? Therefore, there are only two options — the definite and indefinite article. But more about the rules for using articles in English — further.

Rules of Use

What articles and when are used in English?

In many foreign languages ​​there is such a part of speech as the article (The Article). This is an official part of speech and it acts as a determinant of a noun. There is no such part of speech in Russian, so it is difficult for Russian-speaking people who are 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, it may be difficult to communicate with an Englishman, because he will not understand which particular subject is being discussed, whether he knows something about him or not. To avoid communication problems and just to learn how to express yourself correctly, it is important and necessary to study articles in English and the cases of their use.

Today we will talk about such an important topic as the use of articles in English, and also consider the cases when you need to use articles.

Types of articles in English

There are two types of articles in English:

• Definite Article (definite article)
• Indefinite Article (indefinite article)

THE — the definite article or Definite Article, and it is pronounced [ðǝ] when the noun begins with a consonant and [rɪ] when the noun begins with a vowel.

For example: the [ðǝ] school, the [rɪ]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 is the difference between a definite and an indefinite article in English, we will give an example in Russian:

When articles are used in English

Use of articles in English

It is important to remember here what are the rules 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 negation no (not not!).

It 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 (Indefinite Article) in English is used when the subject is discussed for the first time, and also if nothing is known about the subject. The Definite Article appears where something is already known about the subject or it is mentioned again in the conversation. Let’s see this with a few examples. Note:

He has got a computer.- He has a computer (what kind of computer, what is with him, what brand, etc. — we do not know.
The computer is new. — The computer is new (Now there is some information about the computer — it is new).
It is a tree. — This is a tree (it is not clear which tree, nothing is known about it).
The tree is green. — The tree is green (something is already known, the tree is covered with green foliage).

What articles and when are used in English?

• Indefinite Article a, an can be used in exclamation sentences starting with the word que: 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 am reading an interesting book.
• The indefinite article can be used in a sentence in the sense of the word «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 superlative 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 there is always 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 separate cases of the use of articles in English. We will consider them in more detail in the articles, which are separately devoted to the definite article and separately to the indefinite article.

In general, the situation with articles in English is quite serious. They need and should be used in speech, there is simply nothing without them, otherwise we ourselves can get confused and confuse our interlocutor in the information presented.

And in order not to get confused about which articles and when to use them, just memorize these cases.

And you will see how this small but very necessary official part of speech will bring clarity to your conversation, and your speech will be beautiful and complete! So let the little ones the, a and an be your helpers in your English speech!

Source: https://englishfull.ru/grammatika/artikli-v-anglijskom.html

Article in English

a tree is a tree, a green tree is a green tree.

There are two types of articles in English: uncertain — a year и certain — the.

The presence of an article in front of a noun excludes the use of additional definitions in the form of demonstrative, possessive or indefinite pronouns before the same noun.

A definition can stand between an article and a noun only if it is expressed by an adjective, ordinal or other noun. For example:

a red pencil — red pencil, the first book — the first book, the Moscow flat — Moscow apartment.

The Indefinite Article

Forms

The indefinite article comes from the numeral one — one and has two options — а и an: а used before nouns or definitions to them, starting with a consonant sound:

a man, a short man,

as well as before nouns beginning with vowels and or y, when pronounced with a consonant [j]:

a union is a union, a yacht is a yacht;

an used before words beginning with a vowel or with a dumb h, i.e. when h is unreadable:

an apple — an apple, an entrance examination — entrance exams, an hour — an hour.

HO: a hunter — hunter (the letter h is read, and therefore the article a is used).

Note. Numeral one can not always be replaced by articles a year, since the articles a, an are used to convey the meaning of «any», for example:

Give me an apple, please. Give me an apple, please (meaning any apple).

The numeral one means «one», «one», «one». For example:

Give me one apple. Give me one apple
(and no more).

Usage: Table of the use of English articles

The Definite Article

Definite article the originated from the demonstrative pronoun that — that and means: that, that, that, this, this, these.

Article the pronounced:
[ðe]:

• before nouns starting with a consonant letter: the tram — tram, the boy — boy;
• before nouns starting with vowels and, y, when pronounced with a [j] sound: the union is the union, the year is the year.

[ði]:

• before nouns starting with a vowel or with a consonant when not pronounced: the apple is an apple, the hour is an hour.

Usage: Table of the use of English articles

Rules for writing and reading the date and time of the clock in English.

Source: https://catchenglish.ru/grammatika/opredelennyj-i-neopredelennyj-artikl.html

LESSON 17 English

Abstract of the 17th lesson in PDF format can be viewed, printed and downloaded at this link

Do you know what is the most frequently used word in English? This is the article the! There is also an article a/an, and in some cases the article should not be used at all.

The topic of the correct arrangement of articles, despite its apparent simplicity, remains one of the «stumbling blocks» even for those who have been studying English for a long time.

In this lesson we will try to understand why this interesting part of speech is needed, in which cases it is necessary to use articles and how to do it correctly.

The meaning and use of articles

In English before everyone noun, as a rule, the article is put. Of course, there are cases when the article is not used (the so-called Article zero). But in general, the rule remains in force — this part of speech goes along with the noun «in conjunction». If a noun is used with adjective, the article is placed before the adjective, and all article placement rules remain in effect.

This topic seems difficult to us because in the Russian language there is no such part of speech as the article. However, we still have words that seem to play his role. Let’s look at how the definite and indefinite articles differ, and with what words they can be replaced in Russian.

Use of the indefinite article ‘a / an’

Article a/an in English comes from the word one — «one«. The analogue of this article in Russian will be the word “one”, But not in the meaning of quantity, but in the meaning of“ one of many ”. For example: “I knew one doctor «.

If the article is followed by a word that begins with a consonant, we put the article a, if with a vowel — use an… If a noun is used with an adjective, the rule applies to the adjective preceded by the article. For example: to book (book), an actress (actress), a nice girl, an interesting film (interesting film).

Pay attention! This rule is determined by phonetics (pronunciation), not spelling. For example, the word an hour [auə] («Hour») begins with a consonant, but with a vowel, so we put the article an. The words a university

Source: http://en1632.com/f/lesson32_17_synopsis.html

Artikli in English

Rules for the use of definite and indefinite articles (Articles) in colloquial English.

Correct use of the indefinite and definite articles in English is very important for mutual understanding. When communicating with an English-speaking person, you run the risk of being misunderstood if you make mistakes in using the article.

What is an article?

An article in English is a service word that is one of the main formal features of a noun, defines it, stands before a noun or before a word that defines it. The article itself is not used, has no meaning and is not translated into Russian.

Example

a pen — pen
a blue pen — blue pen

In the Slavic languages ​​and, in particular, in Russian, articles do not exist, therefore, for many students of English, this part of speech causes difficulties in understanding how, where and why to use articles. In English, using the articles, a clarification is made — we are talking about an abstract or concrete subject.

Indefinite article

The indefinite article has two forms: a и an, is used before countable nouns in the singular. The form a [ə] used before words that begin with a consonant. The form an [æn] used before words that begin with a vowel.

The indefinite article a (an) is used:

1. When we mention a subject for the first time.
Example:
I saw a cat. — I saw a cat.

2. Before the names of the professions.
Example:
I am a doctor. — I am a doctor.

3. Before a noun if there is an adjective in front of it that describes it.
Example:
She is a beautiful woman. — She’s a beautiful woman.

4. In combinations

• the couple
• a pair
• a little
• a few

Definite article

The definite article has one form the [ði:], is used when we are talking about something specific or already previously encountered in a context, conversation, or about what the interlocutor knows from his general knowledge. Definite article the comes from the word that (that), can be used with nouns in the singular and plural, with countable and uncountable.

Although the article the is always spelled the same, its production differs depending on which letter the next word begins with. Before vowels the pronounced with a long [i:] at the end (transcription [ði:]), and before consonants — with the sound [ə] (transcription [ðə]).

The definite article the is used:

1. When we talk about an object or person that has already been mentioned before, or it is clear from the context what we mean.
Example:I saw a cat. The cat was black.

We’ve talked about this cat before.

Source: https://english-odessa.com/stati/educational/artikli

8 rules for using the article the in English

An article is a word that defines a noun.

There are two types of articles in English: definite (the) and indefinite (a / an).

Based on the names, respectively, the indefinite article is used when we are talking about a phenomenon that we meet for the first time, an object in general, and a definite one — when we are talking about something specific, or already previously encountered in a conversation.

The concept of the article is present in many languages ​​of the world, but in the same number of languages ​​it is absent.

Therefore, do not panic if articles are not used in your native language.

Data 8 rules for using the article the in English help you make fewer mistakes when speaking English.

It is very important to be able to use the correct articles in your speaking or writing.

1.With the names of countries and continents

In this case, we do not use articles at all, BUT if the country name consists of parts, such as, USA, UK, UAEthen our article appears the, and will be: the USA, the UK, the UAE, the Czech Republic, the Netherlands.

This also applies to continents and islands: usually we do not use the article, but if the name is combined, the definite article has a place to be.

For example: Africa, Europe, Bermuda, Tasmania BUT the Virgin Islands, the Bahamas.

• She lived in America.
• They live in England.
• My friend is from the Czech Republic.

2.With the words breakfast, dinner, lunch

When it comes to eating in general, there is no article. But if you are talking about a specific breakfast, dinner or lunch, use the.

For example:

• I don’t eat breakfast.
• We didn’t the dinner.

3.With the names of work, profession

In this case, the indefinite article is used. a / an.

For example:

• I want to be a politician.
• My younger brother wants to be a vet.

4.With the names of the cardinal points

Usually the names of the cardinal points are written with a capital letter, so they are easy to recognize: the North, the South, the East, the West.

True, if a noun indicates a direction, then use it without an article and write with a small letter.

For example:

• They went east.
• The North is cooler than the South.

5.With the names of oceans, seas, rivers and canals

Remember that the definite article is always used with the names of these bodies of water.

For example: The Amazon, the Indian Ocean, the Red Sea, the Suez Canal.

• I would swim in the Red Sea, and you?
• The Amazon is the longest river in the world.

6.With the names of unique phenomena

It means that a phenomenon or object exists in one copy, one of a kind, in particular, the sun, the moon, the interNET, the sky, the earth.

For example:

• The sun is a star.
• We looked up at all the stars in the sky.
• He is always on the internet.

7.With uncountable nouns

This category of nouns implies those units and concepts that we cannot count. Plus, as an identification mark in most cases, they don’t have an ending. -S — plural indicator.

But do not forget that there are ten exceptions for one rule, that is, if you are talking in general about some uncountable concept, there will be no article, but again, if the case is special, use the.

For example:

• I bread / milk / honey.
• I the bread / the milk / the honey. (Specifically, this and nothing else.)

8.With surnames

If we are talking about members of the same family, you can put the article the before the surname. Thus, you will designate a group of people, a family in one word.

For example:

• The Smith are coming for dinner today.
• Have you seen the Jonson recently?

These are not all uses of articles in English. However, remember these rules first as you gradually deepen your knowledge of English grammar.

Good luck!

Source: https://preply.com/blog/2014/11/27/8-pravil-ispolzovaniya-artiklya-the-v-anglijskom-yazyke/

Articles

Every noun in English must be preceded by an article. In the absence of an article, one speaks of the zero article.

Indefinite article a (an) comes from the word one and literally means «any one», «one of many», «any». The indefinite article can only be used with countable nouns in the singular («one»). The following example demonstrates the analogue of the indefinite article in Russian:

Once upon a time one man — There was a Mon

Definite article the comes from the word That and means «the same», «specifically that». The definite article is used before nouns when it comes to objects and concepts known to the speaker and listeners (for example, the subject has already been mentioned in the conversation). In Russian, there is also an analogue of the definite article:

You book-that read? — Have you read the book?

In Russian, the absence of articles is compensated by the free word order in the sentence. The original topic, known to the speaker and listeners, is usually put first, followed by additional (new) information. In the following examples, the original topic (known constituent) is highlighted in green and the new information is highlighted in red:

В a room has entered boy (To a certain room some boy).
Youngster entered into a room (A certain boy to some room).

In English, the word order is fixed. Therefore, to separate the known and new components, the articles are used: the — a well-known topic («the same»), a / an — new information («some»).

A boy entered the room — AT a room has entered boy.
the boy entered a room — Youngster entered into a room.

Scheme of using articles in English

Countable in Unities. number number

a book — some kind of book	books — some books	water — some kind of water
the book — specific book	the books — specific books	the water — specific water

Phonetic variants of articles

  Before a consonant Before a vowel

Article	Pronunciation	Example
a [ə]	to book [əbuk]
an [ən]	an hour

Source: https://english.tulagorod.ru/grammar/articles

Source: https://www.wallstreetenglish.ru/blog/opredelennyy-i-neopredelennyy-artikl-v-angliyskom-yazyke/

A, an, the: how not to confuse articles in English

A, an, the: how not to confuse articles in English

Let’s remember how many articles are in English. There are three of them: a, an, the. If we turn to linguistics, then you can easily remember: the definite article is used when we have the clearest idea of ​​the subject.

As the most remarkable puzzle in the English language, it raises a lot of questions and difficulties to remember. There are no articles in the Russian language, so it is difficult for us to understand how the British use them to separate old information from new, and also very important from just important.

Also, with their help, we find out how many subjects we are talking about — one or more.

So when is the article used in English? It is placed before a noun to define the context of a given noun in a sentence.

Articles are certain и undefined, and perform an orientation function. Thanks to the chosen article, we clearly understand the meaning of the statement.

The definite article the originated from the word «that», it is used with countable and uncountable nouns, both in the singular and plural.

• We have the same feelings towards you. — We have the same feelings for you.
• Is this the same book as ever it was? — Is this the same book as always?

Indefinite article a / an comes from «one», so it can only be used with singular nouns.

• She is a teacher. — She is a teacher.
• A friend in need is a friend indeed. — Friend is known in trouble.

The article is not used in a variety of cases; below we will analyze these cases. For now, a couple of examples:

• I am going to have dinner. — I’m going to dinner.
• He claims total memory loss. — He has a complete memory loss.

Articles in English: Are the Rules That Simple?

Articles in English: Are the Rules That Simple?

Of course not. On the appropriate forums, students are in full swing discussing the specifics of using articles and lamenting how to remember them all. In this article, we analyze only the most basic rules that you most often face when learning English.

Basic rules for articles a and an:

Basic rules for articles a and an:

Usage rules Examples

We are talking about something general, not specific	She is a journalist. She is a journalist
Generalizing concept for the entire group of subjects	If you want to be a doctor, you should know a lot. If you want to become a doctor, you have to know a lot.
The article in its first meaning «one»	Would you a cup of tea? — Would you like (one) cup of tea?
First mention of the item	I bought aa carton of milk. The carton is in the fridge. I bought a carton of milk. A bag in a (specific) refrigerator
If there is a repeatable action	She drinks coffee twice a day. She drinks coffee twice a day
Before adjectives	Have you bought a small flat? — Have you bought a small apartment?
With units	She works part-time, only 4 hours a day. — She works part-time, only 4 hours a day.

So we have named some rules for articles a and an in English.

It is important to remember that the a / an setting depends on the first sound, not the letter in the word. So, in the words hour — hour and honor — honor, the first sounds are vowels, so we put an, and in the words hooligan — a bully and yacht — a yacht, the first sounds are consonants, so we put a.

We now turn to the definite article.

Basic rules for the article the:

Basic rules for the article the:

Usage rules Examples

The article in its first meaning «this» (ie the specifics of the subject)

Source: https://www.bkc.ru/blog/about-language/grammar/a-an-the-kak-ne-putat-artikli-v-angliyskom-yazyke/

English articles: rules and intuition (part 1)

English articles: rules and intuition (part 1)

The fact is that articles in English give us a lot of trouble. Remember how many times your friends or you yourself were indignant: «why are these articles even needed!» Not only do we do well without them in Russian, but the countless rules of their use in English that we learn do not save us in all cases. As a result, inappropriate use of articles is one of the most common problems in English speech and texts of our compatriots.

School rules for the use of articles are a vivid example of how the school curriculum emphasizes the systematization of knowledge, rather than deepening understanding and developing intuition. Tellingly, the English themselves use the articles without hesitation, and even the most grammatically savvy of them (which is a great rarity in itself) often cannot explain their choice of the article.

Therefore, let’s consider the English articles, focusing on the development of a sense of language (which, by the way, does not exclude, but organically complements the cramming of the rules, if you like it).

Below we will answer the already mentioned «cry from the heart» — «why are these articles even needed ?!» Then, in the next article in the series, we’ll look at how definite articles relate to indefinite ones (and if they do at all!).

Finally, in part three, we will consolidate our intuitive understanding of the articles by examining a long list of examples.

* * *

* * *

In general, the difficulties we face with the use of articles fit into a typical scheme:

• first we memorize a set of rules;
• then we try to apply these rules to the Russian language, because we translate what we think into English and continue to think in Russian.

In other words, in this case we are trying to make friends between English articles and Russian nouns. Well, just because “English should have an article”, right? .. But isn’t it better to make the articles serve us instead of voluntarily becoming their hostage? Think about it, because if the English were not of any benefit from them, then their language simply would not have preserved.

So, in short, articles in English have three functions:

• grammatical,
• contextual,
• index.

By the way, you are unlikely to read about this in a school textbook, since these formulations are the result of my personal experience. If we want to understand how to “use” and not “observe” articles, then I propose to start with these three properties. Let’s take a closer look at each item now.

The grammatical function of the article

The grammatical function of the article

When we see the words «work» and «work», we immediately know where the verb is and where the noun is. The British were less fortunate, so they have to get out with the help of official words — in particular, articles. Compare:

That’s what makes it work… “That’s what makes it work.
That’s what makes it the work of art. “That’s what makes it a work of art.

Fighting system — combat system, type of single combat.
Fighting The system — fighting the system.

by following trend — following the trend.
by the next trend — the next trend.

Plus, articles help — especially for us students — to distinguish the structure of a sentence. You probably know that the format of a typical English sentence is «subject-action-object» (for example, «a moth eats a fur coat»). In most cases, articles serve as a kind of markers that distinguish a subject and an object (by the way, a subject or an object can consist of several words). This makes it incredibly easier to comprehend English by ear.

By the way, if you remember the rule that the article is not placed in front of words like “some”, “any”, “another”, cardinal numbers, possessive pronouns, etc., then it seems to me extremely poorly formulated. I would say that such words supplant the article, since they carry a similar grammatical load — they mark the object and the subject in the sentence. This will become clearer from the examples below.

Articles can transform words into the same subject or object that are not strictly nouns:

It’s a «no» from me. — I say «No».

In general, the article allows us to manipulate grammatical categories — parts of speech and parts of a sentence. Let’s go further.

Article context function

Article context function

Compare the following two sentences:

Do you still haveAny) cookies?
Do you still have the cookies?

They differ in meaning, but this difference is lost when translated into Russian —

Do you still have cookies? —

unless we translate the article the with an expanded subordinate clause:

Do you still have the cookies we ate last time?

As you can see, articles allow you to say more with less means, implying what is known to all interlocutors.

This property is closely related to the concept of the definite article. You probably remember the school rule that «if a subject has already been mentioned, then the definite article is put in front of it, blah blah blah.» his next time, all the participants in the conversation will already know what kind of thing they are talking about. By the time Chekhov’s “gun from the first act” is ready to fire, it has already turned into “the gun”.

In other words, the article participates in the creation of the context.

Keep in mind that in order to bring a subject into context or for the participants to understand which subject they are talking about, it is not at all necessary to mention it in the conversation. Let’s say our sun is always «the sun ”, simply because there is only one sun in our solar system, and we do not know anything about the others. Therefore, even if you are just basking in the sun, you are lying in the sun «.

Interestingly, the article can not only participate in the creation of the context, but individually set it! If you’ve watched the movie Groundhog Day, then remember how the main character repeatedly takes his own life, each time waking up safe and sound. Commenting on this, he says, «I am a god.» — meaning that he is a deity, he has divine abilities. He then clarifies, «Well, I’m not the God.» — implying that he does not claim to be the supreme one God.

Indicative function of the article

Indicative function of the article

Unlike the English articles, the Russian words “some / some”, “some”, “any”, “this / that”, “such”, “this” do not seem useless to us at all, right? It’s funny, but in fact, both of them can be attributed to the same category.

The article «the», for example, is etymologically closely related to the demonstrative pronoun «that» (that), which is generally characteristic of definite articles in different languages.

And the indefinite article «a / an», in turn, comes from the Old English word «an», which means «one», that is, one of many, some or any.

Thus, when we point to a thing in speech, the article outlines the circle of objects to which our object can belong. And see how this function of his organically intersects with the pronouns that supplant him:

• We have fun. — «We are having fun.» General non-localizable (uncountable) concept, therefore no article.
• Any heavy object will do. — «Any heavy object will do.» «Any» here emphasizes that the circle is not limited in any way.
• Grave a chair. — «Take a chair.» Any of several chairs in the room. That is, we know that the range of subjects is limited, but which one will be chosen is not important for us.
• give me the key, I’ll open it. — “Give me the key. I’ll open.» Your companion may have several keys, but unlike the example with chairs, we do not need any key, but one that fits the door in front of which you are standing. We may not know anything else about the key — the article in this example only indicates that any random key will not suit us.
• Can I use your phone? — «Can I call from your phone?» Here we mean a specific item well known to its owner. Why can’t we say “the” instead of “your”? Because the article, even the definite one, rather implies, and the possessive pronoun «your» uniquely identifies and therefore is preferable in this case.

Notice how the examples are arranged in order of narrowing the set? Of course, a lot depends on the context, and “any” and “your” are not the only pronouns that supplant the article. Here we have only illustrated the concretizing, restrictive properties of the article when referring to the subject.

* * *

* * *

By the way! There are also special grammatical constructions and stable turns, when the article changes the meaning of the sentence to the exact opposite. Compare:

Source: http://lingorado.com/articles-1-rules-intuition/

Lesson 27. Indefinite article a / an in English

Lesson 27. Indefinite article a / an in English

• 1 Rules for the use of the article a / an
• 2 Tasks for the lesson

Sofia StalskayaHigher linguistic education. Work experience 5 years.

As you may have noticed, English is in many ways different from Russian, and in this lesson we will look at another of its differences, namely the presence of a part of speech called the article.

It is important to remember that the article is used only with nouns. There are three articles in total: indefinite (a / an), definite (the) and zero, that is, its absence. In this tutorial, we’ll talk about the indefinite article.

Rules for the use of the article a / an

Rules for the use of the article a / an

So the article a / an used with countable nouns in the singular — after all, originally, the article was once the word «one». Why do you need two indefinite articles, you ask? It’s simple — with words that begin with a vowel, you need to use the option an.

Compare:

• I have got an orange.
• I have got a cat.

If the noun is plural, the article is not used, but you can add some or many:

• I got oranges. I have got some oranges.
• I have got cats. I have got many cats.

If the noun is uncountable, you do not need to use the article: There is water in the glass.

Important! For nouns that begin with the sound [ju], the article a is used. You need to focus on how the word is pronounced, and not how it is spelled.

For example:

When to use the indefinite article? In the following cases:

• with professions: I am a teacher.
• after verbs to be and have got: I have got a sister. She is twelve.
• In exclamation points after what: What a beautiful picture!
• In meaning «one»: It will take me an hour.
• In meaning «any»: Give me a pen, please.

Do not forget that if the noun is plural, the above points become invalid and you do not need to use the article.

Important! If the noun is preceded by a possessive pronoun, you do not need to use the article: This is my brother

If there is an adjective along with a noun in a sentence, the article is placed before the adjective and depends on how it is pronounced:

old car,

to big house.

We’ll come back to the articles in more detail later, but for now, complete a few hands-on exercises.

Lesson assignments

Lesson assignments

Task 1. Use a or an.

Source: https://linguistpro.net/neopredelennyj-artikl-aan-v-anglijskom-yazyke

Articles a, an and the in English — examples of use

Articles a, an and the in English — examples of use

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

Why do we need articles in English?

Why do we need articles in English?

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

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

See how the meaning of the phrase changes:

• I like the car. 
• I like the car.

Feel the catch? In the first case it is not clear what kind of car we are talking about, and in the second we are talking about a specific car.

In English, words cannot be swapped, therefore, articles are used to give the desired shade to the phrase A, An и Tea.

Articles rules

Articles rules

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

Remember!

If we are talking about an unknown subject, then the indefinite article A / An… If we are talking about something specific, then the article is placed in front of it The.

Assignment: Which articles should you use in the following examples?

We bought a car.

We bought the car that we saw yesterday.

Click on the arrows to get the answer.

Prompt.

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

This is 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)
      Is it about something in common?

What is the difference between articles a and an?

What is the difference between articles a and an?

Repeat!
Indefinite article A/An (which comes from one) we put only in front of countable nouns in the singular!

So what’s the difference between A и An?

Article A placed before words that begin with consonants (a cat, a house, a yard) and An — before words that start with vowels (an apple, an hour). 

Let this picture pop up in front of your eyes when you choose a medja a и an.

When do we use the indefinite article?

1. When we classify an object, we assign it to a specific 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 the subject.

• My mother is a nurse. — My mom is a nurse.
• He is an idiot! — He’s an idiot!

3. With uncountable objects in the meaning of «portion».

• Could you bring me a coffee? — Will you bring me a cup of coffee?
• Buy a milk. — Buy a carton of milk.

More about The in English

More about The in English

Unlike the indefinite, the definite article can be placed before any noun in any number. But when?

1. In front of objects that are one of a kind.

• The president visited the veterans. — The President visited the veterans. (After all, each country has only one president).
• The Earth moves around the Sun. — The earth moves around the sun.

2. In front of objects from a limited group.

• The wheel of the car was missing. — The car had no wheels. (One of the 4 wheels of the car was missing).

3. Before objects for which there is a definition.

• The boy that has stolen a purse, was caught. — The boy who stole the purse was caught.
• The leader of this movement was born in Germany. — The leader of this movement was born in Germany. (What is the leader? — of this movement).

Practical assignment

Practical assignment

Complete the interactive English article exercise to help you consolidate the material.

Take the article test

Take the article test

Source: https://www.learnathome.ru/grammar/articles-a-an-the.html

Use of the article THE

Use of the article THE

In this article we will touch upon the topic «Articles» — one of the most «unloved» topics of our students.

Many admit that, although they have gone through this topic many times, they continue to put articles at random and cannot systematize knowledge in any way. Particularly difficult is the article THE. Perhaps you have the same problem.

In preparing this article, we asked our students and subscribers to formulate questions related to the use of THE article, which they find it difficult to answer on their own. I would like to note that the questions were very similar, so we summarized them. And here are the questions that students are interested in:

• Which article to choose: A or THE?
• When is THE always used?
• When is THE used with place nouns?
• How to tell if the article is needed with plural and uncountable nouns?

If you are also not completely sure of the depth of your knowledge about the use of the definite article THE and your previous experience of studying «from the textbook» turned out to be useless, then this material will help you systematize the existing knowledge and, possibly, learn something new.

Which article should I choose A or THE?

Which article should I choose A or THE?

Let’s remember a little from theory. A(an) — this is an indefinite article, it indicates an indefinite subject, and emphasizes that the subject is one. THE — the definite article, it is used when something is mentioned that is already known to the speaker.

Consider this example:

— My father bought me UN Chien.
— Great! What color is the dog?
— The dog is black. And my mother bought me to book.

The first sentence uses article A, since the dog is mentioned for the first time and the interlocutor does not know anything about it yet. Further used article THE, since it became clear to both speakers what kind of dog they were talking about. In the last sentence, the word book also used with an indefinite article, since it is mentioned for the first time, the interlocutor has not yet determined what kind of book it is.

Some more examples:

Yesterday I got the letter. the letter was from my friend. — Yesterday I received a letter. The letter was from a friend of mine.

I am reading a newspaper… I bought the newspaper from the newsagent. — I am reading a newspaper. I bought a newspaper from a periodicals seller.

Remember the rule: If in front of you is a countable noun in the singular, then use A if this subject is mentioned for the first time or it is indefinite, insignificant. THE is used if the subject has already been mentioned before and is known to the interlocutors.

Sometimes, despite the fact that something is mentioned for the first time, we can understand from the context what it is about: when additional information about the subject is given, an explanation, or when it is clear from the situation itself. Let’s look at examples with explanations:

I was at the party yesterday. — I was at a party yesterday. (I mean some kind of party that we don’t know anything about yet)

I was at the party organized by my friend. — I was at a party organized by my friend.

(We understand what kind of party we are talking about)

He saw a woman in the corridor. — He saw (some) woman in the hallway.

(No additional information is given about the woman)

He saw the woman who lived next door to him. — He saw a woman who lived next door.

(We understand what kind of woman she is)

He entered a door… — He entered the door.

(He entered one of the doors, we do not know which one).

He entered the door nearest to the stairs. He entered the door closest to the stairs.

(Specifies which door)

When is THE always used?

When is THE always used?

Remember some of the cases in which THE is always used:

• when something is mentioned that exists in one instance, something unique in its kind: the sun, the moon, the world, the earth, the capital, the ground, the environment, the universe
• with the names of groups of people expressed by adjectives: the elderly, the young, the old, the rich, the poor, the unemployed, the disabled and others
• with nationalities ending in -ese and -sh (-ch): the British, the Scottish, the Spanish, the Chinese, the Japanese. The article THE article may not be used with other nationalities: (the) Russians, (the) Americans
• in combinations related to space: the end, the beginning, the middle, the center

Source: https://enginform.com/article/article-the

Article in English

Article in English

Zolotareva T.P., teacher, secondary school № 100, Krasnodar

Terms of use of the article in English

Terms of use of the article in English

ARTICLE

indefinite article «a «(«an «) the definite article»the »

Indefinite article in english

Indefinite article in english

1. If you can put the words in front of a noun: any, everyone, everyone.

Example:A student must work hard.

Notes: Not used in the plural.
Example: Students must work hard.

1. After revolutions: there is, there was.

 Example:There is a pen on the table.

1. After verbs am, have, is, has.

 Example: I have a cat.
I am a worker.

1. С sustainable combinations.

 Example: to have a rest, to have a tooth ache, to make a mistake, to go for a walk, to catch a cold, to give a look. (Phrases must be remembered)

1. In exclamation points after what, such.

 Example: Such a good day!

1. If the noun has a descriptive definition.

 Example: It was night. — Was night.
           It was a cold night. — Was cold night.

1. When the subject is spoken about for the first time.

 Example: I ate an egg for lunch.
8. The article «a «(«an «) is placed only before countable nouns !!!

The definite article in English

The definite article in English

1. If the subject has already been discussed.
  Example: I see a bird. The bird is big.
2. If the subject is known from the situation or context.
  Example: The play was interesting.
3.

If before noun Yes limiting definitions, such as: only, main, central, same, right, left, next, last, final; or ordinal numerals: first, second.

  Example: Give me the second cup of tea.
  Notes:second, third — have the meaning «one more».
4. Before adjectives in superlative degree.
  Example: The best, the nice.
5.

Before nouns unique in the world or in a given setting.
 Example: The sky, the west, the cosmos.

6. Before nouns in the role of the circumstance of place, nouns have prepositions of place: in tea.
  Example:in the garden.
7.

The noun is used in a generalized generic meaning and represents the entire class.
  Example: The elephant is a strong animal.
8. Before nouns formed from adjectives and participles.

  Example:Poor — poor the poors — the poor.

9. In a number of established phrases.
  Example: in the morning, in the country, on the left, the day before yesterday, tell the truth.

Zero article in English

Zero article in English

1. If there are other qualifiers before the noun (pronouns — possessive, demonstrative, interrogative, indefinite; noun in the possessive case)
Example: My room is large.

2. If the noun is preceded by a cardinal number.
Example: one man, two girls, three boys
3. Nouns denoting the names of substances are used, as a rule, without an article: water, milk, chalk, sugar, tea, snow, grass, wool, meat.
Example: He saw snow in the fields.

4. Uncountable abstract nouns (abstract concepts), as a rule, are used without an article: weather, music, power, knowledge, art, history, mathematics.
Example: I music.
5. Before a noun in the function of address (here a noun serving as an address is considered as a proper noun and is used without an article)
Example: Good morning, Captain!

Name	The	Without article
Parts of the world, continents	If there are words States, Union, Federation; country in plural Number(The United States of America)	Without article(Australia)
Oceans, seas, straits, lakes, rivers, waterfalls	With article(The Baikal)	If there is a word lake in front of the name, etc.(Lake Baikal)
Deserts	Only with the article(The Sahara)	An exception: Death Valley, Silicon Valley
Mountain ranges	With article The rocky mountains	Name of individual vertices without article (Mount Vesuvius, Mount Goverla, Mount Elbrus)

Name	The	Without article
Streets, squares, parks	Are written without an article Broadway, Trafalgar Square
Theaters, museums, galleries	Only с article the Royal Opera House
Cinemas, hotels, restaurants, cafes	Only with the article the Bolshoy Theater	Buckingham Palace (excluded)
Famous works of art, books	Only with the article the Times
Airports, stations, bridges	Always without an article Westminster Bridge
Schools, colleges, universities	Remember: the Sorbonne,compare: London University — The University of London	Always without an article Columbia University
Churches, cathedrals	Always without article St. Paul`s Cathedral
Ships, yachts, famous trains	Only with the article the titanic
Political institutions, historical events	Only with the article the red cross	Parliament, Congress, White hall (excl.)
English, American newspapers and magazines	Only with the article the Guardian	Russians — always without an article Izvestia
Sport events	Only with the article The Olympic Games	Wimbledon (excl.)
Music bands	If the name is in plural. number, then with the article the beatles	If in unit. number, then without article

Names	the	without article	a
Names, surnames	If talking about all family members	If in unit. number of	One of the family members, some
Personal names have become common nouns	Always with article a only
Appeals, titles	Always without an article

Source: https://ya-znau.ru/znaniya/zn/1

Article in English

Article in English

First of all, let’s understand what, in general, an article is. As an English teacher, I often hear from my students the following phrase: “I don’t understand why articles are needed, I don’t feel the difference between a definite and an indefinite article and I don’t know when to put which of them, in front of what, exactly, to put them and when you can not use them at all.

Let’s talk about everything in order.

The article is a part of speech that is used in some languages ​​to denote the category of certainty or uncertainty of objects and is not translated into Russian. For example, here’s a sentence:

Give me a pen, please!

Where to put the article here?

Of course, before the noun «pen», since the article is the prerogative of only the noun and its definitions, but there is no definition of the noun here. If we slightly changed our sentence and a definition of a noun expressed by an adjective (but not a pronoun and not a numeral) would appear, we would put the article before the whole group “adjective + noun”. For example:

Give me a red pen, please!

Which article to put here definite or indefinite depends on the situation described in the context or directly on what exactly you yourself mean.

If you are addressing a person with such a request, you do not mean anything specific, that is, you just need some, any red pen, since you are checking the notebooks of your students and you, for example, have run out of ink in your pen, you should put an indefinite article.

Give me a pen please!

Give me a red pen please!

If you change the contextual situation, for example, you saw a very beautiful new pen in your friend’s hands and want to examine it yourself better, and therefore, looking at it or pointing with your hand, ask to give it to you, you mean a completely definite object. You do not care what kind of pen your friend will give you, you want to consider exactly the same, new and beautiful, which he is now holding in his hands. In this case, the definite article should be used.

Give me the pen please!

Give me the red pen please!

Regarding the use of articles in general, you can deduce such a simple rule for yourself:

If before a noun or a pair of «adjective + noun» you can mentally put words such as: any, any, no matter which, one of many, etc., you should put an indefinite article.

If before a noun or a pair of «adjective + noun», you can mentally put words such as: this one, yours, yours, mine, that, etc., you should put a definite article.

The indefinite article can be meaningfully replaced by the numeral 1 (one of many).

The definite article can be meaningfully replaced by demonstrative (this, that, etc.), or possessive (mine, your, your, our, etc.) pronouns.

Indefinite article

Indefinite article

It has only the singular form and, accordingly, cannot be used with plural nouns.

Before words beginning with a consonant, it has the form «a». For example: a table, a flat, a cat.

Before words beginning with a vowel, it has the form “an”. For example: an apple, an album.

Definite article

Definite article

It has only the singular and plural forms and, accordingly, can be used with both singular and plural nouns. It has a single form — “the”.

The flat, the flats, the cat, the cats, the apple, the apples, the album, the albums.

Work through this material using the textbook «Theoretical and Practical Grammar of the English Language with Exercises for All Normative Grammar and Tests.»

Work through this material with an English tutor.

Source: http://www.m-teach.ru/reference-books/english-handbook/article-in-eanglish.html

Articles in English — definite and indefinite

Articles in English — definite and indefinite

The indefinite and definite articles, although they seem small and insignificant, actually play a very important role in the language. Their use is so important that when dealing with foreigners, you run the risk of driving yourself into a dead end if you don’t know how to use the article. In order not to get confused when to use them and in what form, let’s figure it out once and for all in simple, but very important rules.

What is an article?

What is an article?

Due to the fact that there is no such thing as an «article» in Russian, articles cause a stupor in many English language learners.

Where? What for? And most importantly, how do you use articles in English? And, although not everyone is able to cope with them right away, first you need to remember: articles are placed in front of almost ALL nouns in English.

In colloquial speech, and sometimes in the English-language media, articles can be omitted, but this does not mean that they should be forgotten as a nightmare and never used.

The use of articles in English is necessary to clarify what is being discussed. Are you talking about an abstract subject or a concrete one? Therefore, there are only two options — the definite and indefinite article. But more about the rules for using articles in English — further.

Rules of Use

Rules of Use

Actually, the rules for using articles in English are already laid down in the name itself.

Definite article used in cases where the speaker clearly understands what is at stake.

Indefinite article — if we are talking about an object from a set, about one of, some — in other words, not specific.

If during speech you can point to something and say «this», then, most likely, you will need a definite article, if not, then an indefinite one. It’s simple.

Table of common uses of articles in English:
units number — countable nouns	pl. number of countable, uncountable nouns
uncertain	before consonant sound	a	no article
before vowel sound	an	no article
certain	the	the

Let’s give an example.

There’s a girl waiting for you on the first floor. — Some girl is waiting for you on the first floor.
The speaker is not familiar with the girl, the article can be easily replaced with «some» or «one».

The girl that we were talking about is waiting for you on the first floor. — The same girl we talked about is waiting for you on the first floor.
The speaker knows this girl and refers to the moment in the previous speech so that the interlocutor understands which girl is being discussed.

From the two examples, it is obvious that if a conversation about an object comes up for the first time, and it is not yet entirely clear what it is, it is necessary to use the indefinite article.

Once lived a young girl, who loved catching butterflies. — Once there was a girl who loved to catch butterflies.

But, if we continue to talk about the subject, we already perfectly understand who we are talking about, and must use the definite article. If another object appears in speech, it is the same again.

Once the girl met a boy, who loved butterflies too. The boy told her they should be friends. — Once this girl met a boy who also loved to collect butterflies. This boy told her that they should be friends.

Further in the text, both the girl and the boy come with definite articles. If a butterfly appears in the text that asks them to stop catching butterflies, it will also first have an indefinite article in front of it, and then a definite article.

Или:

I want to buy a coat. — I want to buy myself some kind of coat.
The speaker has not yet gone shopping, did not find out the prices, he simply says that it would not hurt him to buy a new coat — for example, because the old one is completely leaky.

I want to buy the coat. — I want to buy that / this coat.
The speaker stands right in front of the window, points to the coat that matches his preference.

If a noun is preceded by an adjective in addition to the article, it is placed after the article.

A young man and an old woman crossed the road. — A young man and an elderly woman crossed the road.

The clever students made the task all by themselves. — Smart students coped with the task on their own.

Definite article also used in cases:

• when it comes to something that is one of a kind: the Sun (sun), the Earth (planet Earth);
• before place names with additional nouns: the Black Sea, the Volga river, the Ural Mountains, BUT: Russia (Russia), America (America), the United Stated (USA);
• in front of the cardinal points: the Northern Europe, the East wind;
• before ordinal numbers: the first room (first room), the third place (third place);
• before the classes of animals / plants: the whale (whales), the roses (roses);
• before titles / ranks, one of a kind: the Queen (Queen), the president of Russia (president of Russia);
• before the superlative: the best swimmer, the highest mountain;
• before the words «most of», «one of», «some of»: most of the days (most of the days), one of the books (one of the books);
• before the family name in the plural: the Smiths, the Browns.

Indefinite article in English can be replaced with the words «one» («one»), «some» («some», «some»). So if you can put these words, and the meaning does not change, then you really need the indefinite article.

It is also used for:

• profession name: She’s a nurse. — She is a nurse;
• before the words «such», «rather», «quite»: He’s rather a good guy. — He’s a pretty nice guy;
• before nouns denoting time, meaning «one»: back in a minute — I’ll be back in a minute; phone you in an hour — I’ll call you in an hour.

There are also cases when the article is not used at all — in this case, they speak of using the «zero article».

Using the zero article

What articles and when are used in English?

In many foreign languages ​​there is such a part of speech as the article (The Article). This is an official part of speech and it acts as a determinant of a noun. There is no such part of speech in Russian, so it is difficult for Russian-speaking people who are 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, it may be difficult to communicate with an Englishman, because he will not understand which particular subject is being discussed, whether he knows something about him or not. To avoid communication problems and just to learn how to express yourself correctly, it is important and necessary to study articles in English and the cases of their use.

Today we will talk about such an important topic as the use of articles in English, and also consider the cases when you need to use articles.

Types of articles in English

There are two types of articles in English:

• Definite Article (definite article)
• Indefinite Article (indefinite article)

THE — the definite article or Definite Article, and it is pronounced [ðǝ] when the noun begins with a consonant and [rɪ] when the noun begins with a vowel.

For example: the [ðǝ] school, the [rɪ]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 is the difference between a definite and an indefinite article in English, we will give an example in Russian:

When articles are used in English

Use of articles in English

It is important to remember here what are the rules 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 negation no (not not!).

It 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 (Indefinite Article) in English is used when the subject is discussed for the first time, and also if nothing is known about the subject. The Definite Article appears where something is already known about the subject or it is mentioned again in the conversation. Let’s see this with a few examples. Note:

He has got a computer.- He has a computer (what kind of computer, what is with him, what brand, etc. — we do not know.
The computer is new. — The computer is new (Now there is some information about the computer — it is new).
It is a tree. — This is a tree (it is not clear which tree, nothing is known about it).
The tree is green. — The tree is green (something is already known, the tree is covered with green foliage).

What articles and when are used in English?

• Indefinite Article a, an can be used in exclamation sentences starting with the word que: 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 am reading an interesting book.
• The indefinite article can be used in a sentence in the sense of the word «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 superlative 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 there is always 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 separate cases of the use of articles in English. We will consider them in more detail in the articles, which are separately devoted to the definite article and separately to the indefinite article.

In general, the situation with articles in English is quite serious. They need and should be used in speech, there is simply nothing without them, otherwise we ourselves can get confused and confuse our interlocutor in the information presented.

And in order not to get confused about which articles and when to use them, just memorize these cases.

And you will see how this small but very necessary official part of speech will bring clarity to your conversation, and your speech will be beautiful and complete! So let the little ones the, a and an be your helpers in your English speech!

Source: https://englishfull.ru/grammatika/artikli-v-anglijskom.html

Article in English

a tree is a tree, a green tree is a green tree.

There are two types of articles in English: uncertain — a year и certain — the.

The presence of an article in front of a noun excludes the use of additional definitions in the form of demonstrative, possessive or indefinite pronouns before the same noun.

A definition can stand between an article and a noun only if it is expressed by an adjective, ordinal or other noun. For example:

a red pencil — red pencil, the first book — the first book, the Moscow flat — Moscow apartment.

The Indefinite Article

Forms

The indefinite article comes from the numeral one — one and has two options — а и an: а used before nouns or definitions to them, starting with a consonant sound:

a man, a short man,

as well as before nouns beginning with vowels and or y, when pronounced with a consonant [j]:

a union is a union, a yacht is a yacht;

an used before words beginning with a vowel or with a dumb h, i.e. when h is unreadable:

an apple — an apple, an entrance examination — entrance exams, an hour — an hour.

HO: a hunter — hunter (the letter h is read, and therefore the article a is used).

Note. Numeral one can not always be replaced by articles a year, since the articles a, an are used to convey the meaning of «any», for example:

Give me an apple, please. Give me an apple, please (meaning any apple).

The numeral one means «one», «one», «one». For example:

Give me one apple. Give me one apple
(and no more).

Usage: Table of the use of English articles

The Definite Article

Definite article the originated from the demonstrative pronoun that — that and means: that, that, that, this, this, these.

Article the pronounced:
[ðe]:

• before nouns starting with a consonant letter: the tram — tram, the boy — boy;
• before nouns starting with vowels and, y, when pronounced with a [j] sound: the union is the union, the year is the year.

[ði]:

• before nouns starting with a vowel or with a consonant when not pronounced: the apple is an apple, the hour is an hour.

Usage: Table of the use of English articles

Rules for writing and reading the date and time of the clock in English.

Source: https://catchenglish.ru/grammatika/opredelennyj-i-neopredelennyj-artikl.html

LESSON 17 English

Abstract of the 17th lesson in PDF format can be viewed, printed and downloaded at this link

Do you know what is the most frequently used word in English? This is the article the! There is also an article a/an, and in some cases the article should not be used at all.

The topic of the correct arrangement of articles, despite its apparent simplicity, remains one of the «stumbling blocks» even for those who have been studying English for a long time.

In this lesson we will try to understand why this interesting part of speech is needed, in which cases it is necessary to use articles and how to do it correctly.

The meaning and use of articles

In English before everyone noun, as a rule, the article is put. Of course, there are cases when the article is not used (the so-called Article zero). But in general, the rule remains in force — this part of speech goes along with the noun «in conjunction». If a noun is used with adjective, the article is placed before the adjective, and all article placement rules remain in effect.

This topic seems difficult to us because in the Russian language there is no such part of speech as the article. However, we still have words that seem to play his role. Let’s look at how the definite and indefinite articles differ, and with what words they can be replaced in Russian.

Use of the indefinite article ‘a / an’

Article a/an in English comes from the word one — «one«. The analogue of this article in Russian will be the word “one”, But not in the meaning of quantity, but in the meaning of“ one of many ”. For example: “I knew one doctor «.

If the article is followed by a word that begins with a consonant, we put the article a, if with a vowel — use an… If a noun is used with an adjective, the rule applies to the adjective preceded by the article. For example: to book (book), an actress (actress), a nice girl, an interesting film (interesting film).

Pay attention! This rule is determined by phonetics (pronunciation), not spelling. For example, the word an hour [auə] («Hour») begins with a consonant, but with a vowel, so we put the article an. The words a university

Source: http://en1632.com/f/lesson32_17_synopsis.html

Artikli in English

Rules for the use of definite and indefinite articles (Articles) in colloquial English.

Correct use of the indefinite and definite articles in English is very important for mutual understanding. When communicating with an English-speaking person, you run the risk of being misunderstood if you make mistakes in using the article.

What is an article?

An article in English is a service word that is one of the main formal features of a noun, defines it, stands before a noun or before a word that defines it. The article itself is not used, has no meaning and is not translated into Russian.

Example

a pen — pen
a blue pen — blue pen

In the Slavic languages ​​and, in particular, in Russian, articles do not exist, therefore, for many students of English, this part of speech causes difficulties in understanding how, where and why to use articles. In English, using the articles, a clarification is made — we are talking about an abstract or concrete subject.

Indefinite article

The indefinite article has two forms: a и an, is used before countable nouns in the singular. The form a [ə] used before words that begin with a consonant. The form an [æn] used before words that begin with a vowel.

The indefinite article a (an) is used:

1. When we mention a subject for the first time.
Example:
I saw a cat. — I saw a cat.

2. Before the names of the professions.
Example:
I am a doctor. — I am a doctor.

3. Before a noun if there is an adjective in front of it that describes it.
Example:
She is a beautiful woman. — She’s a beautiful woman.

4. In combinations

• the couple
• a pair
• a little
• a few

Definite article

The definite article has one form the [ði:], is used when we are talking about something specific or already previously encountered in a context, conversation, or about what the interlocutor knows from his general knowledge. Definite article the comes from the word that (that), can be used with nouns in the singular and plural, with countable and uncountable.

Although the article the is always spelled the same, its production differs depending on which letter the next word begins with. Before vowels the pronounced with a long [i:] at the end (transcription [ði:]), and before consonants — with the sound [ə] (transcription [ðə]).

The definite article the is used:

1. When we talk about an object or person that has already been mentioned before, or it is clear from the context what we mean.
Example:I saw a cat. The cat was black.

We’ve talked about this cat before.

Source: https://english-odessa.com/stati/educational/artikli

8 rules for using the article the in English

An article is a word that defines a noun.

There are two types of articles in English: definite (the) and indefinite (a / an).

Based on the names, respectively, the indefinite article is used when we are talking about a phenomenon that we meet for the first time, an object in general, and a definite one — when we are talking about something specific, or already previously encountered in a conversation.

The concept of the article is present in many languages ​​of the world, but in the same number of languages ​​it is absent.

Therefore, do not panic if articles are not used in your native language.

Data 8 rules for using the article the in English help you make fewer mistakes when speaking English.

It is very important to be able to use the correct articles in your speaking or writing.

1.With the names of countries and continents

In this case, we do not use articles at all, BUT if the country name consists of parts, such as, USA, UK, UAEthen our article appears the, and will be: the USA, the UK, the UAE, the Czech Republic, the Netherlands.

This also applies to continents and islands: usually we do not use the article, but if the name is combined, the definite article has a place to be.

For example: Africa, Europe, Bermuda, Tasmania BUT the Virgin Islands, the Bahamas.

• She lived in America.
• They live in England.
• My friend is from the Czech Republic.

2.With the words breakfast, dinner, lunch

When it comes to eating in general, there is no article. But if you are talking about a specific breakfast, dinner or lunch, use the.

For example:

• I don’t eat breakfast.
• We didn’t the dinner.

3.With the names of work, profession

In this case, the indefinite article is used. a / an.

For example:

• I want to be a politician.
• My younger brother wants to be a vet.

4.With the names of the cardinal points

Usually the names of the cardinal points are written with a capital letter, so they are easy to recognize: the North, the South, the East, the West.

True, if a noun indicates a direction, then use it without an article and write with a small letter.

For example:

• They went east.
• The North is cooler than the South.

5.With the names of oceans, seas, rivers and canals

Remember that the definite article is always used with the names of these bodies of water.

For example: The Amazon, the Indian Ocean, the Red Sea, the Suez Canal.

• I would swim in the Red Sea, and you?
• The Amazon is the longest river in the world.

6.With the names of unique phenomena

It means that a phenomenon or object exists in one copy, one of a kind, in particular, the sun, the moon, the interNET, the sky, the earth.

For example:

• The sun is a star.
• We looked up at all the stars in the sky.
• He is always on the internet.

7.With uncountable nouns

This category of nouns implies those units and concepts that we cannot count. Plus, as an identification mark in most cases, they don’t have an ending. -S — plural indicator.

But do not forget that there are ten exceptions for one rule, that is, if you are talking in general about some uncountable concept, there will be no article, but again, if the case is special, use the.

For example:

• I bread / milk / honey.
• I the bread / the milk / the honey. (Specifically, this and nothing else.)

8.With surnames

If we are talking about members of the same family, you can put the article the before the surname. Thus, you will designate a group of people, a family in one word.

For example:

• The Smith are coming for dinner today.
• Have you seen the Jonson recently?

These are not all uses of articles in English. However, remember these rules first as you gradually deepen your knowledge of English grammar.

Good luck!

Source: https://preply.com/blog/2014/11/27/8-pravil-ispolzovaniya-artiklya-the-v-anglijskom-yazyke/

Articles

Every noun in English must be preceded by an article. In the absence of an article, one speaks of the zero article.

Indefinite article a (an) comes from the word one and literally means «any one», «one of many», «any». The indefinite article can only be used with countable nouns in the singular («one»). The following example demonstrates the analogue of the indefinite article in Russian:

Once upon a time one man — There was a Mon

Definite article the comes from the word That and means «the same», «specifically that». The definite article is used before nouns when it comes to objects and concepts known to the speaker and listeners (for example, the subject has already been mentioned in the conversation). In Russian, there is also an analogue of the definite article:

You book-that read? — Have you read the book?

In Russian, the absence of articles is compensated by the free word order in the sentence. The original topic, known to the speaker and listeners, is usually put first, followed by additional (new) information. In the following examples, the original topic (known constituent) is highlighted in green and the new information is highlighted in red:

В a room has entered boy (To a certain room some boy).
Youngster entered into a room (A certain boy to some room).

In English, the word order is fixed. Therefore, to separate the known and new components, the articles are used: the — a well-known topic («the same»), a / an — new information («some»).

A boy entered the room — AT a room has entered boy.
the boy entered a room — Youngster entered into a room.

Scheme of using articles in English

Countable in Unities. number number

a book — some kind of book	books — some books	water — some kind of water
the book — specific book	the books — specific books	the water — specific water

Phonetic variants of articles

  Before a consonant Before a vowel

Article	Pronunciation	Example
a [ə]	to book [əbuk]
an [ən]	an hour

Source: https://english.tulagorod.ru/grammar/articles

Source: https://www.wallstreetenglish.ru/blog/opredelennyy-i-neopredelennyy-artikl-v-angliyskom-yazyke/

A, an, the: how not to confuse articles in English

Let’s remember how many articles are in English. There are three of them: a, an, the. If we turn to linguistics, then you can easily remember: the definite article is used when we have the clearest idea of ​​the subject.

As the most remarkable puzzle in the English language, it raises a lot of questions and difficulties to remember. There are no articles in the Russian language, so it is difficult for us to understand how the British use them to separate old information from new, and also very important from just important.

Also, with their help, we find out how many subjects we are talking about — one or more.

So when is the article used in English? It is placed before a noun to define the context of a given noun in a sentence.

Articles are certain и undefined, and perform an orientation function. Thanks to the chosen article, we clearly understand the meaning of the statement.

The definite article the originated from the word «that», it is used with countable and uncountable nouns, both in the singular and plural.

• We have the same feelings towards you. — We have the same feelings for you.
• Is this the same book as ever it was? — Is this the same book as always?

Indefinite article a / an comes from «one», so it can only be used with singular nouns.

• She is a teacher. — She is a teacher.
• A friend in need is a friend indeed. — Friend is known in trouble.

The article is not used in a variety of cases; below we will analyze these cases. For now, a couple of examples:

• I am going to have dinner. — I’m going to dinner.
• He claims total memory loss. — He has a complete memory loss.

Articles in English: Are the Rules That Simple?

Of course not. On the appropriate forums, students are in full swing discussing the specifics of using articles and lamenting how to remember them all. In this article, we analyze only the most basic rules that you most often face when learning English.

Basic rules for articles a and an:

Usage rules Examples

We are talking about something general, not specific	She is a journalist. She is a journalist
Generalizing concept for the entire group of subjects	If you want to be a doctor, you should know a lot. If you want to become a doctor, you have to know a lot.
The article in its first meaning «one»	Would you a cup of tea? — Would you like (one) cup of tea?
First mention of the item	I bought aa carton of milk. The carton is in the fridge. I bought a carton of milk. A bag in a (specific) refrigerator
If there is a repeatable action	She drinks coffee twice a day. She drinks coffee twice a day
Before adjectives	Have you bought a small flat? — Have you bought a small apartment?
With units	She works part-time, only 4 hours a day. — She works part-time, only 4 hours a day.

So we have named some rules for articles a and an in English.

It is important to remember that the a / an setting depends on the first sound, not the letter in the word. So, in the words hour — hour and honor — honor, the first sounds are vowels, so we put an, and in the words hooligan — a bully and yacht — a yacht, the first sounds are consonants, so we put a.

We now turn to the definite article.

Basic rules for the article the:

Usage rules Examples

The article in its first meaning «this» (ie the specifics of the subject)

Source: https://www.bkc.ru/blog/about-language/grammar/a-an-the-kak-ne-putat-artikli-v-angliyskom-yazyke/

English articles: rules and intuition (part 1)

The fact is that articles in English give us a lot of trouble. Remember how many times your friends or you yourself were indignant: «why are these articles even needed!» Not only do we do well without them in Russian, but the countless rules of their use in English that we learn do not save us in all cases. As a result, inappropriate use of articles is one of the most common problems in English speech and texts of our compatriots.

School rules for the use of articles are a vivid example of how the school curriculum emphasizes the systematization of knowledge, rather than deepening understanding and developing intuition. Tellingly, the English themselves use the articles without hesitation, and even the most grammatically savvy of them (which is a great rarity in itself) often cannot explain their choice of the article.

Therefore, let’s consider the English articles, focusing on the development of a sense of language (which, by the way, does not exclude, but organically complements the cramming of the rules, if you like it).

Below we will answer the already mentioned «cry from the heart» — «why are these articles even needed ?!» Then, in the next article in the series, we’ll look at how definite articles relate to indefinite ones (and if they do at all!).

Finally, in part three, we will consolidate our intuitive understanding of the articles by examining a long list of examples.

* * *

In general, the difficulties we face with the use of articles fit into a typical scheme:

• first we memorize a set of rules;
• then we try to apply these rules to the Russian language, because we translate what we think into English and continue to think in Russian.

In other words, in this case we are trying to make friends between English articles and Russian nouns. Well, just because “English should have an article”, right? .. But isn’t it better to make the articles serve us instead of voluntarily becoming their hostage? Think about it, because if the English were not of any benefit from them, then their language simply would not have preserved.

So, in short, articles in English have three functions:

• grammatical,
• contextual,
• index.

By the way, you are unlikely to read about this in a school textbook, since these formulations are the result of my personal experience. If we want to understand how to “use” and not “observe” articles, then I propose to start with these three properties. Let’s take a closer look at each item now.

The grammatical function of the article

When we see the words «work» and «work», we immediately know where the verb is and where the noun is. The British were less fortunate, so they have to get out with the help of official words — in particular, articles. Compare:

That’s what makes it work… “That’s what makes it work.
That’s what makes it the work of art. “That’s what makes it a work of art.

Fighting system — combat system, type of single combat.
Fighting The system — fighting the system.

by following trend — following the trend.
by the next trend — the next trend.

Plus, articles help — especially for us students — to distinguish the structure of a sentence. You probably know that the format of a typical English sentence is «subject-action-object» (for example, «a moth eats a fur coat»). In most cases, articles serve as a kind of markers that distinguish a subject and an object (by the way, a subject or an object can consist of several words). This makes it incredibly easier to comprehend English by ear.

By the way, if you remember the rule that the article is not placed in front of words like “some”, “any”, “another”, cardinal numbers, possessive pronouns, etc., then it seems to me extremely poorly formulated. I would say that such words supplant the article, since they carry a similar grammatical load — they mark the object and the subject in the sentence. This will become clearer from the examples below.

Articles can transform words into the same subject or object that are not strictly nouns:

It’s a «no» from me. — I say «No».

In general, the article allows us to manipulate grammatical categories — parts of speech and parts of a sentence. Let’s go further.

Article context function

Compare the following two sentences:

Do you still haveAny) cookies?
Do you still have the cookies?

They differ in meaning, but this difference is lost when translated into Russian —

Do you still have cookies? —

unless we translate the article the with an expanded subordinate clause:

Do you still have the cookies we ate last time?

As you can see, articles allow you to say more with less means, implying what is known to all interlocutors.

This property is closely related to the concept of the definite article. You probably remember the school rule that «if a subject has already been mentioned, then the definite article is put in front of it, blah blah blah.» his next time, all the participants in the conversation will already know what kind of thing they are talking about. By the time Chekhov’s “gun from the first act” is ready to fire, it has already turned into “the gun”.

In other words, the article participates in the creation of the context.

Keep in mind that in order to bring a subject into context or for the participants to understand which subject they are talking about, it is not at all necessary to mention it in the conversation. Let’s say our sun is always «the sun ”, simply because there is only one sun in our solar system, and we do not know anything about the others. Therefore, even if you are just basking in the sun, you are lying in the sun «.

Interestingly, the article can not only participate in the creation of the context, but individually set it! If you’ve watched the movie Groundhog Day, then remember how the main character repeatedly takes his own life, each time waking up safe and sound. Commenting on this, he says, «I am a god.» — meaning that he is a deity, he has divine abilities. He then clarifies, «Well, I’m not the God.» — implying that he does not claim to be the supreme one God.

Indicative function of the article

Unlike the English articles, the Russian words “some / some”, “some”, “any”, “this / that”, “such”, “this” do not seem useless to us at all, right? It’s funny, but in fact, both of them can be attributed to the same category.

The article «the», for example, is etymologically closely related to the demonstrative pronoun «that» (that), which is generally characteristic of definite articles in different languages.

And the indefinite article «a / an», in turn, comes from the Old English word «an», which means «one», that is, one of many, some or any.

Thus, when we point to a thing in speech, the article outlines the circle of objects to which our object can belong. And see how this function of his organically intersects with the pronouns that supplant him:

• We have fun. — «We are having fun.» General non-localizable (uncountable) concept, therefore no article.
• Any heavy object will do. — «Any heavy object will do.» «Any» here emphasizes that the circle is not limited in any way.
• Grave a chair. — «Take a chair.» Any of several chairs in the room. That is, we know that the range of subjects is limited, but which one will be chosen is not important for us.
• give me the key, I’ll open it. — “Give me the key. I’ll open.» Your companion may have several keys, but unlike the example with chairs, we do not need any key, but one that fits the door in front of which you are standing. We may not know anything else about the key — the article in this example only indicates that any random key will not suit us.
• Can I use your phone? — «Can I call from your phone?» Here we mean a specific item well known to its owner. Why can’t we say “the” instead of “your”? Because the article, even the definite one, rather implies, and the possessive pronoun «your» uniquely identifies and therefore is preferable in this case.

Notice how the examples are arranged in order of narrowing the set? Of course, a lot depends on the context, and “any” and “your” are not the only pronouns that supplant the article. Here we have only illustrated the concretizing, restrictive properties of the article when referring to the subject.

* * *

By the way! There are also special grammatical constructions and stable turns, when the article changes the meaning of the sentence to the exact opposite. Compare:

Source: http://lingorado.com/articles-1-rules-intuition/

Lesson 27. Indefinite article a / an in English

• 1 Rules for the use of the article a / an
• 2 Tasks for the lesson

Sofia StalskayaHigher linguistic education. Work experience 5 years.

As you may have noticed, English is in many ways different from Russian, and in this lesson we will look at another of its differences, namely the presence of a part of speech called the article.

It is important to remember that the article is used only with nouns. There are three articles in total: indefinite (a / an), definite (the) and zero, that is, its absence. In this tutorial, we’ll talk about the indefinite article.

Rules for the use of the article a / an

So the article a / an used with countable nouns in the singular — after all, originally, the article was once the word «one». Why do you need two indefinite articles, you ask? It’s simple — with words that begin with a vowel, you need to use the option an.

Compare:

• I have got an orange.
• I have got a cat.

If the noun is plural, the article is not used, but you can add some or many:

• I got oranges. I have got some oranges.
• I have got cats. I have got many cats.

If the noun is uncountable, you do not need to use the article: There is water in the glass.

Important! For nouns that begin with the sound [ju], the article a is used. You need to focus on how the word is pronounced, and not how it is spelled.

For example:

When to use the indefinite article? In the following cases:

• with professions: I am a teacher.
• after verbs to be and have got: I have got a sister. She is twelve.
• In exclamation points after what: What a beautiful picture!
• In meaning «one»: It will take me an hour.
• In meaning «any»: Give me a pen, please.

Do not forget that if the noun is plural, the above points become invalid and you do not need to use the article.

Important! If the noun is preceded by a possessive pronoun, you do not need to use the article: This is my brother

If there is an adjective along with a noun in a sentence, the article is placed before the adjective and depends on how it is pronounced:

old car,

to big house.

We’ll come back to the articles in more detail later, but for now, complete a few hands-on exercises.

Lesson assignments

Task 1. Use a or an.

Source: https://linguistpro.net/neopredelennyj-artikl-aan-v-anglijskom-yazyke

Articles a, an and the in English — examples of use

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

Why do we need articles in English?

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

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

See how the meaning of the phrase changes:

• I like the car. 
• I like the car.

Feel the catch? In the first case it is not clear what kind of car we are talking about, and in the second we are talking about a specific car.

In English, words cannot be swapped, therefore, articles are used to give the desired shade to the phrase A, An и Tea.

Articles rules

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

Remember!

If we are talking about an unknown subject, then the indefinite article A / An… If we are talking about something specific, then the article is placed in front of it The.

Assignment: Which articles should you use in the following examples?

We bought a car.

We bought the car that we saw yesterday.

Click on the arrows to get the answer.

Prompt.

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

This is 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)
      Is it about something in common?

What is the difference between articles a and an?

Repeat!
Indefinite article A/An (which comes from one) we put only in front of countable nouns in the singular!

So what’s the difference between A и An?

Article A placed before words that begin with consonants (a cat, a house, a yard) and An — before words that start with vowels (an apple, an hour). 

Let this picture pop up in front of your eyes when you choose a medja a и an.

When do we use the indefinite article?

1. When we classify an object, we assign it to a specific 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 the subject.

• My mother is a nurse. — My mom is a nurse.
• He is an idiot! — He’s an idiot!

3. With uncountable objects in the meaning of «portion».

• Could you bring me a coffee? — Will you bring me a cup of coffee?
• Buy a milk. — Buy a carton of milk.

More about The in English

Unlike the indefinite, the definite article can be placed before any noun in any number. But when?

1. In front of objects that are one of a kind.

• The president visited the veterans. — The President visited the veterans. (After all, each country has only one president).
• The Earth moves around the Sun. — The earth moves around the sun.

2. In front of objects from a limited group.

• The wheel of the car was missing. — The car had no wheels. (One of the 4 wheels of the car was missing).

3. Before objects for which there is a definition.

• The boy that has stolen a purse, was caught. — The boy who stole the purse was caught.
• The leader of this movement was born in Germany. — The leader of this movement was born in Germany. (What is the leader? — of this movement).

Practical assignment

Complete the interactive English article exercise to help you consolidate the material.

Take the article test

Source: https://www.learnathome.ru/grammar/articles-a-an-the.html

Use of the article THE

In this article we will touch upon the topic «Articles» — one of the most «unloved» topics of our students.

Many admit that, although they have gone through this topic many times, they continue to put articles at random and cannot systematize knowledge in any way. Particularly difficult is the article THE. Perhaps you have the same problem.

In preparing this article, we asked our students and subscribers to formulate questions related to the use of THE article, which they find it difficult to answer on their own. I would like to note that the questions were very similar, so we summarized them. And here are the questions that students are interested in:

• Which article to choose: A or THE?
• When is THE always used?
• When is THE used with place nouns?
• How to tell if the article is needed with plural and uncountable nouns?

If you are also not completely sure of the depth of your knowledge about the use of the definite article THE and your previous experience of studying «from the textbook» turned out to be useless, then this material will help you systematize the existing knowledge and, possibly, learn something new.

Which article should I choose A or THE?

Let’s remember a little from theory. A(an) — this is an indefinite article, it indicates an indefinite subject, and emphasizes that the subject is one. THE — the definite article, it is used when something is mentioned that is already known to the speaker.

Consider this example:

— My father bought me UN Chien.
— Great! What color is the dog?
— The dog is black. And my mother bought me to book.

The first sentence uses article A, since the dog is mentioned for the first time and the interlocutor does not know anything about it yet. Further used article THE, since it became clear to both speakers what kind of dog they were talking about. In the last sentence, the word book also used with an indefinite article, since it is mentioned for the first time, the interlocutor has not yet determined what kind of book it is.

Some more examples:

Yesterday I got the letter. the letter was from my friend. — Yesterday I received a letter. The letter was from a friend of mine.

I am reading a newspaper… I bought the newspaper from the newsagent. — I am reading a newspaper. I bought a newspaper from a periodicals seller.

Remember the rule: If in front of you is a countable noun in the singular, then use A if this subject is mentioned for the first time or it is indefinite, insignificant. THE is used if the subject has already been mentioned before and is known to the interlocutors.

Sometimes, despite the fact that something is mentioned for the first time, we can understand from the context what it is about: when additional information about the subject is given, an explanation, or when it is clear from the situation itself. Let’s look at examples with explanations:

I was at the party yesterday. — I was at a party yesterday. (I mean some kind of party that we don’t know anything about yet)

I was at the party organized by my friend. — I was at a party organized by my friend.

(We understand what kind of party we are talking about)

He saw a woman in the corridor. — He saw (some) woman in the hallway.

(No additional information is given about the woman)

He saw the woman who lived next door to him. — He saw a woman who lived next door.

(We understand what kind of woman she is)

He entered a door… — He entered the door.

(He entered one of the doors, we do not know which one).

He entered the door nearest to the stairs. He entered the door closest to the stairs.

(Specifies which door)

When is THE always used?

Remember some of the cases in which THE is always used:

• when something is mentioned that exists in one instance, something unique in its kind: the sun, the moon, the world, the earth, the capital, the ground, the environment, the universe
• with the names of groups of people expressed by adjectives: the elderly, the young, the old, the rich, the poor, the unemployed, the disabled and others
• with nationalities ending in -ese and -sh (-ch): the British, the Scottish, the Spanish, the Chinese, the Japanese. The article THE article may not be used with other nationalities: (the) Russians, (the) Americans
• in combinations related to space: the end, the beginning, the middle, the center

Source: https://enginform.com/article/article-the

Article in English

Zolotareva T.P., teacher, secondary school № 100, Krasnodar

Terms of use of the article in English

ARTICLE

indefinite article «a «(«an «) the definite article»the »

Indefinite article in english

1. If you can put the words in front of a noun: any, everyone, everyone.

Example:A student must work hard.

Notes: Not used in the plural.
Example: Students must work hard.

1. After revolutions: there is, there was.

 Example:There is a pen on the table.

1. After verbs am, have, is, has.

 Example: I have a cat.
I am a worker.

1. С sustainable combinations.

 Example: to have a rest, to have a tooth ache, to make a mistake, to go for a walk, to catch a cold, to give a look. (Phrases must be remembered)

1. In exclamation points after what, such.

 Example: Such a good day!

1. If the noun has a descriptive definition.

 Example: It was night. — Was night.
           It was a cold night. — Was cold night.

1. When the subject is spoken about for the first time.

 Example: I ate an egg for lunch.
8. The article «a «(«an «) is placed only before countable nouns !!!

The definite article in English

1. If the subject has already been discussed.
  Example: I see a bird. The bird is big.
2. If the subject is known from the situation or context.
  Example: The play was interesting.
3.

If before noun Yes limiting definitions, such as: only, main, central, same, right, left, next, last, final; or ordinal numerals: first, second.

  Example: Give me the second cup of tea.
  Notes:second, third — have the meaning «one more».
4. Before adjectives in superlative degree.
  Example: The best, the nice.
5.

Before nouns unique in the world or in a given setting.
 Example: The sky, the west, the cosmos.

6. Before nouns in the role of the circumstance of place, nouns have prepositions of place: in tea.
  Example:in the garden.
7.

The noun is used in a generalized generic meaning and represents the entire class.
  Example: The elephant is a strong animal.
8. Before nouns formed from adjectives and participles.

  Example:Poor — poor the poors — the poor.

9. In a number of established phrases.
  Example: in the morning, in the country, on the left, the day before yesterday, tell the truth.

Zero article in English

1. If there are other qualifiers before the noun (pronouns — possessive, demonstrative, interrogative, indefinite; noun in the possessive case)
Example: My room is large.

2. If the noun is preceded by a cardinal number.
Example: one man, two girls, three boys
3. Nouns denoting the names of substances are used, as a rule, without an article: water, milk, chalk, sugar, tea, snow, grass, wool, meat.
Example: He saw snow in the fields.

4. Uncountable abstract nouns (abstract concepts), as a rule, are used without an article: weather, music, power, knowledge, art, history, mathematics.
Example: I music.
5. Before a noun in the function of address (here a noun serving as an address is considered as a proper noun and is used without an article)
Example: Good morning, Captain!

Name	The	Without article
Parts of the world, continents	If there are words States, Union, Federation; country in plural Number(The United States of America)	Without article(Australia)
Oceans, seas, straits, lakes, rivers, waterfalls	With article(The Baikal)	If there is a word lake in front of the name, etc.(Lake Baikal)
Deserts	Only with the article(The Sahara)	An exception: Death Valley, Silicon Valley
Mountain ranges	With article The rocky mountains	Name of individual vertices without article (Mount Vesuvius, Mount Goverla, Mount Elbrus)

Name	The	Without article
Streets, squares, parks	Are written without an article Broadway, Trafalgar Square
Theaters, museums, galleries	Only с article the Royal Opera House
Cinemas, hotels, restaurants, cafes	Only with the article the Bolshoy Theater	Buckingham Palace (excluded)
Famous works of art, books	Only with the article the Times
Airports, stations, bridges	Always without an article Westminster Bridge
Schools, colleges, universities	Remember: the Sorbonne,compare: London University — The University of London	Always without an article Columbia University
Churches, cathedrals	Always without article St. Paul`s Cathedral
Ships, yachts, famous trains	Only with the article the titanic
Political institutions, historical events	Only with the article the red cross	Parliament, Congress, White hall (excl.)
English, American newspapers and magazines	Only with the article the Guardian	Russians — always without an article Izvestia
Sport events	Only with the article The Olympic Games	Wimbledon (excl.)
Music bands	If the name is in plural. number, then with the article the beatles	If in unit. number, then without article

Names	the	without article	a
Names, surnames	If talking about all family members	If in unit. number of	One of the family members, some
Personal names have become common nouns	Always with article a only
Appeals, titles	Always without an article

Source: https://ya-znau.ru/znaniya/zn/1

Article in English

First of all, let’s understand what, in general, an article is. As an English teacher, I often hear from my students the following phrase: “I don’t understand why articles are needed, I don’t feel the difference between a definite and an indefinite article and I don’t know when to put which of them, in front of what, exactly, to put them and when you can not use them at all.

Let’s talk about everything in order.

The article is a part of speech that is used in some languages ​​to denote the category of certainty or uncertainty of objects and is not translated into Russian. For example, here’s a sentence:

Give me a pen, please!

Where to put the article here?

Of course, before the noun «pen», since the article is the prerogative of only the noun and its definitions, but there is no definition of the noun here. If we slightly changed our sentence and a definition of a noun expressed by an adjective (but not a pronoun and not a numeral) would appear, we would put the article before the whole group “adjective + noun”. For example:

Give me a red pen, please!

Which article to put here definite or indefinite depends on the situation described in the context or directly on what exactly you yourself mean.

If you are addressing a person with such a request, you do not mean anything specific, that is, you just need some, any red pen, since you are checking the notebooks of your students and you, for example, have run out of ink in your pen, you should put an indefinite article.

Give me a pen please!

Give me a red pen please!

If you change the contextual situation, for example, you saw a very beautiful new pen in your friend’s hands and want to examine it yourself better, and therefore, looking at it or pointing with your hand, ask to give it to you, you mean a completely definite object. You do not care what kind of pen your friend will give you, you want to consider exactly the same, new and beautiful, which he is now holding in his hands. In this case, the definite article should be used.

Give me the pen please!

Give me the red pen please!

Regarding the use of articles in general, you can deduce such a simple rule for yourself:

If before a noun or a pair of «adjective + noun» you can mentally put words such as: any, any, no matter which, one of many, etc., you should put an indefinite article.

If before a noun or a pair of «adjective + noun», you can mentally put words such as: this one, yours, yours, mine, that, etc., you should put a definite article.

The indefinite article can be meaningfully replaced by the numeral 1 (one of many).

The definite article can be meaningfully replaced by demonstrative (this, that, etc.), or possessive (mine, your, your, our, etc.) pronouns.

Indefinite article

It has only the singular form and, accordingly, cannot be used with plural nouns.

Before words beginning with a consonant, it has the form «a». For example: a table, a flat, a cat.

Before words beginning with a vowel, it has the form “an”. For example: an apple, an album.

Definite article

It has only the singular and plural forms and, accordingly, can be used with both singular and plural nouns. It has a single form — “the”.

The flat, the flats, the cat, the cats, the apple, the apples, the album, the albums.

Work through this material using the textbook «Theoretical and Practical Grammar of the English Language with Exercises for All Normative Grammar and Tests.»

Work through this material with an English tutor.

Source: http://www.m-teach.ru/reference-books/english-handbook/article-in-eanglish.html

Articles in English — definite and indefinite

The indefinite and definite articles, although they seem small and insignificant, actually play a very important role in the language. Their use is so important that when dealing with foreigners, you run the risk of driving yourself into a dead end if you don’t know how to use the article. In order not to get confused when to use them and in what form, let’s figure it out once and for all in simple, but very important rules.

What is an article?

Due to the fact that there is no such thing as an «article» in Russian, articles cause a stupor in many English language learners.

Where? What for? And most importantly, how do you use articles in English? And, although not everyone is able to cope with them right away, first you need to remember: articles are placed in front of almost ALL nouns in English.

In colloquial speech, and sometimes in the English-language media, articles can be omitted, but this does not mean that they should be forgotten as a nightmare and never used.

The use of articles in English is necessary to clarify what is being discussed. Are you talking about an abstract subject or a concrete one? Therefore, there are only two options — the definite and indefinite article. But more about the rules for using articles in English — further.

Rules of Use

Actually, the rules for using articles in English are already laid down in the name itself.

Definite article used in cases where the speaker clearly understands what is at stake.

Indefinite article — if we are talking about an object from a set, about one of, some — in other words, not specific.

If during speech you can point to something and say «this», then, most likely, you will need a definite article, if not, then an indefinite one. It’s simple.

Table of common uses of articles in English:
units number — countable nouns	pl. number of countable, uncountable nouns
uncertain	before consonant sound	a	no article
before vowel sound	an	no article
certain	the	the

Let’s give an example.

There’s a girl waiting for you on the first floor. — Some girl is waiting for you on the first floor.
The speaker is not familiar with the girl, the article can be easily replaced with «some» or «one».

The girl that we were talking about is waiting for you on the first floor. — The same girl we talked about is waiting for you on the first floor.
The speaker knows this girl and refers to the moment in the previous speech so that the interlocutor understands which girl is being discussed.

From the two examples, it is obvious that if a conversation about an object comes up for the first time, and it is not yet entirely clear what it is, it is necessary to use the indefinite article.

Once lived a young girl, who loved catching butterflies. — Once there was a girl who loved to catch butterflies.

But, if we continue to talk about the subject, we already perfectly understand who we are talking about, and must use the definite article. If another object appears in speech, it is the same again.

Once the girl met a boy, who loved butterflies too. The boy told her they should be friends. — Once this girl met a boy who also loved to collect butterflies. This boy told her that they should be friends.

Further in the text, both the girl and the boy come with definite articles. If a butterfly appears in the text that asks them to stop catching butterflies, it will also first have an indefinite article in front of it, and then a definite article.

Или:

I want to buy a coat. — I want to buy myself some kind of coat.
The speaker has not yet gone shopping, did not find out the prices, he simply says that it would not hurt him to buy a new coat — for example, because the old one is completely leaky.

I want to buy the coat. — I want to buy that / this coat.
The speaker stands right in front of the window, points to the coat that matches his preference.

If a noun is preceded by an adjective in addition to the article, it is placed after the article.

A young man and an old woman crossed the road. — A young man and an elderly woman crossed the road.

The clever students made the task all by themselves. — Smart students coped with the task on their own.

Definite article also used in cases:

• when it comes to something that is one of a kind: the Sun (sun), the Earth (planet Earth);
• before place names with additional nouns: the Black Sea, the Volga river, the Ural Mountains, BUT: Russia (Russia), America (America), the United Stated (USA);
• in front of the cardinal points: the Northern Europe, the East wind;
• before ordinal numbers: the first room (first room), the third place (third place);
• before the classes of animals / plants: the whale (whales), the roses (roses);
• before titles / ranks, one of a kind: the Queen (Queen), the president of Russia (president of Russia);
• before the superlative: the best swimmer, the highest mountain;
• before the words «most of», «one of», «some of»: most of the days (most of the days), one of the books (one of the books);
• before the family name in the plural: the Smiths, the Browns.

Indefinite article in English can be replaced with the words «one» («one»), «some» («some», «some»). So if you can put these words, and the meaning does not change, then you really need the indefinite article.

It is also used for:

• profession name: She’s a nurse. — She is a nurse;
• before the words «such», «rather», «quite»: He’s rather a good guy. — He’s a pretty nice guy;
• before nouns denoting time, meaning «one»: back in a minute — I’ll be back in a minute; phone you in an hour — I’ll call you in an hour.

There are also cases when the article is not used at all — in this case, they speak of using the «zero article».

What articles and when are used in English?

In many foreign languages ​​there is such a part of speech as the article (The Article). This is an official part of speech and it acts as a determinant of a noun. There is no such part of speech in Russian, so it is difficult for Russian-speaking people who are 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, it may be difficult to communicate with an Englishman, because he will not understand which particular subject is being discussed, whether he knows something about him or not. To avoid communication problems and just to learn how to express yourself correctly, it is important and necessary to study articles in English and the cases of their use.

Today we will talk about such an important topic as the use of articles in English, and also consider the cases when you need to use articles.

Types of articles in English

There are two types of articles in English:

• Definite Article (definite article)
• Indefinite Article (indefinite article)

THE — the definite article or Definite Article, and it is pronounced [ðǝ] when the noun begins with a consonant and [rɪ] when the noun begins with a vowel.

For example: the [ðǝ] school, the [rɪ]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 is the difference between a definite and an indefinite article in English, we will give an example in Russian:

When articles are used in English

Use of articles in English

It is important to remember here what are the rules 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 negation no (not not!).

It 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 (Indefinite Article) in English is used when the subject is discussed for the first time, and also if nothing is known about the subject. The Definite Article appears where something is already known about the subject or it is mentioned again in the conversation. Let’s see this with a few examples. Note:

He has got a computer.- He has a computer (what kind of computer, what is with him, what brand, etc. — we do not know.
The computer is new. — The computer is new (Now there is some information about the computer — it is new).
It is a tree. — This is a tree (it is not clear which tree, nothing is known about it).
The tree is green. — The tree is green (something is already known, the tree is covered with green foliage).

What articles and when are used in English?

• Indefinite Article a, an can be used in exclamation sentences starting with the word que: 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 am reading an interesting book.
• The indefinite article can be used in a sentence in the sense of the word «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 superlative 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 there is always 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 separate cases of the use of articles in English. We will consider them in more detail in the articles, which are separately devoted to the definite article and separately to the indefinite article.

In general, the situation with articles in English is quite serious. They need and should be used in speech, there is simply nothing without them, otherwise we ourselves can get confused and confuse our interlocutor in the information presented.

And in order not to get confused about which articles and when to use them, just memorize these cases.

And you will see how this small but very necessary official part of speech will bring clarity to your conversation, and your speech will be beautiful and complete! So let the little ones the, a and an be your helpers in your English speech!

Source: https://englishfull.ru/grammatika/artikli-v-anglijskom.html

Article in English

a tree is a tree, a green tree is a green tree.

There are two types of articles in English: uncertain — a year и certain — the.

The presence of an article in front of a noun excludes the use of additional definitions in the form of demonstrative, possessive or indefinite pronouns before the same noun.

A definition can stand between an article and a noun only if it is expressed by an adjective, ordinal or other noun. For example:

a red pencil — red pencil, the first book — the first book, the Moscow flat — Moscow apartment.

The Indefinite Article

Forms

The indefinite article comes from the numeral one — one and has two options — а и an: а used before nouns or definitions to them, starting with a consonant sound:

a man, a short man,

as well as before nouns beginning with vowels and or y, when pronounced with a consonant [j]:

a union is a union, a yacht is a yacht;

an used before words beginning with a vowel or with a dumb h, i.e. when h is unreadable:

an apple — an apple, an entrance examination — entrance exams, an hour — an hour.

HO: a hunter — hunter (the letter h is read, and therefore the article a is used).

Note. Numeral one can not always be replaced by articles a year, since the articles a, an are used to convey the meaning of «any», for example:

Give me an apple, please. Give me an apple, please (meaning any apple).

The numeral one means «one», «one», «one». For example:

Give me one apple. Give me one apple
(and no more).

Usage: Table of the use of English articles

The Definite Article

Definite article the originated from the demonstrative pronoun that — that and means: that, that, that, this, this, these.

Article the pronounced:
[ðe]:

• before nouns starting with a consonant letter: the tram — tram, the boy — boy;
• before nouns starting with vowels and, y, when pronounced with a [j] sound: the union is the union, the year is the year.

[ði]:

• before nouns starting with a vowel or with a consonant when not pronounced: the apple is an apple, the hour is an hour.

Usage: Table of the use of English articles

Rules for writing and reading the date and time of the clock in English.

Source: https://catchenglish.ru/grammatika/opredelennyj-i-neopredelennyj-artikl.html

LESSON 17 English

Abstract of the 17th lesson in PDF format can be viewed, printed and downloaded at this link

Do you know what is the most frequently used word in English? This is the article the! There is also an article a/an, and in some cases the article should not be used at all.

The topic of the correct arrangement of articles, despite its apparent simplicity, remains one of the «stumbling blocks» even for those who have been studying English for a long time.

In this lesson we will try to understand why this interesting part of speech is needed, in which cases it is necessary to use articles and how to do it correctly.

The meaning and use of articles

In English before everyone noun, as a rule, the article is put. Of course, there are cases when the article is not used (the so-called Article zero). But in general, the rule remains in force — this part of speech goes along with the noun «in conjunction». If a noun is used with adjective, the article is placed before the adjective, and all article placement rules remain in effect.

This topic seems difficult to us because in the Russian language there is no such part of speech as the article. However, we still have words that seem to play his role. Let’s look at how the definite and indefinite articles differ, and with what words they can be replaced in Russian.

Use of the indefinite article ‘a / an’

Article a/an in English comes from the word one — «one«. The analogue of this article in Russian will be the word “one”, But not in the meaning of quantity, but in the meaning of“ one of many ”. For example: “I knew one doctor «.

If the article is followed by a word that begins with a consonant, we put the article a, if with a vowel — use an… If a noun is used with an adjective, the rule applies to the adjective preceded by the article. For example: to book (book), an actress (actress), a nice girl, an interesting film (interesting film).

Pay attention! This rule is determined by phonetics (pronunciation), not spelling. For example, the word an hour [auə] («Hour») begins with a consonant, but with a vowel, so we put the article an. The words a university

Source: http://en1632.com/f/lesson32_17_synopsis.html

Artikli in English

Rules for the use of definite and indefinite articles (Articles) in colloquial English.

Correct use of the indefinite and definite articles in English is very important for mutual understanding. When communicating with an English-speaking person, you run the risk of being misunderstood if you make mistakes in using the article.

What is an article?

An article in English is a service word that is one of the main formal features of a noun, defines it, stands before a noun or before a word that defines it. The article itself is not used, has no meaning and is not translated into Russian.

Example

a pen — pen
a blue pen — blue pen

In the Slavic languages ​​and, in particular, in Russian, articles do not exist, therefore, for many students of English, this part of speech causes difficulties in understanding how, where and why to use articles. In English, using the articles, a clarification is made — we are talking about an abstract or concrete subject.

Indefinite article

The indefinite article has two forms: a и an, is used before countable nouns in the singular. The form a [ə] used before words that begin with a consonant. The form an [æn] used before words that begin with a vowel.

The indefinite article a (an) is used:

1. When we mention a subject for the first time.
Example:
I saw a cat. — I saw a cat.

2. Before the names of the professions.
Example:
I am a doctor. — I am a doctor.

3. Before a noun if there is an adjective in front of it that describes it.
Example:
She is a beautiful woman. — She’s a beautiful woman.

4. In combinations

• the couple
• a pair
• a little
• a few

Definite article

The definite article has one form the [ði:], is used when we are talking about something specific or already previously encountered in a context, conversation, or about what the interlocutor knows from his general knowledge. Definite article the comes from the word that (that), can be used with nouns in the singular and plural, with countable and uncountable.

Although the article the is always spelled the same, its production differs depending on which letter the next word begins with. Before vowels the pronounced with a long [i:] at the end (transcription [ði:]), and before consonants — with the sound [ə] (transcription [ðə]).

The definite article the is used:

1. When we talk about an object or person that has already been mentioned before, or it is clear from the context what we mean.
Example:I saw a cat. The cat was black.

We’ve talked about this cat before.

Source: https://english-odessa.com/stati/educational/artikli

8 rules for using the article the in English

An article is a word that defines a noun.

There are two types of articles in English: definite (the) and indefinite (a / an).

Based on the names, respectively, the indefinite article is used when we are talking about a phenomenon that we meet for the first time, an object in general, and a definite one — when we are talking about something specific, or already previously encountered in a conversation.

The concept of the article is present in many languages ​​of the world, but in the same number of languages ​​it is absent.

Therefore, do not panic if articles are not used in your native language.

Data 8 rules for using the article the in English help you make fewer mistakes when speaking English.

It is very important to be able to use the correct articles in your speaking or writing.

1.With the names of countries and continents

In this case, we do not use articles at all, BUT if the country name consists of parts, such as, USA, UK, UAEthen our article appears the, and will be: the USA, the UK, the UAE, the Czech Republic, the Netherlands.

This also applies to continents and islands: usually we do not use the article, but if the name is combined, the definite article has a place to be.

For example: Africa, Europe, Bermuda, Tasmania BUT the Virgin Islands, the Bahamas.

• She lived in America.
• They live in England.
• My friend is from the Czech Republic.

2.With the words breakfast, dinner, lunch

When it comes to eating in general, there is no article. But if you are talking about a specific breakfast, dinner or lunch, use the.

For example:

• I don’t eat breakfast.
• We didn’t the dinner.

3.With the names of work, profession

In this case, the indefinite article is used. a / an.

For example:

• I want to be a politician.
• My younger brother wants to be a vet.

4.With the names of the cardinal points

Usually the names of the cardinal points are written with a capital letter, so they are easy to recognize: the North, the South, the East, the West.

True, if a noun indicates a direction, then use it without an article and write with a small letter.

For example:

• They went east.
• The North is cooler than the South.

5.With the names of oceans, seas, rivers and canals

Remember that the definite article is always used with the names of these bodies of water.

For example: The Amazon, the Indian Ocean, the Red Sea, the Suez Canal.

• I would swim in the Red Sea, and you?
• The Amazon is the longest river in the world.

6.With the names of unique phenomena

It means that a phenomenon or object exists in one copy, one of a kind, in particular, the sun, the moon, the interNET, the sky, the earth.

For example:

• The sun is a star.
• We looked up at all the stars in the sky.
• He is always on the internet.

7.With uncountable nouns

This category of nouns implies those units and concepts that we cannot count. Plus, as an identification mark in most cases, they don’t have an ending. -S — plural indicator.

But do not forget that there are ten exceptions for one rule, that is, if you are talking in general about some uncountable concept, there will be no article, but again, if the case is special, use the.

For example:

• I bread / milk / honey.
• I the bread / the milk / the honey. (Specifically, this and nothing else.)

8.With surnames

If we are talking about members of the same family, you can put the article the before the surname. Thus, you will designate a group of people, a family in one word.

For example:

• The Smith are coming for dinner today.
• Have you seen the Jonson recently?

These are not all uses of articles in English. However, remember these rules first as you gradually deepen your knowledge of English grammar.

Good luck!

Source: https://preply.com/blog/2014/11/27/8-pravil-ispolzovaniya-artiklya-the-v-anglijskom-yazyke/

Articles

Every noun in English must be preceded by an article. In the absence of an article, one speaks of the zero article.

Indefinite article a (an) comes from the word one and literally means «any one», «one of many», «any». The indefinite article can only be used with countable nouns in the singular («one»). The following example demonstrates the analogue of the indefinite article in Russian:

Once upon a time one man — There was a Mon

Definite article the comes from the word That and means «the same», «specifically that». The definite article is used before nouns when it comes to objects and concepts known to the speaker and listeners (for example, the subject has already been mentioned in the conversation). In Russian, there is also an analogue of the definite article:

You book-that read? — Have you read the book?

In Russian, the absence of articles is compensated by the free word order in the sentence. The original topic, known to the speaker and listeners, is usually put first, followed by additional (new) information. In the following examples, the original topic (known constituent) is highlighted in green and the new information is highlighted in red:

В a room has entered boy (To a certain room some boy).
Youngster entered into a room (A certain boy to some room).

In English, the word order is fixed. Therefore, to separate the known and new components, the articles are used: the — a well-known topic («the same»), a / an — new information («some»).

A boy entered the room — AT a room has entered boy.
the boy entered a room — Youngster entered into a room.

Scheme of using articles in English

Countable in Unities. number number

a book — some kind of book	books — some books	water — some kind of water
the book — specific book	the books — specific books	the water — specific water

Phonetic variants of articles

  Before a consonant Before a vowel

Article	Pronunciation	Example
a [ə]	to book [əbuk]
an [ən]	an hour

Source: https://english.tulagorod.ru/grammar/articles

Source: https://www.wallstreetenglish.ru/blog/opredelennyy-i-neopredelennyy-artikl-v-angliyskom-yazyke/

A, an, the: how not to confuse articles in English

A, an, the: how not to confuse articles in English

Let’s remember how many articles are in English. There are three of them: a, an, the. If we turn to linguistics, then you can easily remember: the definite article is used when we have the clearest idea of ​​the subject.

As the most remarkable puzzle in the English language, it raises a lot of questions and difficulties to remember. There are no articles in the Russian language, so it is difficult for us to understand how the British use them to separate old information from new, and also very important from just important.

Also, with their help, we find out how many subjects we are talking about — one or more.

So when is the article used in English? It is placed before a noun to define the context of a given noun in a sentence.

Articles are certain и undefined, and perform an orientation function. Thanks to the chosen article, we clearly understand the meaning of the statement.

The definite article the originated from the word «that», it is used with countable and uncountable nouns, both in the singular and plural.

• We have the same feelings towards you. — We have the same feelings for you.
• Is this the same book as ever it was? — Is this the same book as always?

Indefinite article a / an comes from «one», so it can only be used with singular nouns.

• She is a teacher. — She is a teacher.
• A friend in need is a friend indeed. — Friend is known in trouble.

The article is not used in a variety of cases; below we will analyze these cases. For now, a couple of examples:

• I am going to have dinner. — I’m going to dinner.
• He claims total memory loss. — He has a complete memory loss.

Articles in English: Are the Rules That Simple?

Articles in English: Are the Rules That Simple?

Of course not. On the appropriate forums, students are in full swing discussing the specifics of using articles and lamenting how to remember them all. In this article, we analyze only the most basic rules that you most often face when learning English.

Basic rules for articles a and an:

Basic rules for articles a and an:

Usage rules Examples

We are talking about something general, not specific	She is a journalist. She is a journalist
Generalizing concept for the entire group of subjects	If you want to be a doctor, you should know a lot. If you want to become a doctor, you have to know a lot.
The article in its first meaning «one»	Would you a cup of tea? — Would you like (one) cup of tea?
First mention of the item	I bought aa carton of milk. The carton is in the fridge. I bought a carton of milk. A bag in a (specific) refrigerator
If there is a repeatable action	She drinks coffee twice a day. She drinks coffee twice a day
Before adjectives	Have you bought a small flat? — Have you bought a small apartment?
With units	She works part-time, only 4 hours a day. — She works part-time, only 4 hours a day.

So we have named some rules for articles a and an in English.

It is important to remember that the a / an setting depends on the first sound, not the letter in the word. So, in the words hour — hour and honor — honor, the first sounds are vowels, so we put an, and in the words hooligan — a bully and yacht — a yacht, the first sounds are consonants, so we put a.

We now turn to the definite article.

Basic rules for the article the:

Basic rules for the article the:

Usage rules Examples

The article in its first meaning «this» (ie the specifics of the subject)

Source: https://www.bkc.ru/blog/about-language/grammar/a-an-the-kak-ne-putat-artikli-v-angliyskom-yazyke/

English articles: rules and intuition (part 1)

English articles: rules and intuition (part 1)

The fact is that articles in English give us a lot of trouble. Remember how many times your friends or you yourself were indignant: «why are these articles even needed!» Not only do we do well without them in Russian, but the countless rules of their use in English that we learn do not save us in all cases. As a result, inappropriate use of articles is one of the most common problems in English speech and texts of our compatriots.

School rules for the use of articles are a vivid example of how the school curriculum emphasizes the systematization of knowledge, rather than deepening understanding and developing intuition. Tellingly, the English themselves use the articles without hesitation, and even the most grammatically savvy of them (which is a great rarity in itself) often cannot explain their choice of the article.

Therefore, let’s consider the English articles, focusing on the development of a sense of language (which, by the way, does not exclude, but organically complements the cramming of the rules, if you like it).

Below we will answer the already mentioned «cry from the heart» — «why are these articles even needed ?!» Then, in the next article in the series, we’ll look at how definite articles relate to indefinite ones (and if they do at all!).

Finally, in part three, we will consolidate our intuitive understanding of the articles by examining a long list of examples.

* * *

* * *

In general, the difficulties we face with the use of articles fit into a typical scheme:

• first we memorize a set of rules;
• then we try to apply these rules to the Russian language, because we translate what we think into English and continue to think in Russian.

In other words, in this case we are trying to make friends between English articles and Russian nouns. Well, just because “English should have an article”, right? .. But isn’t it better to make the articles serve us instead of voluntarily becoming their hostage? Think about it, because if the English were not of any benefit from them, then their language simply would not have preserved.

So, in short, articles in English have three functions:

• grammatical,
• contextual,
• index.

By the way, you are unlikely to read about this in a school textbook, since these formulations are the result of my personal experience. If we want to understand how to “use” and not “observe” articles, then I propose to start with these three properties. Let’s take a closer look at each item now.

The grammatical function of the article

The grammatical function of the article

When we see the words «work» and «work», we immediately know where the verb is and where the noun is. The British were less fortunate, so they have to get out with the help of official words — in particular, articles. Compare:

That’s what makes it work… “That’s what makes it work.
That’s what makes it the work of art. “That’s what makes it a work of art.

Fighting system — combat system, type of single combat.
Fighting The system — fighting the system.

by following trend — following the trend.
by the next trend — the next trend.

Plus, articles help — especially for us students — to distinguish the structure of a sentence. You probably know that the format of a typical English sentence is «subject-action-object» (for example, «a moth eats a fur coat»). In most cases, articles serve as a kind of markers that distinguish a subject and an object (by the way, a subject or an object can consist of several words). This makes it incredibly easier to comprehend English by ear.

By the way, if you remember the rule that the article is not placed in front of words like “some”, “any”, “another”, cardinal numbers, possessive pronouns, etc., then it seems to me extremely poorly formulated. I would say that such words supplant the article, since they carry a similar grammatical load — they mark the object and the subject in the sentence. This will become clearer from the examples below.

Articles can transform words into the same subject or object that are not strictly nouns:

It’s a «no» from me. — I say «No».

In general, the article allows us to manipulate grammatical categories — parts of speech and parts of a sentence. Let’s go further.

Article context function

Article context function

Compare the following two sentences:

Do you still haveAny) cookies?
Do you still have the cookies?

They differ in meaning, but this difference is lost when translated into Russian —

Do you still have cookies? —

unless we translate the article the with an expanded subordinate clause:

Do you still have the cookies we ate last time?

As you can see, articles allow you to say more with less means, implying what is known to all interlocutors.

This property is closely related to the concept of the definite article. You probably remember the school rule that «if a subject has already been mentioned, then the definite article is put in front of it, blah blah blah.» his next time, all the participants in the conversation will already know what kind of thing they are talking about. By the time Chekhov’s “gun from the first act” is ready to fire, it has already turned into “the gun”.

In other words, the article participates in the creation of the context.

Keep in mind that in order to bring a subject into context or for the participants to understand which subject they are talking about, it is not at all necessary to mention it in the conversation. Let’s say our sun is always «the sun ”, simply because there is only one sun in our solar system, and we do not know anything about the others. Therefore, even if you are just basking in the sun, you are lying in the sun «.

Interestingly, the article can not only participate in the creation of the context, but individually set it! If you’ve watched the movie Groundhog Day, then remember how the main character repeatedly takes his own life, each time waking up safe and sound. Commenting on this, he says, «I am a god.» — meaning that he is a deity, he has divine abilities. He then clarifies, «Well, I’m not the God.» — implying that he does not claim to be the supreme one God.

Indicative function of the article

Indicative function of the article

Unlike the English articles, the Russian words “some / some”, “some”, “any”, “this / that”, “such”, “this” do not seem useless to us at all, right? It’s funny, but in fact, both of them can be attributed to the same category.

The article «the», for example, is etymologically closely related to the demonstrative pronoun «that» (that), which is generally characteristic of definite articles in different languages.

And the indefinite article «a / an», in turn, comes from the Old English word «an», which means «one», that is, one of many, some or any.

Thus, when we point to a thing in speech, the article outlines the circle of objects to which our object can belong. And see how this function of his organically intersects with the pronouns that supplant him:

• We have fun. — «We are having fun.» General non-localizable (uncountable) concept, therefore no article.
• Any heavy object will do. — «Any heavy object will do.» «Any» here emphasizes that the circle is not limited in any way.
• Grave a chair. — «Take a chair.» Any of several chairs in the room. That is, we know that the range of subjects is limited, but which one will be chosen is not important for us.
• give me the key, I’ll open it. — “Give me the key. I’ll open.» Your companion may have several keys, but unlike the example with chairs, we do not need any key, but one that fits the door in front of which you are standing. We may not know anything else about the key — the article in this example only indicates that any random key will not suit us.
• Can I use your phone? — «Can I call from your phone?» Here we mean a specific item well known to its owner. Why can’t we say “the” instead of “your”? Because the article, even the definite one, rather implies, and the possessive pronoun «your» uniquely identifies and therefore is preferable in this case.

Notice how the examples are arranged in order of narrowing the set? Of course, a lot depends on the context, and “any” and “your” are not the only pronouns that supplant the article. Here we have only illustrated the concretizing, restrictive properties of the article when referring to the subject.

* * *

* * *

By the way! There are also special grammatical constructions and stable turns, when the article changes the meaning of the sentence to the exact opposite. Compare:

Source: http://lingorado.com/articles-1-rules-intuition/

Lesson 27. Indefinite article a / an in English

Lesson 27. Indefinite article a / an in English

• 1 Rules for the use of the article a / an
• 2 Tasks for the lesson

Sofia StalskayaHigher linguistic education. Work experience 5 years.

As you may have noticed, English is in many ways different from Russian, and in this lesson we will look at another of its differences, namely the presence of a part of speech called the article.

It is important to remember that the article is used only with nouns. There are three articles in total: indefinite (a / an), definite (the) and zero, that is, its absence. In this tutorial, we’ll talk about the indefinite article.

Rules for the use of the article a / an

Rules for the use of the article a / an

So the article a / an used with countable nouns in the singular — after all, originally, the article was once the word «one». Why do you need two indefinite articles, you ask? It’s simple — with words that begin with a vowel, you need to use the option an.

Compare:

• I have got an orange.
• I have got a cat.

If the noun is plural, the article is not used, but you can add some or many:

• I got oranges. I have got some oranges.
• I have got cats. I have got many cats.

If the noun is uncountable, you do not need to use the article: There is water in the glass.

Important! For nouns that begin with the sound [ju], the article a is used. You need to focus on how the word is pronounced, and not how it is spelled.

For example:

When to use the indefinite article? In the following cases:

• with professions: I am a teacher.
• after verbs to be and have got: I have got a sister. She is twelve.
• In exclamation points after what: What a beautiful picture!
• In meaning «one»: It will take me an hour.
• In meaning «any»: Give me a pen, please.

Do not forget that if the noun is plural, the above points become invalid and you do not need to use the article.

Important! If the noun is preceded by a possessive pronoun, you do not need to use the article: This is my brother

If there is an adjective along with a noun in a sentence, the article is placed before the adjective and depends on how it is pronounced:

old car,

to big house.

We’ll come back to the articles in more detail later, but for now, complete a few hands-on exercises.

Lesson assignments

Lesson assignments

Task 1. Use a or an.

Source: https://linguistpro.net/neopredelennyj-artikl-aan-v-anglijskom-yazyke

Articles a, an and the in English — examples of use

Articles a, an and the in English — examples of use

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

Why do we need articles in English?

Why do we need articles in English?

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

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

See how the meaning of the phrase changes:

• I like the car. 
• I like the car.

Feel the catch? In the first case it is not clear what kind of car we are talking about, and in the second we are talking about a specific car.

In English, words cannot be swapped, therefore, articles are used to give the desired shade to the phrase A, An и Tea.

Articles rules

Articles rules

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

Remember!

If we are talking about an unknown subject, then the indefinite article A / An… If we are talking about something specific, then the article is placed in front of it The.

Assignment: Which articles should you use in the following examples?

We bought a car.

We bought the car that we saw yesterday.

Click on the arrows to get the answer.

Prompt.

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

This is 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)
      Is it about something in common?

What is the difference between articles a and an?

What is the difference between articles a and an?

Repeat!
Indefinite article A/An (which comes from one) we put only in front of countable nouns in the singular!

So what’s the difference between A и An?

Article A placed before words that begin with consonants (a cat, a house, a yard) and An — before words that start with vowels (an apple, an hour). 

Let this picture pop up in front of your eyes when you choose a medja a и an.

When do we use the indefinite article?

1. When we classify an object, we assign it to a specific 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 the subject.

• My mother is a nurse. — My mom is a nurse.
• He is an idiot! — He’s an idiot!

3. With uncountable objects in the meaning of «portion».

• Could you bring me a coffee? — Will you bring me a cup of coffee?
• Buy a milk. — Buy a carton of milk.

More about The in English

More about The in English

Unlike the indefinite, the definite article can be placed before any noun in any number. But when?

1. In front of objects that are one of a kind.

• The president visited the veterans. — The President visited the veterans. (After all, each country has only one president).
• The Earth moves around the Sun. — The earth moves around the sun.

2. In front of objects from a limited group.

• The wheel of the car was missing. — The car had no wheels. (One of the 4 wheels of the car was missing).

3. Before objects for which there is a definition.

• The boy that has stolen a purse, was caught. — The boy who stole the purse was caught.
• The leader of this movement was born in Germany. — The leader of this movement was born in Germany. (What is the leader? — of this movement).

Practical assignment

Practical assignment

Complete the interactive English article exercise to help you consolidate the material.

Take the article test

Take the article test

Source: https://www.learnathome.ru/grammar/articles-a-an-the.html

Use of the article THE

Use of the article THE

In this article we will touch upon the topic «Articles» — one of the most «unloved» topics of our students.

Many admit that, although they have gone through this topic many times, they continue to put articles at random and cannot systematize knowledge in any way. Particularly difficult is the article THE. Perhaps you have the same problem.

In preparing this article, we asked our students and subscribers to formulate questions related to the use of THE article, which they find it difficult to answer on their own. I would like to note that the questions were very similar, so we summarized them. And here are the questions that students are interested in:

• Which article to choose: A or THE?
• When is THE always used?
• When is THE used with place nouns?
• How to tell if the article is needed with plural and uncountable nouns?

If you are also not completely sure of the depth of your knowledge about the use of the definite article THE and your previous experience of studying «from the textbook» turned out to be useless, then this material will help you systematize the existing knowledge and, possibly, learn something new.

Which article should I choose A or THE?

Which article should I choose A or THE?

Let’s remember a little from theory. A(an) — this is an indefinite article, it indicates an indefinite subject, and emphasizes that the subject is one. THE — the definite article, it is used when something is mentioned that is already known to the speaker.

Consider this example:

— My father bought me UN Chien.
— Great! What color is the dog?
— The dog is black. And my mother bought me to book.

The first sentence uses article A, since the dog is mentioned for the first time and the interlocutor does not know anything about it yet. Further used article THE, since it became clear to both speakers what kind of dog they were talking about. In the last sentence, the word book also used with an indefinite article, since it is mentioned for the first time, the interlocutor has not yet determined what kind of book it is.

Some more examples:

Yesterday I got the letter. the letter was from my friend. — Yesterday I received a letter. The letter was from a friend of mine.

I am reading a newspaper… I bought the newspaper from the newsagent. — I am reading a newspaper. I bought a newspaper from a periodicals seller.

Remember the rule: If in front of you is a countable noun in the singular, then use A if this subject is mentioned for the first time or it is indefinite, insignificant. THE is used if the subject has already been mentioned before and is known to the interlocutors.

Sometimes, despite the fact that something is mentioned for the first time, we can understand from the context what it is about: when additional information about the subject is given, an explanation, or when it is clear from the situation itself. Let’s look at examples with explanations:

I was at the party yesterday. — I was at a party yesterday. (I mean some kind of party that we don’t know anything about yet)

I was at the party organized by my friend. — I was at a party organized by my friend.

(We understand what kind of party we are talking about)

He saw a woman in the corridor. — He saw (some) woman in the hallway.

(No additional information is given about the woman)

He saw the woman who lived next door to him. — He saw a woman who lived next door.

(We understand what kind of woman she is)

He entered a door… — He entered the door.

(He entered one of the doors, we do not know which one).

He entered the door nearest to the stairs. He entered the door closest to the stairs.

(Specifies which door)

When is THE always used?

When is THE always used?

Remember some of the cases in which THE is always used:

• when something is mentioned that exists in one instance, something unique in its kind: the sun, the moon, the world, the earth, the capital, the ground, the environment, the universe
• with the names of groups of people expressed by adjectives: the elderly, the young, the old, the rich, the poor, the unemployed, the disabled and others
• with nationalities ending in -ese and -sh (-ch): the British, the Scottish, the Spanish, the Chinese, the Japanese. The article THE article may not be used with other nationalities: (the) Russians, (the) Americans
• in combinations related to space: the end, the beginning, the middle, the center

Source: https://enginform.com/article/article-the

Article in English

Article in English

Zolotareva T.P., teacher, secondary school № 100, Krasnodar

Terms of use of the article in English

Terms of use of the article in English

ARTICLE

indefinite article «a «(«an «) the definite article»the »

Indefinite article in english

Indefinite article in english

1. If you can put the words in front of a noun: any, everyone, everyone.

Example:A student must work hard.

Notes: Not used in the plural.
Example: Students must work hard.

1. After revolutions: there is, there was.

 Example:There is a pen on the table.

1. After verbs am, have, is, has.

 Example: I have a cat.
I am a worker.

1. С sustainable combinations.

 Example: to have a rest, to have a tooth ache, to make a mistake, to go for a walk, to catch a cold, to give a look. (Phrases must be remembered)

1. In exclamation points after what, such.

 Example: Such a good day!

1. If the noun has a descriptive definition.

 Example: It was night. — Was night.
           It was a cold night. — Was cold night.

1. When the subject is spoken about for the first time.

 Example: I ate an egg for lunch.
8. The article «a «(«an «) is placed only before countable nouns !!!

The definite article in English

The definite article in English

1. If the subject has already been discussed.
  Example: I see a bird. The bird is big.
2. If the subject is known from the situation or context.
  Example: The play was interesting.
3.

If before noun Yes limiting definitions, such as: only, main, central, same, right, left, next, last, final; or ordinal numerals: first, second.

  Example: Give me the second cup of tea.
  Notes:second, third — have the meaning «one more».
4. Before adjectives in superlative degree.
  Example: The best, the nice.
5.

Before nouns unique in the world or in a given setting.
 Example: The sky, the west, the cosmos.

6. Before nouns in the role of the circumstance of place, nouns have prepositions of place: in tea.
  Example:in the garden.
7.

The noun is used in a generalized generic meaning and represents the entire class.
  Example: The elephant is a strong animal.
8. Before nouns formed from adjectives and participles.

  Example:Poor — poor the poors — the poor.

9. In a number of established phrases.
  Example: in the morning, in the country, on the left, the day before yesterday, tell the truth.

Zero article in English

Zero article in English

1. If there are other qualifiers before the noun (pronouns — possessive, demonstrative, interrogative, indefinite; noun in the possessive case)
Example: My room is large.

2. If the noun is preceded by a cardinal number.
Example: one man, two girls, three boys
3. Nouns denoting the names of substances are used, as a rule, without an article: water, milk, chalk, sugar, tea, snow, grass, wool, meat.
Example: He saw snow in the fields.

4. Uncountable abstract nouns (abstract concepts), as a rule, are used without an article: weather, music, power, knowledge, art, history, mathematics.
Example: I music.
5. Before a noun in the function of address (here a noun serving as an address is considered as a proper noun and is used without an article)
Example: Good morning, Captain!

Name	The	Without article
Parts of the world, continents	If there are words States, Union, Federation; country in plural Number(The United States of America)	Without article(Australia)
Oceans, seas, straits, lakes, rivers, waterfalls	With article(The Baikal)	If there is a word lake in front of the name, etc.(Lake Baikal)
Deserts	Only with the article(The Sahara)	An exception: Death Valley, Silicon Valley
Mountain ranges	With article The rocky mountains	Name of individual vertices without article (Mount Vesuvius, Mount Goverla, Mount Elbrus)

Name	The	Without article
Streets, squares, parks	Are written without an article Broadway, Trafalgar Square
Theaters, museums, galleries	Only с article the Royal Opera House
Cinemas, hotels, restaurants, cafes	Only with the article the Bolshoy Theater	Buckingham Palace (excluded)
Famous works of art, books	Only with the article the Times
Airports, stations, bridges	Always without an article Westminster Bridge
Schools, colleges, universities	Remember: the Sorbonne,compare: London University — The University of London	Always without an article Columbia University
Churches, cathedrals	Always without article St. Paul`s Cathedral
Ships, yachts, famous trains	Only with the article the titanic
Political institutions, historical events	Only with the article the red cross	Parliament, Congress, White hall (excl.)
English, American newspapers and magazines	Only with the article the Guardian	Russians — always without an article Izvestia
Sport events	Only with the article The Olympic Games	Wimbledon (excl.)
Music bands	If the name is in plural. number, then with the article the beatles	If in unit. number, then without article

Names	the	without article	a
Names, surnames	If talking about all family members	If in unit. number of	One of the family members, some
Personal names have become common nouns	Always with article a only
Appeals, titles	Always without an article

Source: https://ya-znau.ru/znaniya/zn/1

Article in English

Article in English

First of all, let’s understand what, in general, an article is. As an English teacher, I often hear from my students the following phrase: “I don’t understand why articles are needed, I don’t feel the difference between a definite and an indefinite article and I don’t know when to put which of them, in front of what, exactly, to put them and when you can not use them at all.

Let’s talk about everything in order.

The article is a part of speech that is used in some languages ​​to denote the category of certainty or uncertainty of objects and is not translated into Russian. For example, here’s a sentence:

Give me a pen, please!

Where to put the article here?

Of course, before the noun «pen», since the article is the prerogative of only the noun and its definitions, but there is no definition of the noun here. If we slightly changed our sentence and a definition of a noun expressed by an adjective (but not a pronoun and not a numeral) would appear, we would put the article before the whole group “adjective + noun”. For example:

Give me a red pen, please!

Which article to put here definite or indefinite depends on the situation described in the context or directly on what exactly you yourself mean.

If you are addressing a person with such a request, you do not mean anything specific, that is, you just need some, any red pen, since you are checking the notebooks of your students and you, for example, have run out of ink in your pen, you should put an indefinite article.

Give me a pen please!

Give me a red pen please!

If you change the contextual situation, for example, you saw a very beautiful new pen in your friend’s hands and want to examine it yourself better, and therefore, looking at it or pointing with your hand, ask to give it to you, you mean a completely definite object. You do not care what kind of pen your friend will give you, you want to consider exactly the same, new and beautiful, which he is now holding in his hands. In this case, the definite article should be used.

Give me the pen please!

Give me the red pen please!

Regarding the use of articles in general, you can deduce such a simple rule for yourself:

If before a noun or a pair of «adjective + noun» you can mentally put words such as: any, any, no matter which, one of many, etc., you should put an indefinite article.

If before a noun or a pair of «adjective + noun», you can mentally put words such as: this one, yours, yours, mine, that, etc., you should put a definite article.

The indefinite article can be meaningfully replaced by the numeral 1 (one of many).

The definite article can be meaningfully replaced by demonstrative (this, that, etc.), or possessive (mine, your, your, our, etc.) pronouns.

Indefinite article

Indefinite article

It has only the singular form and, accordingly, cannot be used with plural nouns.

Before words beginning with a consonant, it has the form «a». For example: a table, a flat, a cat.

Before words beginning with a vowel, it has the form “an”. For example: an apple, an album.

Definite article

Definite article

It has only the singular and plural forms and, accordingly, can be used with both singular and plural nouns. It has a single form — “the”.

The flat, the flats, the cat, the cats, the apple, the apples, the album, the albums.

Work through this material using the textbook «Theoretical and Practical Grammar of the English Language with Exercises for All Normative Grammar and Tests.»

Work through this material with an English tutor.

Source: http://www.m-teach.ru/reference-books/english-handbook/article-in-eanglish.html

Articles in English — definite and indefinite

Articles in English — definite and indefinite

The indefinite and definite articles, although they seem small and insignificant, actually play a very important role in the language. Their use is so important that when dealing with foreigners, you run the risk of driving yourself into a dead end if you don’t know how to use the article. In order not to get confused when to use them and in what form, let’s figure it out once and for all in simple, but very important rules.

What is an article?

What is an article?

Due to the fact that there is no such thing as an «article» in Russian, articles cause a stupor in many English language learners.

Where? What for? And most importantly, how do you use articles in English? And, although not everyone is able to cope with them right away, first you need to remember: articles are placed in front of almost ALL nouns in English.

In colloquial speech, and sometimes in the English-language media, articles can be omitted, but this does not mean that they should be forgotten as a nightmare and never used.

The use of articles in English is necessary to clarify what is being discussed. Are you talking about an abstract subject or a concrete one? Therefore, there are only two options — the definite and indefinite article. But more about the rules for using articles in English — further.

Rules of Use

Rules of Use

Actually, the rules for using articles in English are already laid down in the name itself.

Definite article used in cases where the speaker clearly understands what is at stake.

Indefinite article — if we are talking about an object from a set, about one of, some — in other words, not specific.

If during speech you can point to something and say «this», then, most likely, you will need a definite article, if not, then an indefinite one. It’s simple.

Table of common uses of articles in English:
units number — countable nouns	pl. number of countable, uncountable nouns
uncertain	before consonant sound	a	no article
before vowel sound	an	no article
certain	the	the

Let’s give an example.

There’s a girl waiting for you on the first floor. — Some girl is waiting for you on the first floor.
The speaker is not familiar with the girl, the article can be easily replaced with «some» or «one».

The girl that we were talking about is waiting for you on the first floor. — The same girl we talked about is waiting for you on the first floor.
The speaker knows this girl and refers to the moment in the previous speech so that the interlocutor understands which girl is being discussed.

From the two examples, it is obvious that if a conversation about an object comes up for the first time, and it is not yet entirely clear what it is, it is necessary to use the indefinite article.

Once lived a young girl, who loved catching butterflies. — Once there was a girl who loved to catch butterflies.

But, if we continue to talk about the subject, we already perfectly understand who we are talking about, and must use the definite article. If another object appears in speech, it is the same again.

Once the girl met a boy, who loved butterflies too. The boy told her they should be friends. — Once this girl met a boy who also loved to collect butterflies. This boy told her that they should be friends.

Further in the text, both the girl and the boy come with definite articles. If a butterfly appears in the text that asks them to stop catching butterflies, it will also first have an indefinite article in front of it, and then a definite article.

Или:

I want to buy a coat. — I want to buy myself some kind of coat.
The speaker has not yet gone shopping, did not find out the prices, he simply says that it would not hurt him to buy a new coat — for example, because the old one is completely leaky.

I want to buy the coat. — I want to buy that / this coat.
The speaker stands right in front of the window, points to the coat that matches his preference.

If a noun is preceded by an adjective in addition to the article, it is placed after the article.

A young man and an old woman crossed the road. — A young man and an elderly woman crossed the road.

The clever students made the task all by themselves. — Smart students coped with the task on their own.

Definite article also used in cases:

• when it comes to something that is one of a kind: the Sun (sun), the Earth (planet Earth);
• before place names with additional nouns: the Black Sea, the Volga river, the Ural Mountains, BUT: Russia (Russia), America (America), the United Stated (USA);
• in front of the cardinal points: the Northern Europe, the East wind;
• before ordinal numbers: the first room (first room), the third place (third place);
• before the classes of animals / plants: the whale (whales), the roses (roses);
• before titles / ranks, one of a kind: the Queen (Queen), the president of Russia (president of Russia);
• before the superlative: the best swimmer, the highest mountain;
• before the words «most of», «one of», «some of»: most of the days (most of the days), one of the books (one of the books);
• before the family name in the plural: the Smiths, the Browns.

Indefinite article in English can be replaced with the words «one» («one»), «some» («some», «some»). So if you can put these words, and the meaning does not change, then you really need the indefinite article.

It is also used for:

• profession name: She’s a nurse. — She is a nurse;
• before the words «such», «rather», «quite»: He’s rather a good guy. — He’s a pretty nice guy;
• before nouns denoting time, meaning «one»: back in a minute — I’ll be back in a minute; phone you in an hour — I’ll call you in an hour.

There are also cases when the article is not used at all — in this case, they speak of using the «zero article».

Using the zero article

What articles and when are used in English?

In many foreign languages ​​there is such a part of speech as the article (The Article). This is an official part of speech and it acts as a determinant of a noun. There is no such part of speech in Russian, so it is difficult for Russian-speaking people who are 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, it may be difficult to communicate with an Englishman, because he will not understand which particular subject is being discussed, whether he knows something about him or not. To avoid communication problems and just to learn how to express yourself correctly, it is important and necessary to study articles in English and the cases of their use.

Today we will talk about such an important topic as the use of articles in English, and also consider the cases when you need to use articles.

Types of articles in English

There are two types of articles in English:

• Definite Article (definite article)
• Indefinite Article (indefinite article)

THE — the definite article or Definite Article, and it is pronounced [ðǝ] when the noun begins with a consonant and [rɪ] when the noun begins with a vowel.

For example: the [ðǝ] school, the [rɪ]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 is the difference between a definite and an indefinite article in English, we will give an example in Russian:

When articles are used in English

Use of articles in English

It is important to remember here what are the rules 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 negation no (not not!).

It 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 (Indefinite Article) in English is used when the subject is discussed for the first time, and also if nothing is known about the subject. The Definite Article appears where something is already known about the subject or it is mentioned again in the conversation. Let’s see this with a few examples. Note:

He has got a computer.- He has a computer (what kind of computer, what is with him, what brand, etc. — we do not know.
The computer is new. — The computer is new (Now there is some information about the computer — it is new).
It is a tree. — This is a tree (it is not clear which tree, nothing is known about it).
The tree is green. — The tree is green (something is already known, the tree is covered with green foliage).

What articles and when are used in English?

• Indefinite Article a, an can be used in exclamation sentences starting with the word que: 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 am reading an interesting book.
• The indefinite article can be used in a sentence in the sense of the word «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 superlative 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 there is always 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 separate cases of the use of articles in English. We will consider them in more detail in the articles, which are separately devoted to the definite article and separately to the indefinite article.

In general, the situation with articles in English is quite serious. They need and should be used in speech, there is simply nothing without them, otherwise we ourselves can get confused and confuse our interlocutor in the information presented.

And in order not to get confused about which articles and when to use them, just memorize these cases.

And you will see how this small but very necessary official part of speech will bring clarity to your conversation, and your speech will be beautiful and complete! So let the little ones the, a and an be your helpers in your English speech!

Source: https://englishfull.ru/grammatika/artikli-v-anglijskom.html

Article in English

a tree is a tree, a green tree is a green tree.

There are two types of articles in English: uncertain — a year и certain — the.

The presence of an article in front of a noun excludes the use of additional definitions in the form of demonstrative, possessive or indefinite pronouns before the same noun.

A definition can stand between an article and a noun only if it is expressed by an adjective, ordinal or other noun. For example:

a red pencil — red pencil, the first book — the first book, the Moscow flat — Moscow apartment.

The Indefinite Article

Forms

The indefinite article comes from the numeral one — one and has two options — а и an: а used before nouns or definitions to them, starting with a consonant sound:

a man, a short man,

as well as before nouns beginning with vowels and or y, when pronounced with a consonant [j]:

a union is a union, a yacht is a yacht;

an used before words beginning with a vowel or with a dumb h, i.e. when h is unreadable:

an apple — an apple, an entrance examination — entrance exams, an hour — an hour.

HO: a hunter — hunter (the letter h is read, and therefore the article a is used).

Note. Numeral one can not always be replaced by articles a year, since the articles a, an are used to convey the meaning of «any», for example:

Give me an apple, please. Give me an apple, please (meaning any apple).

The numeral one means «one», «one», «one». For example:

Give me one apple. Give me one apple
(and no more).

Usage: Table of the use of English articles

The Definite Article

Definite article the originated from the demonstrative pronoun that — that and means: that, that, that, this, this, these.

Article the pronounced:
[ðe]:

• before nouns starting with a consonant letter: the tram — tram, the boy — boy;
• before nouns starting with vowels and, y, when pronounced with a [j] sound: the union is the union, the year is the year.

[ði]:

• before nouns starting with a vowel or with a consonant when not pronounced: the apple is an apple, the hour is an hour.

Usage: Table of the use of English articles

Rules for writing and reading the date and time of the clock in English.

Source: https://catchenglish.ru/grammatika/opredelennyj-i-neopredelennyj-artikl.html

LESSON 17 English

Abstract of the 17th lesson in PDF format can be viewed, printed and downloaded at this link

Do you know what is the most frequently used word in English? This is the article the! There is also an article a/an, and in some cases the article should not be used at all.

The topic of the correct arrangement of articles, despite its apparent simplicity, remains one of the «stumbling blocks» even for those who have been studying English for a long time.

In this lesson we will try to understand why this interesting part of speech is needed, in which cases it is necessary to use articles and how to do it correctly.

The meaning and use of articles

In English before everyone noun, as a rule, the article is put. Of course, there are cases when the article is not used (the so-called Article zero). But in general, the rule remains in force — this part of speech goes along with the noun «in conjunction». If a noun is used with adjective, the article is placed before the adjective, and all article placement rules remain in effect.

This topic seems difficult to us because in the Russian language there is no such part of speech as the article. However, we still have words that seem to play his role. Let’s look at how the definite and indefinite articles differ, and with what words they can be replaced in Russian.

Use of the indefinite article ‘a / an’

Article a/an in English comes from the word one — «one«. The analogue of this article in Russian will be the word “one”, But not in the meaning of quantity, but in the meaning of“ one of many ”. For example: “I knew one doctor «.

If the article is followed by a word that begins with a consonant, we put the article a, if with a vowel — use an… If a noun is used with an adjective, the rule applies to the adjective preceded by the article. For example: to book (book), an actress (actress), a nice girl, an interesting film (interesting film).

Pay attention! This rule is determined by phonetics (pronunciation), not spelling. For example, the word an hour [auə] («Hour») begins with a consonant, but with a vowel, so we put the article an. The words a university

Source: http://en1632.com/f/lesson32_17_synopsis.html

Artikli in English

Rules for the use of definite and indefinite articles (Articles) in colloquial English.

Correct use of the indefinite and definite articles in English is very important for mutual understanding. When communicating with an English-speaking person, you run the risk of being misunderstood if you make mistakes in using the article.

What is an article?

An article in English is a service word that is one of the main formal features of a noun, defines it, stands before a noun or before a word that defines it. The article itself is not used, has no meaning and is not translated into Russian.

Example

a pen — pen
a blue pen — blue pen

In the Slavic languages ​​and, in particular, in Russian, articles do not exist, therefore, for many students of English, this part of speech causes difficulties in understanding how, where and why to use articles. In English, using the articles, a clarification is made — we are talking about an abstract or concrete subject.

Indefinite article

The indefinite article has two forms: a и an, is used before countable nouns in the singular. The form a [ə] used before words that begin with a consonant. The form an [æn] used before words that begin with a vowel.

The indefinite article a (an) is used:

1. When we mention a subject for the first time.
Example:
I saw a cat. — I saw a cat.

2. Before the names of the professions.
Example:
I am a doctor. — I am a doctor.

3. Before a noun if there is an adjective in front of it that describes it.
Example:
She is a beautiful woman. — She’s a beautiful woman.

4. In combinations

• the couple
• a pair
• a little
• a few

Definite article

The definite article has one form the [ði:], is used when we are talking about something specific or already previously encountered in a context, conversation, or about what the interlocutor knows from his general knowledge. Definite article the comes from the word that (that), can be used with nouns in the singular and plural, with countable and uncountable.

Although the article the is always spelled the same, its production differs depending on which letter the next word begins with. Before vowels the pronounced with a long [i:] at the end (transcription [ði:]), and before consonants — with the sound [ə] (transcription [ðə]).

The definite article the is used:

1. When we talk about an object or person that has already been mentioned before, or it is clear from the context what we mean.
Example:I saw a cat. The cat was black.

We’ve talked about this cat before.

Source: https://english-odessa.com/stati/educational/artikli

8 rules for using the article the in English

An article is a word that defines a noun.

There are two types of articles in English: definite (the) and indefinite (a / an).

Based on the names, respectively, the indefinite article is used when we are talking about a phenomenon that we meet for the first time, an object in general, and a definite one — when we are talking about something specific, or already previously encountered in a conversation.

The concept of the article is present in many languages ​​of the world, but in the same number of languages ​​it is absent.

Therefore, do not panic if articles are not used in your native language.

Data 8 rules for using the article the in English help you make fewer mistakes when speaking English.

It is very important to be able to use the correct articles in your speaking or writing.

1.With the names of countries and continents

In this case, we do not use articles at all, BUT if the country name consists of parts, such as, USA, UK, UAEthen our article appears the, and will be: the USA, the UK, the UAE, the Czech Republic, the Netherlands.

This also applies to continents and islands: usually we do not use the article, but if the name is combined, the definite article has a place to be.

For example: Africa, Europe, Bermuda, Tasmania BUT the Virgin Islands, the Bahamas.

• She lived in America.
• They live in England.
• My friend is from the Czech Republic.

2.With the words breakfast, dinner, lunch

When it comes to eating in general, there is no article. But if you are talking about a specific breakfast, dinner or lunch, use the.

For example:

• I don’t eat breakfast.
• We didn’t the dinner.

3.With the names of work, profession

In this case, the indefinite article is used. a / an.

For example:

• I want to be a politician.
• My younger brother wants to be a vet.

4.With the names of the cardinal points

Usually the names of the cardinal points are written with a capital letter, so they are easy to recognize: the North, the South, the East, the West.

True, if a noun indicates a direction, then use it without an article and write with a small letter.

For example:

• They went east.
• The North is cooler than the South.

5.With the names of oceans, seas, rivers and canals

Remember that the definite article is always used with the names of these bodies of water.

For example: The Amazon, the Indian Ocean, the Red Sea, the Suez Canal.

• I would swim in the Red Sea, and you?
• The Amazon is the longest river in the world.

6.With the names of unique phenomena

It means that a phenomenon or object exists in one copy, one of a kind, in particular, the sun, the moon, the interNET, the sky, the earth.

For example:

• The sun is a star.
• We looked up at all the stars in the sky.
• He is always on the internet.

7.With uncountable nouns

This category of nouns implies those units and concepts that we cannot count. Plus, as an identification mark in most cases, they don’t have an ending. -S — plural indicator.

But do not forget that there are ten exceptions for one rule, that is, if you are talking in general about some uncountable concept, there will be no article, but again, if the case is special, use the.

For example:

• I bread / milk / honey.
• I the bread / the milk / the honey. (Specifically, this and nothing else.)

8.With surnames

If we are talking about members of the same family, you can put the article the before the surname. Thus, you will designate a group of people, a family in one word.

For example:

• The Smith are coming for dinner today.
• Have you seen the Jonson recently?

These are not all uses of articles in English. However, remember these rules first as you gradually deepen your knowledge of English grammar.

Good luck!

Source: https://preply.com/blog/2014/11/27/8-pravil-ispolzovaniya-artiklya-the-v-anglijskom-yazyke/

Articles

Every noun in English must be preceded by an article. In the absence of an article, one speaks of the zero article.

Indefinite article a (an) comes from the word one and literally means «any one», «one of many», «any». The indefinite article can only be used with countable nouns in the singular («one»). The following example demonstrates the analogue of the indefinite article in Russian:

Once upon a time one man — There was a Mon

Definite article the comes from the word That and means «the same», «specifically that». The definite article is used before nouns when it comes to objects and concepts known to the speaker and listeners (for example, the subject has already been mentioned in the conversation). In Russian, there is also an analogue of the definite article:

You book-that read? — Have you read the book?

In Russian, the absence of articles is compensated by the free word order in the sentence. The original topic, known to the speaker and listeners, is usually put first, followed by additional (new) information. In the following examples, the original topic (known constituent) is highlighted in green and the new information is highlighted in red:

В a room has entered boy (To a certain room some boy).
Youngster entered into a room (A certain boy to some room).

In English, the word order is fixed. Therefore, to separate the known and new components, the articles are used: the — a well-known topic («the same»), a / an — new information («some»).

A boy entered the room — AT a room has entered boy.
the boy entered a room — Youngster entered into a room.

Scheme of using articles in English

Countable in Unities. number number

a book — some kind of book	books — some books	water — some kind of water
the book — specific book	the books — specific books	the water — specific water

Phonetic variants of articles

  Before a consonant Before a vowel

Article	Pronunciation	Example
a [ə]	to book [əbuk]
an [ən]	an hour

Source: https://english.tulagorod.ru/grammar/articles

Source: https://www.wallstreetenglish.ru/blog/opredelennyy-i-neopredelennyy-artikl-v-angliyskom-yazyke/

A, an, the: how not to confuse articles in English

Let’s remember how many articles are in English. There are three of them: a, an, the. If we turn to linguistics, then you can easily remember: the definite article is used when we have the clearest idea of ​​the subject.

As the most remarkable puzzle in the English language, it raises a lot of questions and difficulties to remember. There are no articles in the Russian language, so it is difficult for us to understand how the British use them to separate old information from new, and also very important from just important.

Also, with their help, we find out how many subjects we are talking about — one or more.

So when is the article used in English? It is placed before a noun to define the context of a given noun in a sentence.

Articles are certain и undefined, and perform an orientation function. Thanks to the chosen article, we clearly understand the meaning of the statement.

The definite article the originated from the word «that», it is used with countable and uncountable nouns, both in the singular and plural.

• We have the same feelings towards you. — We have the same feelings for you.
• Is this the same book as ever it was? — Is this the same book as always?

Indefinite article a / an comes from «one», so it can only be used with singular nouns.

• She is a teacher. — She is a teacher.
• A friend in need is a friend indeed. — Friend is known in trouble.

The article is not used in a variety of cases; below we will analyze these cases. For now, a couple of examples:

• I am going to have dinner. — I’m going to dinner.
• He claims total memory loss. — He has a complete memory loss.

Articles in English: Are the Rules That Simple?

Of course not. On the appropriate forums, students are in full swing discussing the specifics of using articles and lamenting how to remember them all. In this article, we analyze only the most basic rules that you most often face when learning English.

Basic rules for articles a and an:

Usage rules Examples

We are talking about something general, not specific	She is a journalist. She is a journalist
Generalizing concept for the entire group of subjects	If you want to be a doctor, you should know a lot. If you want to become a doctor, you have to know a lot.
The article in its first meaning «one»	Would you a cup of tea? — Would you like (one) cup of tea?
First mention of the item	I bought aa carton of milk. The carton is in the fridge. I bought a carton of milk. A bag in a (specific) refrigerator
If there is a repeatable action	She drinks coffee twice a day. She drinks coffee twice a day
Before adjectives	Have you bought a small flat? — Have you bought a small apartment?
With units	She works part-time, only 4 hours a day. — She works part-time, only 4 hours a day.

So we have named some rules for articles a and an in English.

It is important to remember that the a / an setting depends on the first sound, not the letter in the word. So, in the words hour — hour and honor — honor, the first sounds are vowels, so we put an, and in the words hooligan — a bully and yacht — a yacht, the first sounds are consonants, so we put a.

We now turn to the definite article.

Basic rules for the article the:

Usage rules Examples

The article in its first meaning «this» (ie the specifics of the subject)

Source: https://www.bkc.ru/blog/about-language/grammar/a-an-the-kak-ne-putat-artikli-v-angliyskom-yazyke/

English articles: rules and intuition (part 1)

The fact is that articles in English give us a lot of trouble. Remember how many times your friends or you yourself were indignant: «why are these articles even needed!» Not only do we do well without them in Russian, but the countless rules of their use in English that we learn do not save us in all cases. As a result, inappropriate use of articles is one of the most common problems in English speech and texts of our compatriots.

School rules for the use of articles are a vivid example of how the school curriculum emphasizes the systematization of knowledge, rather than deepening understanding and developing intuition. Tellingly, the English themselves use the articles without hesitation, and even the most grammatically savvy of them (which is a great rarity in itself) often cannot explain their choice of the article.

Therefore, let’s consider the English articles, focusing on the development of a sense of language (which, by the way, does not exclude, but organically complements the cramming of the rules, if you like it).

Below we will answer the already mentioned «cry from the heart» — «why are these articles even needed ?!» Then, in the next article in the series, we’ll look at how definite articles relate to indefinite ones (and if they do at all!).

Finally, in part three, we will consolidate our intuitive understanding of the articles by examining a long list of examples.

* * *

In general, the difficulties we face with the use of articles fit into a typical scheme:

• first we memorize a set of rules;
• then we try to apply these rules to the Russian language, because we translate what we think into English and continue to think in Russian.

In other words, in this case we are trying to make friends between English articles and Russian nouns. Well, just because “English should have an article”, right? .. But isn’t it better to make the articles serve us instead of voluntarily becoming their hostage? Think about it, because if the English were not of any benefit from them, then their language simply would not have preserved.

So, in short, articles in English have three functions:

• grammatical,
• contextual,
• index.

By the way, you are unlikely to read about this in a school textbook, since these formulations are the result of my personal experience. If we want to understand how to “use” and not “observe” articles, then I propose to start with these three properties. Let’s take a closer look at each item now.

The grammatical function of the article

When we see the words «work» and «work», we immediately know where the verb is and where the noun is. The British were less fortunate, so they have to get out with the help of official words — in particular, articles. Compare:

That’s what makes it work… “That’s what makes it work.
That’s what makes it the work of art. “That’s what makes it a work of art.

Fighting system — combat system, type of single combat.
Fighting The system — fighting the system.

by following trend — following the trend.
by the next trend — the next trend.

Plus, articles help — especially for us students — to distinguish the structure of a sentence. You probably know that the format of a typical English sentence is «subject-action-object» (for example, «a moth eats a fur coat»). In most cases, articles serve as a kind of markers that distinguish a subject and an object (by the way, a subject or an object can consist of several words). This makes it incredibly easier to comprehend English by ear.

By the way, if you remember the rule that the article is not placed in front of words like “some”, “any”, “another”, cardinal numbers, possessive pronouns, etc., then it seems to me extremely poorly formulated. I would say that such words supplant the article, since they carry a similar grammatical load — they mark the object and the subject in the sentence. This will become clearer from the examples below.

Articles can transform words into the same subject or object that are not strictly nouns:

It’s a «no» from me. — I say «No».

In general, the article allows us to manipulate grammatical categories — parts of speech and parts of a sentence. Let’s go further.

Article context function

Compare the following two sentences:

Do you still haveAny) cookies?
Do you still have the cookies?

They differ in meaning, but this difference is lost when translated into Russian —

Do you still have cookies? —

unless we translate the article the with an expanded subordinate clause:

Do you still have the cookies we ate last time?

As you can see, articles allow you to say more with less means, implying what is known to all interlocutors.

This property is closely related to the concept of the definite article. You probably remember the school rule that «if a subject has already been mentioned, then the definite article is put in front of it, blah blah blah.» his next time, all the participants in the conversation will already know what kind of thing they are talking about. By the time Chekhov’s “gun from the first act” is ready to fire, it has already turned into “the gun”.

In other words, the article participates in the creation of the context.

Keep in mind that in order to bring a subject into context or for the participants to understand which subject they are talking about, it is not at all necessary to mention it in the conversation. Let’s say our sun is always «the sun ”, simply because there is only one sun in our solar system, and we do not know anything about the others. Therefore, even if you are just basking in the sun, you are lying in the sun «.

Interestingly, the article can not only participate in the creation of the context, but individually set it! If you’ve watched the movie Groundhog Day, then remember how the main character repeatedly takes his own life, each time waking up safe and sound. Commenting on this, he says, «I am a god.» — meaning that he is a deity, he has divine abilities. He then clarifies, «Well, I’m not the God.» — implying that he does not claim to be the supreme one God.

Indicative function of the article

Unlike the English articles, the Russian words “some / some”, “some”, “any”, “this / that”, “such”, “this” do not seem useless to us at all, right? It’s funny, but in fact, both of them can be attributed to the same category.

The article «the», for example, is etymologically closely related to the demonstrative pronoun «that» (that), which is generally characteristic of definite articles in different languages.

And the indefinite article «a / an», in turn, comes from the Old English word «an», which means «one», that is, one of many, some or any.

Thus, when we point to a thing in speech, the article outlines the circle of objects to which our object can belong. And see how this function of his organically intersects with the pronouns that supplant him:

• We have fun. — «We are having fun.» General non-localizable (uncountable) concept, therefore no article.
• Any heavy object will do. — «Any heavy object will do.» «Any» here emphasizes that the circle is not limited in any way.
• Grave a chair. — «Take a chair.» Any of several chairs in the room. That is, we know that the range of subjects is limited, but which one will be chosen is not important for us.
• give me the key, I’ll open it. — “Give me the key. I’ll open.» Your companion may have several keys, but unlike the example with chairs, we do not need any key, but one that fits the door in front of which you are standing. We may not know anything else about the key — the article in this example only indicates that any random key will not suit us.
• Can I use your phone? — «Can I call from your phone?» Here we mean a specific item well known to its owner. Why can’t we say “the” instead of “your”? Because the article, even the definite one, rather implies, and the possessive pronoun «your» uniquely identifies and therefore is preferable in this case.

Notice how the examples are arranged in order of narrowing the set? Of course, a lot depends on the context, and “any” and “your” are not the only pronouns that supplant the article. Here we have only illustrated the concretizing, restrictive properties of the article when referring to the subject.

* * *

By the way! There are also special grammatical constructions and stable turns, when the article changes the meaning of the sentence to the exact opposite. Compare:

Source: http://lingorado.com/articles-1-rules-intuition/

Lesson 27. Indefinite article a / an in English

• 1 Rules for the use of the article a / an
• 2 Tasks for the lesson

Sofia StalskayaHigher linguistic education. Work experience 5 years.

As you may have noticed, English is in many ways different from Russian, and in this lesson we will look at another of its differences, namely the presence of a part of speech called the article.

It is important to remember that the article is used only with nouns. There are three articles in total: indefinite (a / an), definite (the) and zero, that is, its absence. In this tutorial, we’ll talk about the indefinite article.

Rules for the use of the article a / an

So the article a / an used with countable nouns in the singular — after all, originally, the article was once the word «one». Why do you need two indefinite articles, you ask? It’s simple — with words that begin with a vowel, you need to use the option an.

Compare:

• I have got an orange.
• I have got a cat.

If the noun is plural, the article is not used, but you can add some or many:

• I got oranges. I have got some oranges.
• I have got cats. I have got many cats.

If the noun is uncountable, you do not need to use the article: There is water in the glass.

Important! For nouns that begin with the sound [ju], the article a is used. You need to focus on how the word is pronounced, and not how it is spelled.

For example:

When to use the indefinite article? In the following cases:

• with professions: I am a teacher.
• after verbs to be and have got: I have got a sister. She is twelve.
• In exclamation points after what: What a beautiful picture!
• In meaning «one»: It will take me an hour.
• In meaning «any»: Give me a pen, please.

Do not forget that if the noun is plural, the above points become invalid and you do not need to use the article.

Important! If the noun is preceded by a possessive pronoun, you do not need to use the article: This is my brother

If there is an adjective along with a noun in a sentence, the article is placed before the adjective and depends on how it is pronounced:

old car,

to big house.

We’ll come back to the articles in more detail later, but for now, complete a few hands-on exercises.

Lesson assignments

Task 1. Use a or an.

Source: https://linguistpro.net/neopredelennyj-artikl-aan-v-anglijskom-yazyke

Articles a, an and the in English — examples of use

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

Why do we need articles in English?

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

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

See how the meaning of the phrase changes:

• I like the car. 
• I like the car.

Feel the catch? In the first case it is not clear what kind of car we are talking about, and in the second we are talking about a specific car.

In English, words cannot be swapped, therefore, articles are used to give the desired shade to the phrase A, An и Tea.

Articles rules

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

Remember!

If we are talking about an unknown subject, then the indefinite article A / An… If we are talking about something specific, then the article is placed in front of it The.

Assignment: Which articles should you use in the following examples?

We bought a car.

We bought the car that we saw yesterday.

Click on the arrows to get the answer.

Prompt.

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

This is 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)
      Is it about something in common?

What is the difference between articles a and an?

Repeat!
Indefinite article A/An (which comes from one) we put only in front of countable nouns in the singular!

So what’s the difference between A и An?

Article A placed before words that begin with consonants (a cat, a house, a yard) and An — before words that start with vowels (an apple, an hour). 

Let this picture pop up in front of your eyes when you choose a medja a и an.

When do we use the indefinite article?

1. When we classify an object, we assign it to a specific 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 the subject.

• My mother is a nurse. — My mom is a nurse.
• He is an idiot! — He’s an idiot!

3. With uncountable objects in the meaning of «portion».

• Could you bring me a coffee? — Will you bring me a cup of coffee?
• Buy a milk. — Buy a carton of milk.

More about The in English

Unlike the indefinite, the definite article can be placed before any noun in any number. But when?

1. In front of objects that are one of a kind.

• The president visited the veterans. — The President visited the veterans. (After all, each country has only one president).
• The Earth moves around the Sun. — The earth moves around the sun.

2. In front of objects from a limited group.

• The wheel of the car was missing. — The car had no wheels. (One of the 4 wheels of the car was missing).

3. Before objects for which there is a definition.

• The boy that has stolen a purse, was caught. — The boy who stole the purse was caught.
• The leader of this movement was born in Germany. — The leader of this movement was born in Germany. (What is the leader? — of this movement).

Practical assignment

Complete the interactive English article exercise to help you consolidate the material.

Take the article test

Source: https://www.learnathome.ru/grammar/articles-a-an-the.html

Use of the article THE

In this article we will touch upon the topic «Articles» — one of the most «unloved» topics of our students.

Many admit that, although they have gone through this topic many times, they continue to put articles at random and cannot systematize knowledge in any way. Particularly difficult is the article THE. Perhaps you have the same problem.

In preparing this article, we asked our students and subscribers to formulate questions related to the use of THE article, which they find it difficult to answer on their own. I would like to note that the questions were very similar, so we summarized them. And here are the questions that students are interested in:

• Which article to choose: A or THE?
• When is THE always used?
• When is THE used with place nouns?
• How to tell if the article is needed with plural and uncountable nouns?

If you are also not completely sure of the depth of your knowledge about the use of the definite article THE and your previous experience of studying «from the textbook» turned out to be useless, then this material will help you systematize the existing knowledge and, possibly, learn something new.

Which article should I choose A or THE?

Let’s remember a little from theory. A(an) — this is an indefinite article, it indicates an indefinite subject, and emphasizes that the subject is one. THE — the definite article, it is used when something is mentioned that is already known to the speaker.

Consider this example:

— My father bought me UN Chien.
— Great! What color is the dog?
— The dog is black. And my mother bought me to book.

The first sentence uses article A, since the dog is mentioned for the first time and the interlocutor does not know anything about it yet. Further used article THE, since it became clear to both speakers what kind of dog they were talking about. In the last sentence, the word book also used with an indefinite article, since it is mentioned for the first time, the interlocutor has not yet determined what kind of book it is.

Some more examples:

Yesterday I got the letter. the letter was from my friend. — Yesterday I received a letter. The letter was from a friend of mine.

I am reading a newspaper… I bought the newspaper from the newsagent. — I am reading a newspaper. I bought a newspaper from a periodicals seller.

Remember the rule: If in front of you is a countable noun in the singular, then use A if this subject is mentioned for the first time or it is indefinite, insignificant. THE is used if the subject has already been mentioned before and is known to the interlocutors.

Sometimes, despite the fact that something is mentioned for the first time, we can understand from the context what it is about: when additional information about the subject is given, an explanation, or when it is clear from the situation itself. Let’s look at examples with explanations:

I was at the party yesterday. — I was at a party yesterday. (I mean some kind of party that we don’t know anything about yet)

I was at the party organized by my friend. — I was at a party organized by my friend.

(We understand what kind of party we are talking about)

He saw a woman in the corridor. — He saw (some) woman in the hallway.

(No additional information is given about the woman)

He saw the woman who lived next door to him. — He saw a woman who lived next door.

(We understand what kind of woman she is)

He entered a door… — He entered the door.

(He entered one of the doors, we do not know which one).

He entered the door nearest to the stairs. He entered the door closest to the stairs.

(Specifies which door)

When is THE always used?

Remember some of the cases in which THE is always used:

• when something is mentioned that exists in one instance, something unique in its kind: the sun, the moon, the world, the earth, the capital, the ground, the environment, the universe
• with the names of groups of people expressed by adjectives: the elderly, the young, the old, the rich, the poor, the unemployed, the disabled and others
• with nationalities ending in -ese and -sh (-ch): the British, the Scottish, the Spanish, the Chinese, the Japanese. The article THE article may not be used with other nationalities: (the) Russians, (the) Americans
• in combinations related to space: the end, the beginning, the middle, the center

Source: https://enginform.com/article/article-the

Article in English

Zolotareva T.P., teacher, secondary school № 100, Krasnodar

Terms of use of the article in English

ARTICLE

indefinite article «a «(«an «) the definite article»the »

Indefinite article in english

1. If you can put the words in front of a noun: any, everyone, everyone.

Example:A student must work hard.

Notes: Not used in the plural.
Example: Students must work hard.

1. After revolutions: there is, there was.

 Example:There is a pen on the table.

1. After verbs am, have, is, has.

 Example: I have a cat.
I am a worker.

1. С sustainable combinations.

 Example: to have a rest, to have a tooth ache, to make a mistake, to go for a walk, to catch a cold, to give a look. (Phrases must be remembered)

1. In exclamation points after what, such.

 Example: Such a good day!

1. If the noun has a descriptive definition.

 Example: It was night. — Was night.
           It was a cold night. — Was cold night.

1. When the subject is spoken about for the first time.

 Example: I ate an egg for lunch.
8. The article «a «(«an «) is placed only before countable nouns !!!

The definite article in English

1. If the subject has already been discussed.
  Example: I see a bird. The bird is big.
2. If the subject is known from the situation or context.
  Example: The play was interesting.
3.

If before noun Yes limiting definitions, such as: only, main, central, same, right, left, next, last, final; or ordinal numerals: first, second.

  Example: Give me the second cup of tea.
  Notes:second, third — have the meaning «one more».
4. Before adjectives in superlative degree.
  Example: The best, the nice.
5.

Before nouns unique in the world or in a given setting.
 Example: The sky, the west, the cosmos.

6. Before nouns in the role of the circumstance of place, nouns have prepositions of place: in tea.
  Example:in the garden.
7.

The noun is used in a generalized generic meaning and represents the entire class.
  Example: The elephant is a strong animal.
8. Before nouns formed from adjectives and participles.

  Example:Poor — poor the poors — the poor.

9. In a number of established phrases.
  Example: in the morning, in the country, on the left, the day before yesterday, tell the truth.

Zero article in English

1. If there are other qualifiers before the noun (pronouns — possessive, demonstrative, interrogative, indefinite; noun in the possessive case)
Example: My room is large.

2. If the noun is preceded by a cardinal number.
Example: one man, two girls, three boys
3. Nouns denoting the names of substances are used, as a rule, without an article: water, milk, chalk, sugar, tea, snow, grass, wool, meat.
Example: He saw snow in the fields.

4. Uncountable abstract nouns (abstract concepts), as a rule, are used without an article: weather, music, power, knowledge, art, history, mathematics.
Example: I music.
5. Before a noun in the function of address (here a noun serving as an address is considered as a proper noun and is used without an article)
Example: Good morning, Captain!

Name	The	Without article
Parts of the world, continents	If there are words States, Union, Federation; country in plural Number(The United States of America)	Without article(Australia)
Oceans, seas, straits, lakes, rivers, waterfalls	With article(The Baikal)	If there is a word lake in front of the name, etc.(Lake Baikal)
Deserts	Only with the article(The Sahara)	An exception: Death Valley, Silicon Valley
Mountain ranges	With article The rocky mountains	Name of individual vertices without article (Mount Vesuvius, Mount Goverla, Mount Elbrus)

Name	The	Without article
Streets, squares, parks	Are written without an article Broadway, Trafalgar Square
Theaters, museums, galleries	Only с article the Royal Opera House
Cinemas, hotels, restaurants, cafes	Only with the article the Bolshoy Theater	Buckingham Palace (excluded)
Famous works of art, books	Only with the article the Times
Airports, stations, bridges	Always without an article Westminster Bridge
Schools, colleges, universities	Remember: the Sorbonne,compare: London University — The University of London	Always without an article Columbia University
Churches, cathedrals	Always without article St. Paul`s Cathedral
Ships, yachts, famous trains	Only with the article the titanic
Political institutions, historical events	Only with the article the red cross	Parliament, Congress, White hall (excl.)
English, American newspapers and magazines	Only with the article the Guardian	Russians — always without an article Izvestia
Sport events	Only with the article The Olympic Games	Wimbledon (excl.)
Music bands	If the name is in plural. number, then with the article the beatles	If in unit. number, then without article

Names	the	without article	a
Names, surnames	If talking about all family members	If in unit. number of	One of the family members, some
Personal names have become common nouns	Always with article a only
Appeals, titles	Always without an article

Source: https://ya-znau.ru/znaniya/zn/1

Article in English

First of all, let’s understand what, in general, an article is. As an English teacher, I often hear from my students the following phrase: “I don’t understand why articles are needed, I don’t feel the difference between a definite and an indefinite article and I don’t know when to put which of them, in front of what, exactly, to put them and when you can not use them at all.

Let’s talk about everything in order.

The article is a part of speech that is used in some languages ​​to denote the category of certainty or uncertainty of objects and is not translated into Russian. For example, here’s a sentence:

Give me a pen, please!

Where to put the article here?

Of course, before the noun «pen», since the article is the prerogative of only the noun and its definitions, but there is no definition of the noun here. If we slightly changed our sentence and a definition of a noun expressed by an adjective (but not a pronoun and not a numeral) would appear, we would put the article before the whole group “adjective + noun”. For example:

Give me a red pen, please!

Which article to put here definite or indefinite depends on the situation described in the context or directly on what exactly you yourself mean.

If you are addressing a person with such a request, you do not mean anything specific, that is, you just need some, any red pen, since you are checking the notebooks of your students and you, for example, have run out of ink in your pen, you should put an indefinite article.

Give me a pen please!

Give me a red pen please!

If you change the contextual situation, for example, you saw a very beautiful new pen in your friend’s hands and want to examine it yourself better, and therefore, looking at it or pointing with your hand, ask to give it to you, you mean a completely definite object. You do not care what kind of pen your friend will give you, you want to consider exactly the same, new and beautiful, which he is now holding in his hands. In this case, the definite article should be used.

Give me the pen please!

Give me the red pen please!

Regarding the use of articles in general, you can deduce such a simple rule for yourself:

If before a noun or a pair of «adjective + noun» you can mentally put words such as: any, any, no matter which, one of many, etc., you should put an indefinite article.

If before a noun or a pair of «adjective + noun», you can mentally put words such as: this one, yours, yours, mine, that, etc., you should put a definite article.

The indefinite article can be meaningfully replaced by the numeral 1 (one of many).

The definite article can be meaningfully replaced by demonstrative (this, that, etc.), or possessive (mine, your, your, our, etc.) pronouns.

Indefinite article

It has only the singular form and, accordingly, cannot be used with plural nouns.

Before words beginning with a consonant, it has the form «a». For example: a table, a flat, a cat.

Before words beginning with a vowel, it has the form “an”. For example: an apple, an album.

Definite article

It has only the singular and plural forms and, accordingly, can be used with both singular and plural nouns. It has a single form — “the”.

The flat, the flats, the cat, the cats, the apple, the apples, the album, the albums.

Work through this material using the textbook «Theoretical and Practical Grammar of the English Language with Exercises for All Normative Grammar and Tests.»

Work through this material with an English tutor.

Source: http://www.m-teach.ru/reference-books/english-handbook/article-in-eanglish.html

Articles in English — definite and indefinite

The indefinite and definite articles, although they seem small and insignificant, actually play a very important role in the language. Their use is so important that when dealing with foreigners, you run the risk of driving yourself into a dead end if you don’t know how to use the article. In order not to get confused when to use them and in what form, let’s figure it out once and for all in simple, but very important rules.

What is an article?

Due to the fact that there is no such thing as an «article» in Russian, articles cause a stupor in many English language learners.

Where? What for? And most importantly, how do you use articles in English? And, although not everyone is able to cope with them right away, first you need to remember: articles are placed in front of almost ALL nouns in English.

In colloquial speech, and sometimes in the English-language media, articles can be omitted, but this does not mean that they should be forgotten as a nightmare and never used.

The use of articles in English is necessary to clarify what is being discussed. Are you talking about an abstract subject or a concrete one? Therefore, there are only two options — the definite and indefinite article. But more about the rules for using articles in English — further.

Rules of Use

Actually, the rules for using articles in English are already laid down in the name itself.

Definite article used in cases where the speaker clearly understands what is at stake.

Indefinite article — if we are talking about an object from a set, about one of, some — in other words, not specific.

If during speech you can point to something and say «this», then, most likely, you will need a definite article, if not, then an indefinite one. It’s simple.

Table of common uses of articles in English:
units number — countable nouns	pl. number of countable, uncountable nouns
uncertain	before consonant sound	a	no article
before vowel sound	an	no article
certain	the	the

Let’s give an example.

There’s a girl waiting for you on the first floor. — Some girl is waiting for you on the first floor.
The speaker is not familiar with the girl, the article can be easily replaced with «some» or «one».

The girl that we were talking about is waiting for you on the first floor. — The same girl we talked about is waiting for you on the first floor.
The speaker knows this girl and refers to the moment in the previous speech so that the interlocutor understands which girl is being discussed.

From the two examples, it is obvious that if a conversation about an object comes up for the first time, and it is not yet entirely clear what it is, it is necessary to use the indefinite article.

Once lived a young girl, who loved catching butterflies. — Once there was a girl who loved to catch butterflies.

But, if we continue to talk about the subject, we already perfectly understand who we are talking about, and must use the definite article. If another object appears in speech, it is the same again.

Once the girl met a boy, who loved butterflies too. The boy told her they should be friends. — Once this girl met a boy who also loved to collect butterflies. This boy told her that they should be friends.

Further in the text, both the girl and the boy come with definite articles. If a butterfly appears in the text that asks them to stop catching butterflies, it will also first have an indefinite article in front of it, and then a definite article.

Или:

I want to buy a coat. — I want to buy myself some kind of coat.
The speaker has not yet gone shopping, did not find out the prices, he simply says that it would not hurt him to buy a new coat — for example, because the old one is completely leaky.

I want to buy the coat. — I want to buy that / this coat.
The speaker stands right in front of the window, points to the coat that matches his preference.

If a noun is preceded by an adjective in addition to the article, it is placed after the article.

A young man and an old woman crossed the road. — A young man and an elderly woman crossed the road.

The clever students made the task all by themselves. — Smart students coped with the task on their own.

Definite article also used in cases:

• when it comes to something that is one of a kind: the Sun (sun), the Earth (planet Earth);
• before place names with additional nouns: the Black Sea, the Volga river, the Ural Mountains, BUT: Russia (Russia), America (America), the United Stated (USA);
• in front of the cardinal points: the Northern Europe, the East wind;
• before ordinal numbers: the first room (first room), the third place (third place);
• before the classes of animals / plants: the whale (whales), the roses (roses);
• before titles / ranks, one of a kind: the Queen (Queen), the president of Russia (president of Russia);
• before the superlative: the best swimmer, the highest mountain;
• before the words «most of», «one of», «some of»: most of the days (most of the days), one of the books (one of the books);
• before the family name in the plural: the Smiths, the Browns.

Indefinite article in English can be replaced with the words «one» («one»), «some» («some», «some»). So if you can put these words, and the meaning does not change, then you really need the indefinite article.

It is also used for:

• profession name: She’s a nurse. — She is a nurse;
• before the words «such», «rather», «quite»: He’s rather a good guy. — He’s a pretty nice guy;
• before nouns denoting time, meaning «one»: back in a minute — I’ll be back in a minute; phone you in an hour — I’ll call you in an hour.

There are also cases when the article is not used at all — in this case, they speak of using the «zero article».

Using the zero article

First of all, it should be remembered that the zero article in English is placed before most of the proper names. That is, calling someone by name, you cannot put anything in front of him, and if you say «The Peter», you will definitely be considered illiterate. Why does Peter need a definite article, if he is alone in your environment, and so it is clear what it is about?

Peter left his keys. — Peter left his keys.

In addition, the plural does not require the zero article when it comes to the subject for the first time. «A / an» always displays the item in the SINGLE number.

He left keys in my room. He said the keys were yellow. He always forgets his keys at my place. — He left some keys in my room. He said these keys were yellow.

Yes, if the noun is preceded by a possessive pronoun, the article is also not needed. The same goes for numerals: if the number is in front of the noun, the article is not put:

I’ve spent ten dollars. — I spent 10 dollars.

If the noun is abstract, that is, it has no concrete meaning and cannot be counted, the article is not put:

I need money. — I need money.

I need information. — I need information.

If a noun is used as a definition, the article is also not needed:

He s punk-rock music. — He likes punk rock music.

Source: https://www.lovelylanguage.ru/grammar/rules/179-articles-in-english