Word list of articles

Articles in English — Terms of Use — YES

Articles are the biggest headache for English learners. There is nothing of the kind in our grammar, and it is simply impossible to compare the meaning of the article with some Russian grammatical element.

However, in English there is a rule (of which, of course, there are exceptions): every noun must be defined.

The determinant of a noun can be a demonstrative or possessive pronoun (This house is quite big; My hat is lost), a possessive noun (This is John’s car, This is my mother’s hat), a numeral (We have twenty cows), words much / many (There’s not much milk left; There are too many people here) and the definite or indefinite articles (We d the movie; I have a car).

It is necessary to understand the rules for using articles, although it is quite difficult. After all, we have to understand how a native English speaker thinks, and not just how he speaks. But no matter how difficult this task is, it is still possible to cope with it. Consider the English article as a first approximation.

How many articles are there in English?

English has three articles: definite — the, indefinite — a / an, and zero.

The definite article is used with both singular and plural nouns (the cow, the cows) and uncountable nouns (the information, the news).

The indefinite article is used only with countable nouns in the singular (a cow). It is very useful to remember that the article a comes from the numeral «one», and it retains this meaning.

Then you don’t want to say «one cow» or «one information». The variant of the indefinite article an is needed when the word following it begins with a vowel sound: an answer.

It would be extremely inconvenient to pronounce a answer, so the letter n is glued to the article a before the vowels.

The zero article is the indefinite article for plural and uncountable nouns. Wed: Ø Cars are running back and forth — (undefined) Cars go back and forth. We need Ø information — We need (undefined) information.

This can be represented in the form of a simple table of articles like this:

The is the definite article for singular and plural countable nouns and for uncountable nouns.

A / An is the indefinite article for countable nouns in the singular. Ø is the indefinite article for plural and uncountable nouns.

What do «definite articles» and «indefinite articles» mean?

Or in other words: what do “definite nouns” and “indefinite nouns” mean, that is, how to choose which article to use — definite or indefinite — in this particular case? This is a difficult question, and the least inaccurate answer to it sounds like this: the choice of an article depends on the speaker’s knowledge of the listener’s knowledge.

If the speaker knows that his interlocutor knows which particular subject from the class of objects is being discussed, then the speaker must use a definite article. If the speaker knows that the interlocutor does not know which particular object from the class of objects is being discussed, then the speaker must use the indefinite article. It sounds a little confusing, but the following examples will help you sort out this tricky situation.

My interlocutor may know which particular subject I am talking about for several reasons. First, I can gesture to point to the subject. The cup is broken — I say and show the crack on the cup to my interlocutor.

Secondly, many items have essential components, i.e. such, without which these items would not be called that. For example, a «room» by definition has a floor, ceiling, and walls. The «living room» also, by definition, also has a door and a window.

Therefore, being in the living room, I must say to the interlocutor: put it on the floor, the walls need painting, the ceiling is rather high, close the door, open the window, etc. I know that my interlocutor knows which floor, walls, ceiling, etc.

I am talking about those who are in this room, so for him these objects are definite. Accordingly, I must use the definite article the.

Thirdly, some objects exist in our world in a single copy, and on this basis they are specific to any person. Whoever I turn to, I say, for example, The sun is rising, because I know for sure that my interlocutor knows which sun I am talking about — we have one. If we had two or more suns, I would have to say A sun is rising, since my interlocutor does not know which of the several sun is currently rising.

There are other reasons why a certain noun might be specific to the listener. They are described in detail in the classes for children at the YES Foreign Language Center.

The indefinite article is needed precisely when the speaker knows that his interlocutor does not know about which particular subject from the class of objects is being spoken about.

I bought a car yesterday — I declare with joy in my voice, since there are a great many cars in the world, and my interlocutor, of course, does not know which car I bought yesterday.

Now, if I continue to talk about this car, then I have to talk about it using the demonstrative pronoun (this car) or the definite article (the car). After all, now I am absolutely sure that my interlocutor knows which particular car I am talking about — the one that I bought yesterday.

Source: https://www.yescenter.ru/blog/articles/artikli-v-angliyskom-yazyke/

The use of articles in English: what is an article in English, types and use of English articles

When learning foreign languages, we often come across rules that are unfamiliar to us and have no analogues in our native speech. One of these moments in the English language is articles — particles that refer to nouns are placed in front of them and help convey the meaning of the entire sentence. If they are removed from the narrative, the items can change completely during translation.

There are 2 types of articles: the first option is the indefinite «a / an», and the second is the definite «the». In addition, the rules of grammar of the English language provide for a situation when neither the first nor the second are used in the construction of a sentence or are deliberately omitted. In this case, one speaks of the zero article.

How to use them is clearly spelled out in the norms and rules of English grammar, and it is quite easy to remember them.

Types of articles in English

The absence of declensions of nouns, as in our usual Russian, imposes its own difficulties on the composition of sentences. For the most accurate translation and transmission of information about the subject of conversation or character, 2 types of articles are used:

Defined by THE reads like [ðǝ], or [ðɪ], depending on the first letter of the noun itself. Definite Article is used to refer to a specific concept, subject, or multiple subjects:

The apple is red. Moreover, the color refers to this particular fruit, and not to the concept in general.

The pupils are clever. When in the previous sentences it was said about the students personally, then in the subsequent ones a definite article is used, which points exactly to them.

Undefined A / AN used in speech in cases where the noun conveys a collective concept or belonging of a representative to a given species, and not a specific object.

If the word begins with a vowel, then the Indefinite Article has the form «an», if with a consonant — «a».

The article is used in a sentence together with living things or inanimate objects, a noun in the singular, which can be counted if desired. In addition, when it is spoken about for the first time in the narrative.

It is a red apple. It does not indicate a specific apple that lies in front of the narrator, but simply explains the existence of a fruit of this color.

A pupils are clever. Without highlighting any person personally, the proposal tells about the property of children in general.

There is a third option — the absence of an article for any reason. Usually, this does not affect the semantic load of the sentence and is often used in the media, in newspapers or press reports.

Zero article in English

Often there are constructions in sentences in which the noun does not require the presence of a particle in front of it, or it is deliberately omitted by the speaker, because it does not carry a semantic load. It is also called the zero article. Let’s consider in more detail examples and situations when it is omitted or absent.

Gases, liquids, feelings and other uncountable vague concepts:

Water is important to life — Water is important to life.

Friendship is the best things of our life — Friendship is the best thing in my life.

It is impossible to point to a specific object, or to count the number, both concepts are abstract and not tied to objects.

A group of objects or people, the number of which cannot be determined or indicated:

Plants produce oxygen — Plants produce oxygen.

The sentence is about production, not about a specific tree or weed, so the use of the article is not required.

The direct meaning of the words home, college, bed, prison, school, university suggests this option:

Tom go to school — Tom goes to school. Here the story is about Tom the schoolboy, not about the building.

Today Tom is left his lessons in the school — Tom skipped his lessons at school today. For comparison, an example is taken when Tom missed lessons in his school, which acts not as a concept or status, but as a room, organization or building.

The link «vehicle + by» is used without an article:

We traveling by plans — We travel by plane. But if you add an adjective to the name of the vehicle, then the definite article is already necessary.

We traveled to Moscow by the big yellow plan — We flew to Moscow on a big yellow plane.

The combination of the words «title + proper name» is also used without an article, while one mention of the title is already used in the form The President, The Minister, and so on.

A unique profession that distinguishes a person from the general group:

Source: http://top100lingua.ru/blog/grammatika/upotreblenie-artiklej-v-anglijskom-jazyke-chto-takoe-artikl-v-anglijskom-jazyke-vidy-i-ispolzovanie-anglijskih-artiklej

Articles in English with examples and rules

When learning English, many have difficulty with the articles. What are the functions of articles in English? Our article will acquaint you with examples and rules for their use.

Why many find it so difficult to learn articles in English

At school, teaching English relies on the systematic study of rules. At the same time, practically no attention is paid to deep understanding and development of linguistic intuition. Surprisingly, native speakers often use articles intuitively and cannot always explain by what principle they choose one or another article in each specific example.

The rules for using articles in English are difficult to remember for people who speak other languages. Let’s take a look at one example.

The sentence “Being a botanist, he loves nature” in German will sound like “Da er_Botaniker ist, liebt er die Natur”, and in English “Being a botanist, he is fond of nature”. In this example, we see two cases of mismatch of articles.

Professions in English are used with an indefinite article, and in German without it at all. There is a definite article before the word «nature» in German, but not in English.

Even Americans and British people sometimes use articles differently in English. For example, phrases like «in the hospital», «at the bank», «in the park» in America have a general meaning, but in England they have a specific meaning. By saying this, the British mean that this hospital, bank or park is the only one in the city, or that we are talking about a specific place. If they just need to indicate the type of institution in which the person is located, the article is omitted.

Accordingly, if a person is in a hospital, the Briton will say “in hospital”, if the child is in school — “at school”, etc. Put “the” before the word, they deem it necessary, for example, if a person just entered the hospital building or school. In this case, both British and Americans will say “at the hospital” or “at the school”.

These examples demonstrate the importance of articles in the English language. These are not just auxiliary words: it is with their help that the English can express their thoughts as accurately as possible. Moreover, in most examples, it is quite logical to explain why the word is preceded by «a» or «the». If you understand this issue well, you will speak English much more confidently and native speakers will understand you better.

Why is it so difficult for Russian-speaking people to understand this topic? Usually, the study of articles goes like this:

1. The person learns the basic rules.

2. He tries to apply them in Russian, because before we translate a sentence into English, we first formulate it in Russian.

In general, a person simply repeats to himself that it is necessary to use articles in English, and at the same time tries to correlate them with Russian words. But articles are by no means useless. If there was no need for them, they would simply disappear from the language. Therefore, English learners should consider articles as an effective speech tool, and not as another obstacle on the way to a good knowledge of the language.

Read the material on the topic: Methodology for learning English: which one to choose

Functions of articles in English (with examples)

There are three main functions of an article in English:

• grammatical,
• contextual,
• index.

It is the understanding of these functions that will help you to correctly and appropriately use articles in English in the future. The examples below will help you understand each of the points indicated.

Grammatical function

In Russian, verbs and nouns (for example, «work» and «work») look completely different. In English, the words of different parts of speech can coincide in spelling and sound: here the article comes to the rescue.

Compare for example:

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 — a combat system, a type of single combat.

Fighting the system — fighting the system.

by following the trend — following the trend.

by the following trend — the next trend.

In addition, thanks to the articles, native speakers, as well as foreigners, can more easily understand the structure of the sentence. As you know, in English a sentence is built according to the standard scheme: «subject-action-object» (for example, «a dog gnaws a bone»). And articles serve as a kind of markers of the object and the subject. Thanks to their presence in oral speech, it is much easier to grasp the meaning.

In this respect, words such as «some», «any», «another», as well as quantitative numerals and possessive pronouns, perform a similar grammatical function. In English, there is a rule that the article is not placed in front of them. But it would be more correct to say that the article is repressed, since these words themselves are markers of the object and the subject.

It is interesting that the article can transform words of different parts of speech into a subject or object. For example:

It’s a «no» from me. — I say «No».

Thus, in English, the article allows you to manage such categories as «part of speech» and «part of a sentence».

Context function

Compare these two examples:

Do you still have (any) cookies?

Do you still have the cookies?

If you translate them into Russian, the difference that native speakers put in will not be visible —

Do you still have cookies left?

You can emphasize this difference only if you add a subordinate clause:

Do you still have the cookies we ate last time?

The concept of context function is closely related to the definite article. Many people from school remember the rule that the definite article in English is placed before a noun if the subject has already been mentioned earlier. This means that if during the conversation there was already a talk about him, then at the next mention, all the participants in the conversation will understand what exactly we are talking about.

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

There are, however, a few exceptions, that is, words that do not need to be mentioned before using them with the definite article. Usually such words mean something unique, when you do not need to clarify which item from the set you mean. For example, there is only one sun in the solar system, so the word «sun» in English is accompanied by the article «the». And even if nothing has been said about the sun before, phrases like «lying in the sun» will contain the definite article.

Moreover, the article can not only influence the context, but also create it. For example, remember the phrases from the movie Groundhog Day, which the hero uttered when every time after committing suicide he woke up alive and well.

At first he said «I am a god» — with the indefinite article this sentence conveys the meaning that a person has supernatural, «divine» abilities. The next sentence contains the definite article — «Well, I’m not the God».

It denies that the character is the supreme, one God.

Pointing function

There are many pronouns in the Russian language, the usefulness of which we do not doubt, for example, «some», «some», «any», «this / that», «such», etc. It is interesting that in terms of meaning some of them are close to the English articles.

So, the origin of the article «the» is associated with the demonstrative pronoun «that» (that). This connection can be found in many languages.

The indefinite article in English comes from the word «an», which in Old English meant «one» in the sense of «one of many, some, any».

That is, with the help of the article we can outline the circle of objects to which the thing we are talking about can belong. If a noun is preceded by a pronoun that performs a similar function, there will be no article.

examples:

• We have fun. — «We are having fun». Fun is an abstract concept, it cannot be counted, so the article is not needed.
• Any heavy object will do. — «Any heavy object will do.» The pronoun «any» means that there are no restrictions regarding this subject.
• Grab a chair. — «Take a chair.» It means that there are several chairs in the room — this is the limitation of the choice. It doesn’t matter which of them the person takes.
• Give me the key, I’ll open it. — “Give me the key. I’ll open». Obviously, the interlocutor may have a whole bunch of keys, but the door can only be opened with one. The definite article in this example is used because the speaker does not need a key, but the one that fits a particular lock.
• Can I use your phone? — «Can I call from your phone?» Here we are talking about a specific subject known to the interlocutor, which in English corresponds to the meaning of a definite article. However, this example uses a possessive pronoun because it more specifically refers to a telephone that the other person is talking to.

The examples above are ranked from widest to narrowest. It is clear that in many cases context will affect the use of the article, and it may also be supplanted by pronouns other than «any» and «your». The point of these examples is to show how an article can point to a specific object or denote the boundaries of a set.

In some specific constructions and fixed expressions in English, the article completely changes the meaning of the phrase. Compare how the meaning changes in these examples:

Source: https://www.englishpatient.org/articles/artikli-v-anglijskom-s-primerami

Articles in English: definite and indefinite articles

» English » Artikli in English

The presence of articles is one of the fundamental differences in English. Very often, it is the mastery of the rules for the correct use of articles that causes difficulties for speakers who do not have such a concept as «article» in their native speech.

Before starting to study the rules of using this part of speech in English, it is worth taking a short historical excursion and learning about the origin of the articles. This will help you understand the patterns of using one or another article and no longer experience difficulties.

Origin of articles in English

In fact, the concept of the article has not always existed in English. Historians and linguists managed to establish that in the original version, that is, at the stage of inception, no articles were used.

So, in the Old English language, which stood out from the dialect of one of the Germanic tribes and was widespread in England and Scotland in the XNUMXth-XNUMXth centuries, the articles as such were not recorded.

Moreover, nouns changed according to the usual cases and gender of Russian-speaking citizens (masculine, feminine, neuter).

Old English also had the pronouns se (that, male), seo (that, female), and thæt (that, middle). The pronoun thæt, visually and in spelling reminiscent of the modern that, became the «progenitor» of the, which later acquired the status of a service particle. The main forms of demonstrative pronouns this (this), that (that), these (these) and those (those) also originated from him.

The origin of the indefinite article

 Another «word generator» was the Old English numeral an, meaning «one.» Over time, an acquired another meaning: a word indicating a certain generalized nature of something or a category of certain objects. All these changes took shape around the XNUMXth century, and from that time on, linguists and historians believe that humanity was no longer dealing with Old English, but with Middle English.

The so-called Middle English historians and linguists «allot» to exist a period of time at the level of the XII-XV centuries, during which the positions of the articles were consolidated.

Note that the article a / an is an authentic phenomenon in the English language, that is, it is not borrowed from anywhere.

During subsequent periods of development, the positions of the articles were preserved, and nowadays everyone knows a, an and the are full-fledged parts of speech.

The definite article: how to use

So, the is involved in speech constructions, where the conversation is about a specific subject. The definite article can be used both with countable nouns, and regardless of their number, and with uncountable nouns.

 This «certainty» helps to characterize the subject in question. Here’s a simple example: The orange (apple, cake) was delicious. This translates as “The orange (apple, cake) was / was delicious. The presence of the service particle The in the sentence directly indicates that we are talking about some specific well-known orange (apple, cake), for which it was possible to make a characteristic (delicious).

Note that the definite article is used not only with nouns, but also with other parts of speech. Let’s consider all cases of possible use with examples.

Use:

Source: https://kaliningrad.capitalsc.ru/artikli-v-anglijskom-yazyke/

The definite article in English: rules and examples

Having difficulty with articles? Can’t remember more than a few rules? We promise to tell you everything you need to know about articles in English. Read about how to correctly apply the definite article in English in our article!

Introductory article

Articles are one of the riches of the English language and a big problem for those who speak other languages ​​where there are no articles. The majority of Russian-speaking students learning English find it difficult to understand the category of certainty-uncertainty, which is used by native speakers of English. We need a real restructuring of the mind, a readjustment of logic.

But English long ago got rid of the complex system of cases and categories of grammatical gender, which are preserved in Russian and so scare everyone who wants to master it. And perhaps it was this transformation from a synthetic language to a predominantly analytical language that helped the English language achieve a truly unique worldwide recognition.

Despite all the simplifications, the rules for the use of articles in English for a number of reasons are difficult for speakers of other European languages.

For comparison, take a sentence in German: “Da er_Botaniker ist, liebt er die Natur” (“Being a botanist, he loves nature”) — and the corresponding sentence in English: “Being a botanist, he is fond of nature”.

As you can see, in the English version there is an indefinite article in front of the name of the profession, in German it is not. Conversely, English does not place articles in front of nouns such as “nature,” while German requires a definite article in the same position.

Even between British and American English in this case, there are discrepancies. For example, Americans usually speak of someone in a hospital as “in the hospital”; in the same way he could be in the bank, “at the bank,” or in the park, “in the park”.

For a Briton, this means that there is only one hospital in the city, or an American talks about a specific hospital that he constantly visits. The British will say that the patient is “in hospital”, the child is “at school”, and the criminal is “in prison”. In their understanding, it is more about the profile of these institutions, and not about the buildings in which they are located.

But if you just walked into a hospital, school or prison building, then you are at the hospital, at the school or at the prison — here the British are in solidarity with the Americans.

These examples are intended to show that articles in English are a more significant part of the language than meets the eye. They are precise instruments that help to express all the subtle nuances of meaning in English in a delicate way. In the vast majority of cases, the use of the article has a clear rationale. Understanding this can help disguise non-native English and improve communication with native speakers.

Differences between the article The and A

Let’s remember a little from theory. A (year) — 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 a book.

The first sentence applies 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 the indefinite article, since it is mentioned for the first time, the person has not yet determined what kind of book it is.

Some more examples:

Yesterday I got a 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 if it is indefinite, irrelevant. 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 a 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 a friend of mine.
(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 by… — 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)

The definite article The

The main rule of thumb for using the definite article in English is this: if we use the, then we are talking about something concrete, specific, about something that is familiar to both us and our interlocutor. A synonym for the definite article can be considered words such as this, That.

In general rules, we told the main use cases for the article the, now we will consider many special cases:

The definite article the is used with one-of-a-kind, exceptional objects: the sun, the environment, the internet.

The superlative adjective will help make objects unique: the tallest building (the tallest building), the best singer (the best singer), the most expensive car (the most expensive car).

And thanks to the words only (unique), same (same), first (first) objects also become unique: the same exam (the same exam), the only person (only person), the first time (first time).

Yuri Gagarin was the first person in space. — Yuri Gagarin was first person in space.

To describe or indicate a group of objects, a class as a whole, use the construction «the + countable noun in the singular».

The cheetah is the fastest animal in the world. — Cheetah Is the fastest animal in the world. (we are not talking about one cheetah, but about the type of animals)
i play the piano… — I play on pianist.
I consider the telephone to be the most important invention. — I think that phone Is the most important invention.

Also, when talking about a group of people, use the + adjective. Please note that the verb in this case will be plural.

For example: the young, the poor, the homeless.

The young always argue with their parents. — The youth always argues with his parents.

The same construction is used with adjectives that end in -сh, -sh, -ese, if all representatives of any nation are meant.

For example: the French, the English, the Chinese.

The french are charming. — French people adorable.
The Vietnamese are very hard-working. — Vietnamese very hardworking.

When referring to all family members as a group, use the definite article the and the plural surname: the Joneses.

Often the definite article the is used with names:

• buildings (hotels, cinemas, theaters, museums, galleries, restaurants, pubs) — the Plaza hotel, the Odeon, the Kremlin, the Red Lion pub a lion»);
• newspapers (the article is part of the name and is written with a capital letter) — The Times (the Times newspaper), The Guardian (the Guardian newspaper);
• sporting events — the FIFA World Cup;
• historical periods and events — the Bronze Age (Bronze Age), the Vietnam War (Vietnam War);
• famous ships and trains — the Mayflower (ship «Mayflower»);
• organizations, political parties, institutions — the Red Cross, the Democratic Party;

Source: https://englishfull.ru/grammatika/artikl-the.html

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

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.

Artikli in English

Artikli in English — these are the determinants of nouns, they determine whether they mean a specific subject or just one of many.

Accordingly, there are two articles:

The absence of an article is sometimes referred to as the zero article. Once upon a time the articles a an and the were full words one (one and That (this one), but over time they decreased, but their meaning remained approximately the same.

:

Indefinite article «a / an»

Read more about the indefinite article: “The article a an in English”.

It is used only with countable nouns in the singular (after all, in the past it was «one»), when it comes to something vague, non-unique. For example, the bank — it’s just a bank, any, to envelope — some kind of envelope.

Keep your money in a bank. — Keep your money in a bank (no matter which one).

I need an envelope. I need (some) envelope.

The definite article «the»

More about the definite article: “The article the in English”.

Used in front of singular and plural nouns when talking about something definite, specific.

The criminals robbed the bank. — The criminals robbed a bank (some specific one).

Please close the door. — Please close the door (not any door in the house, but this door).

In other words, if you can add “some” in front of a noun, then there will be an indefinite article, and if “the very same” is appropriate, then a definite one.

The definite article is also used with nouns that mean:

1. Something unique, existing in a single copy

the Sun — the sun,

the Columbia river — Columbia river.

(about the article before proper names, see below)

2. Periods (segments) of time

in the morning — in the morning,

Source: https://langformula.ru/english-grammar/articles/

An article in English is a service word for a noun that is absent as a part of speech in Russian. Well, we don’t have articles. Because of this, even at advanced levels, the article remains the most common mistake in speaking and writing. Rather, not so much the article itself, how much its absence.

I must say that articles are found in all Romano-Germanic languages, and even in some Slavic languages, in Bulgarian, for example. It is much easier for native speakers of such languages, because you just need to translate their native articles into English, find a match for them.

How can we, Russian-speaking, remember whether an article is needed? And if so, which one? I decided to look through my favorite grammar reference books and summarize in one article.

:

Indefinite article — indefinite article

Definite article — definite article

Zero article — no article

Examples of the use of articles

Since we have no correspondence, to begin with, we learn the iron axiom — a countable noun in the singular must be with an article. If it is not there, then there is a reason for this, we will consider them later. So which one should you choose?

Indefinite article

Actually, the numeral «one» is where the indefinite article came from, the Old English version is ane. From this word, the modern forms a and an were formed. Just like in other languages ​​- une / un in French (numeral “un”), ein / eine in German (numeral “eins”), etc.

Therefore, a / an before a noun means «some», «some», «one of many». If we try to draw an analogy with the Russian language, then we can also find examples of the use of the numeral «one» in this meaning:

I met one person here = some, some person, I do not specify.

I read it in one book = I read it in some book, I don’t specify.

Now regulations:

1. Some, some, which we are talking about for the first time, often with a turnover there is:

there is a spider in the bathroom — there is a spider in the bathroom (some kind, I see it for the first time)

He buys a newspaper every day — he buys (some) newspaper every day.

I have a car — I have (a certain, then I will clarify which) car.

A spider is an insect — A spider (there are many of them, this one of them) is an insect (there are many of them, this is one of the types of insects)

It is to this category that we classify the professions:

I’m a teacher — I am a teacher (there are many teachers, I am one of them)

You’re a student — you are a student (one of many)

He’s an engineer — he is an engineer

By the way, you can already see here when а, and when an :

a — before words that start with a consonant — a teacher, a student

an — before words that start with a vowel — an engineer, an apple

1. Before the words indicating the quantity — a hundred / a few / a lot / a little / a great deal

I started learning English a few weeks ago.

1. How often does something happen:

Twice a day — twice a day

A waiter gets 100 pounds a week — the waiter gets 100 pounds a week.

This car goes at 110 miles an hours — this car goes 110 miles per hour

1. With the words “such”, “rather”, “what” in exclamations

What a nice day! — what a wonderful day!

He’s such a bore — he’s such a bore!

It’s rather a high price, isn’t it? — It’s very expensive, isn’t it?

1. For the advanced. If 2 items are often used in pairs, then the article is placed only before the first:

A knife and fork — knife and fork

A cup and saucer — cup and saucer

1. Sometimes with uncountable nouns, denoting a type or grade:

This area produced a fine cheese — great cheese is produced here (variety)

1. With the name of a person we don’t know

There’s a Mr. Wilkins to see you — To you a certain Mr. Wilkins

Indefinite article NOT usedif the noun is preceded by

• possessive adjective (my, his, their, etc.,) — this is my bag — this is my bag
• particle «no» — He’s no friend — he is not my friend
• numeral «one» — I have one question — I have one question

Also, you cannot use the indefinite article with plural nouns — it means «one», remember? Therefore, if you say “a people”, it means “one people”.

For the same reason, we don’t use it with uncountable ones — you wouldn’t say “one water” or “one glass”, right? If you mean an indefinite amount, it is better to say “some water”.

The indefinite article with the word «hair» especially amuses me. Hair in English is an uncountable noun, but the article can be used if you mean one hair — on the sleeve, for example, or in a bowl of soup. But if you describe a friend and say “He has a long dark hair”, then I hear: “My friend has one long dark hair”.

Definite article

It also has a history, derived from the demonstratives this / that. Since we are pointing to it, we do not mean “some”, but “that one”. The article the is used if the subject is determined by the situation itself, if both interlocutors understand who or what exactly is meant. Plus a few points that you just need to remember. Go:

1. It is already clear what this is about

There’s a spider in the bathroom (of some kind). The spider is huge! (the one in the bathroom!)

1. With superlative adjectives

Bob is the youngest in his class — Bob is the youngest in class

1. Before the extensions of or which / who

London is the capital of the UK — London is the capital of (what?) Great Britain.

It is the book (which) I told you about is and book, о where I told you.

It is the man who lives next door — This is he (the one who) lives in an apartment nearby.

1. Subject / object / person is determined by the situation, the framework

The soup is not tasty.

If I say so, then you understand what kind of soup I mean. If I say simply

Source: https://urokangl.ru/artikli-v-anglijskom-yazyke/

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

Articles in English

Articles in English

Articles in English

Articles in English

›Grammar

This lesson focuses on the articles — small but important words in the English language. The topic is quite voluminous and often causes difficulties, because the use of articles is not typical for the grammar of the Russian language. In this topic, we will consider what an article is and how many articles are in English, and we will try to help you easily learn the basic rules for using articles with nouns.

What is an article? Definition of the term

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?

Articles in English — Terms of Use — YES

Articles are the biggest headache for English learners. There is nothing of the kind in our grammar, and it is simply impossible to compare the meaning of the article with some Russian grammatical element.

However, in English there is a rule (of which, of course, there are exceptions): every noun must be defined.

The determinant of a noun can be a demonstrative or possessive pronoun (This house is quite big; My hat is lost), a possessive noun (This is John’s car, This is my mother’s hat), a numeral (We have twenty cows), words much / many (There’s not much milk left; There are too many people here) and the definite or indefinite articles (We d the movie; I have a car).

It is necessary to understand the rules for using articles, although it is quite difficult. After all, we have to understand how a native English speaker thinks, and not just how he speaks. But no matter how difficult this task is, it is still possible to cope with it. Consider the English article as a first approximation.

How many articles are there in English?

English has three articles: definite — the, indefinite — a / an, and zero.

The definite article is used with both singular and plural nouns (the cow, the cows) and uncountable nouns (the information, the news).

The indefinite article is used only with countable nouns in the singular (a cow). It is very useful to remember that the article a comes from the numeral «one», and it retains this meaning.

Then you don’t want to say «one cow» or «one information». The variant of the indefinite article an is needed when the word following it begins with a vowel sound: an answer.

It would be extremely inconvenient to pronounce a answer, so the letter n is glued to the article a before the vowels.

The zero article is the indefinite article for plural and uncountable nouns. Wed: Ø Cars are running back and forth — (undefined) Cars go back and forth. We need Ø information — We need (undefined) information.

This can be represented in the form of a simple table of articles like this:

The is the definite article for singular and plural countable nouns and for uncountable nouns.

A / An is the indefinite article for countable nouns in the singular. Ø is the indefinite article for plural and uncountable nouns.

What do «definite articles» and «indefinite articles» mean?

Or in other words: what do “definite nouns” and “indefinite nouns” mean, that is, how to choose which article to use — definite or indefinite — in this particular case? This is a difficult question, and the least inaccurate answer to it sounds like this: the choice of an article depends on the speaker’s knowledge of the listener’s knowledge.

If the speaker knows that his interlocutor knows which particular subject from the class of objects is being discussed, then the speaker must use a definite article. If the speaker knows that the interlocutor does not know which particular object from the class of objects is being discussed, then the speaker must use the indefinite article. It sounds a little confusing, but the following examples will help you sort out this tricky situation.

My interlocutor may know which particular subject I am talking about for several reasons. First, I can gesture to point to the subject. The cup is broken — I say and show the crack on the cup to my interlocutor.

Secondly, many items have essential components, i.e. such, without which these items would not be called that. For example, a «room» by definition has a floor, ceiling, and walls. The «living room» also, by definition, also has a door and a window.

Therefore, being in the living room, I must say to the interlocutor: put it on the floor, the walls need painting, the ceiling is rather high, close the door, open the window, etc. I know that my interlocutor knows which floor, walls, ceiling, etc.

I am talking about those who are in this room, so for him these objects are definite. Accordingly, I must use the definite article the.

Thirdly, some objects exist in our world in a single copy, and on this basis they are specific to any person. Whoever I turn to, I say, for example, The sun is rising, because I know for sure that my interlocutor knows which sun I am talking about — we have one. If we had two or more suns, I would have to say A sun is rising, since my interlocutor does not know which of the several sun is currently rising.

There are other reasons why a certain noun might be specific to the listener. They are described in detail in the classes for children at the YES Foreign Language Center.

The indefinite article is needed precisely when the speaker knows that his interlocutor does not know about which particular subject from the class of objects is being spoken about.

I bought a car yesterday — I declare with joy in my voice, since there are a great many cars in the world, and my interlocutor, of course, does not know which car I bought yesterday.

Now, if I continue to talk about this car, then I have to talk about it using the demonstrative pronoun (this car) or the definite article (the car). After all, now I am absolutely sure that my interlocutor knows which particular car I am talking about — the one that I bought yesterday.

Source: https://www.yescenter.ru/blog/articles/artikli-v-angliyskom-yazyke/

The use of articles in English: what is an article in English, types and use of English articles

When learning foreign languages, we often come across rules that are unfamiliar to us and have no analogues in our native speech. One of these moments in the English language is articles — particles that refer to nouns are placed in front of them and help convey the meaning of the entire sentence. If they are removed from the narrative, the items can change completely during translation.

There are 2 types of articles: the first option is the indefinite «a / an», and the second is the definite «the». In addition, the rules of grammar of the English language provide for a situation when neither the first nor the second are used in the construction of a sentence or are deliberately omitted. In this case, one speaks of the zero article.

How to use them is clearly spelled out in the norms and rules of English grammar, and it is quite easy to remember them.

Types of articles in English

The absence of declensions of nouns, as in our usual Russian, imposes its own difficulties on the composition of sentences. For the most accurate translation and transmission of information about the subject of conversation or character, 2 types of articles are used:

Defined by THE reads like [ðǝ], or [ðɪ], depending on the first letter of the noun itself. Definite Article is used to refer to a specific concept, subject, or multiple subjects:

The apple is red. Moreover, the color refers to this particular fruit, and not to the concept in general.

The pupils are clever. When in the previous sentences it was said about the students personally, then in the subsequent ones a definite article is used, which points exactly to them.

Undefined A / AN used in speech in cases where the noun conveys a collective concept or belonging of a representative to a given species, and not a specific object.

If the word begins with a vowel, then the Indefinite Article has the form «an», if with a consonant — «a».

The article is used in a sentence together with living things or inanimate objects, a noun in the singular, which can be counted if desired. In addition, when it is spoken about for the first time in the narrative.

It is a red apple. It does not indicate a specific apple that lies in front of the narrator, but simply explains the existence of a fruit of this color.

A pupils are clever. Without highlighting any person personally, the proposal tells about the property of children in general.

There is a third option — the absence of an article for any reason. Usually, this does not affect the semantic load of the sentence and is often used in the media, in newspapers or press reports.

Zero article in English

Often there are constructions in sentences in which the noun does not require the presence of a particle in front of it, or it is deliberately omitted by the speaker, because it does not carry a semantic load. It is also called the zero article. Let’s consider in more detail examples and situations when it is omitted or absent.

Gases, liquids, feelings and other uncountable vague concepts:

Water is important to life — Water is important to life.

Friendship is the best things of our life — Friendship is the best thing in my life.

It is impossible to point to a specific object, or to count the number, both concepts are abstract and not tied to objects.

A group of objects or people, the number of which cannot be determined or indicated:

Plants produce oxygen — Plants produce oxygen.

The sentence is about production, not about a specific tree or weed, so the use of the article is not required.

The direct meaning of the words home, college, bed, prison, school, university suggests this option:

Tom go to school — Tom goes to school. Here the story is about Tom the schoolboy, not about the building.

Today Tom is left his lessons in the school — Tom skipped his lessons at school today. For comparison, an example is taken when Tom missed lessons in his school, which acts not as a concept or status, but as a room, organization or building.

The link «vehicle + by» is used without an article:

We traveling by plans — We travel by plane. But if you add an adjective to the name of the vehicle, then the definite article is already necessary.

We traveled to Moscow by the big yellow plan — We flew to Moscow on a big yellow plane.

The combination of the words «title + proper name» is also used without an article, while one mention of the title is already used in the form The President, The Minister, and so on.

A unique profession that distinguishes a person from the general group:

Source: http://top100lingua.ru/blog/grammatika/upotreblenie-artiklej-v-anglijskom-jazyke-chto-takoe-artikl-v-anglijskom-jazyke-vidy-i-ispolzovanie-anglijskih-artiklej

Articles in English with examples and rules

When learning English, many have difficulty with the articles. What are the functions of articles in English? Our article will acquaint you with examples and rules for their use.

Why many find it so difficult to learn articles in English

At school, teaching English relies on the systematic study of rules. At the same time, practically no attention is paid to deep understanding and development of linguistic intuition. Surprisingly, native speakers often use articles intuitively and cannot always explain by what principle they choose one or another article in each specific example.

The rules for using articles in English are difficult to remember for people who speak other languages. Let’s take a look at one example.

The sentence “Being a botanist, he loves nature” in German will sound like “Da er_Botaniker ist, liebt er die Natur”, and in English “Being a botanist, he is fond of nature”. In this example, we see two cases of mismatch of articles.

Professions in English are used with an indefinite article, and in German without it at all. There is a definite article before the word «nature» in German, but not in English.

Even Americans and British people sometimes use articles differently in English. For example, phrases like «in the hospital», «at the bank», «in the park» in America have a general meaning, but in England they have a specific meaning. By saying this, the British mean that this hospital, bank or park is the only one in the city, or that we are talking about a specific place. If they just need to indicate the type of institution in which the person is located, the article is omitted.

Accordingly, if a person is in a hospital, the Briton will say “in hospital”, if the child is in school — “at school”, etc. Put “the” before the word, they deem it necessary, for example, if a person just entered the hospital building or school. In this case, both British and Americans will say “at the hospital” or “at the school”.

These examples demonstrate the importance of articles in the English language. These are not just auxiliary words: it is with their help that the English can express their thoughts as accurately as possible. Moreover, in most examples, it is quite logical to explain why the word is preceded by «a» or «the». If you understand this issue well, you will speak English much more confidently and native speakers will understand you better.

Why is it so difficult for Russian-speaking people to understand this topic? Usually, the study of articles goes like this:

1. The person learns the basic rules.

2. He tries to apply them in Russian, because before we translate a sentence into English, we first formulate it in Russian.

In general, a person simply repeats to himself that it is necessary to use articles in English, and at the same time tries to correlate them with Russian words. But articles are by no means useless. If there was no need for them, they would simply disappear from the language. Therefore, English learners should consider articles as an effective speech tool, and not as another obstacle on the way to a good knowledge of the language.

Read the material on the topic: Methodology for learning English: which one to choose

Functions of articles in English (with examples)

There are three main functions of an article in English:

• grammatical,
• contextual,
• index.

It is the understanding of these functions that will help you to correctly and appropriately use articles in English in the future. The examples below will help you understand each of the points indicated.

Grammatical function

In Russian, verbs and nouns (for example, «work» and «work») look completely different. In English, the words of different parts of speech can coincide in spelling and sound: here the article comes to the rescue.

Compare for example:

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 — a combat system, a type of single combat.

Fighting the system — fighting the system.

by following the trend — following the trend.

by the following trend — the next trend.

In addition, thanks to the articles, native speakers, as well as foreigners, can more easily understand the structure of the sentence. As you know, in English a sentence is built according to the standard scheme: «subject-action-object» (for example, «a dog gnaws a bone»). And articles serve as a kind of markers of the object and the subject. Thanks to their presence in oral speech, it is much easier to grasp the meaning.

In this respect, words such as «some», «any», «another», as well as quantitative numerals and possessive pronouns, perform a similar grammatical function. In English, there is a rule that the article is not placed in front of them. But it would be more correct to say that the article is repressed, since these words themselves are markers of the object and the subject.

It is interesting that the article can transform words of different parts of speech into a subject or object. For example:

It’s a «no» from me. — I say «No».

Thus, in English, the article allows you to manage such categories as «part of speech» and «part of a sentence».

Context function

Compare these two examples:

Do you still have (any) cookies?

Do you still have the cookies?

If you translate them into Russian, the difference that native speakers put in will not be visible —

Do you still have cookies left?

You can emphasize this difference only if you add a subordinate clause:

Do you still have the cookies we ate last time?

The concept of context function is closely related to the definite article. Many people from school remember the rule that the definite article in English is placed before a noun if the subject has already been mentioned earlier. This means that if during the conversation there was already a talk about him, then at the next mention, all the participants in the conversation will understand what exactly we are talking about.

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

There are, however, a few exceptions, that is, words that do not need to be mentioned before using them with the definite article. Usually such words mean something unique, when you do not need to clarify which item from the set you mean. For example, there is only one sun in the solar system, so the word «sun» in English is accompanied by the article «the». And even if nothing has been said about the sun before, phrases like «lying in the sun» will contain the definite article.

Moreover, the article can not only influence the context, but also create it. For example, remember the phrases from the movie Groundhog Day, which the hero uttered when every time after committing suicide he woke up alive and well.

At first he said «I am a god» — with the indefinite article this sentence conveys the meaning that a person has supernatural, «divine» abilities. The next sentence contains the definite article — «Well, I’m not the God».

It denies that the character is the supreme, one God.

Pointing function

There are many pronouns in the Russian language, the usefulness of which we do not doubt, for example, «some», «some», «any», «this / that», «such», etc. It is interesting that in terms of meaning some of them are close to the English articles.

So, the origin of the article «the» is associated with the demonstrative pronoun «that» (that). This connection can be found in many languages.

The indefinite article in English comes from the word «an», which in Old English meant «one» in the sense of «one of many, some, any».

That is, with the help of the article we can outline the circle of objects to which the thing we are talking about can belong. If a noun is preceded by a pronoun that performs a similar function, there will be no article.

examples:

• We have fun. — «We are having fun». Fun is an abstract concept, it cannot be counted, so the article is not needed.
• Any heavy object will do. — «Any heavy object will do.» The pronoun «any» means that there are no restrictions regarding this subject.
• Grab a chair. — «Take a chair.» It means that there are several chairs in the room — this is the limitation of the choice. It doesn’t matter which of them the person takes.
• Give me the key, I’ll open it. — “Give me the key. I’ll open». Obviously, the interlocutor may have a whole bunch of keys, but the door can only be opened with one. The definite article in this example is used because the speaker does not need a key, but the one that fits a particular lock.
• Can I use your phone? — «Can I call from your phone?» Here we are talking about a specific subject known to the interlocutor, which in English corresponds to the meaning of a definite article. However, this example uses a possessive pronoun because it more specifically refers to a telephone that the other person is talking to.

The examples above are ranked from widest to narrowest. It is clear that in many cases context will affect the use of the article, and it may also be supplanted by pronouns other than «any» and «your». The point of these examples is to show how an article can point to a specific object or denote the boundaries of a set.

In some specific constructions and fixed expressions in English, the article completely changes the meaning of the phrase. Compare how the meaning changes in these examples:

Source: https://www.englishpatient.org/articles/artikli-v-anglijskom-s-primerami

Articles in English: definite and indefinite articles

» English » Artikli in English

The presence of articles is one of the fundamental differences in English. Very often, it is the mastery of the rules for the correct use of articles that causes difficulties for speakers who do not have such a concept as «article» in their native speech.

Before starting to study the rules of using this part of speech in English, it is worth taking a short historical excursion and learning about the origin of the articles. This will help you understand the patterns of using one or another article and no longer experience difficulties.

Origin of articles in English

In fact, the concept of the article has not always existed in English. Historians and linguists managed to establish that in the original version, that is, at the stage of inception, no articles were used.

So, in the Old English language, which stood out from the dialect of one of the Germanic tribes and was widespread in England and Scotland in the XNUMXth-XNUMXth centuries, the articles as such were not recorded.

Moreover, nouns changed according to the usual cases and gender of Russian-speaking citizens (masculine, feminine, neuter).

Old English also had the pronouns se (that, male), seo (that, female), and thæt (that, middle). The pronoun thæt, visually and in spelling reminiscent of the modern that, became the «progenitor» of the, which later acquired the status of a service particle. The main forms of demonstrative pronouns this (this), that (that), these (these) and those (those) also originated from him.

The origin of the indefinite article

 Another «word generator» was the Old English numeral an, meaning «one.» Over time, an acquired another meaning: a word indicating a certain generalized nature of something or a category of certain objects. All these changes took shape around the XNUMXth century, and from that time on, linguists and historians believe that humanity was no longer dealing with Old English, but with Middle English.

The so-called Middle English historians and linguists «allot» to exist a period of time at the level of the XII-XV centuries, during which the positions of the articles were consolidated.

Note that the article a / an is an authentic phenomenon in the English language, that is, it is not borrowed from anywhere.

During subsequent periods of development, the positions of the articles were preserved, and nowadays everyone knows a, an and the are full-fledged parts of speech.

The definite article: how to use

So, the is involved in speech constructions, where the conversation is about a specific subject. The definite article can be used both with countable nouns, and regardless of their number, and with uncountable nouns.

 This «certainty» helps to characterize the subject in question. Here’s a simple example: The orange (apple, cake) was delicious. This translates as “The orange (apple, cake) was / was delicious. The presence of the service particle The in the sentence directly indicates that we are talking about some specific well-known orange (apple, cake), for which it was possible to make a characteristic (delicious).

Note that the definite article is used not only with nouns, but also with other parts of speech. Let’s consider all cases of possible use with examples.

Use:

Source: https://kaliningrad.capitalsc.ru/artikli-v-anglijskom-yazyke/

The definite article in English: rules and examples

Having difficulty with articles? Can’t remember more than a few rules? We promise to tell you everything you need to know about articles in English. Read about how to correctly apply the definite article in English in our article!

Introductory article

Articles are one of the riches of the English language and a big problem for those who speak other languages ​​where there are no articles. The majority of Russian-speaking students learning English find it difficult to understand the category of certainty-uncertainty, which is used by native speakers of English. We need a real restructuring of the mind, a readjustment of logic.

But English long ago got rid of the complex system of cases and categories of grammatical gender, which are preserved in Russian and so scare everyone who wants to master it. And perhaps it was this transformation from a synthetic language to a predominantly analytical language that helped the English language achieve a truly unique worldwide recognition.

Despite all the simplifications, the rules for the use of articles in English for a number of reasons are difficult for speakers of other European languages.

For comparison, take a sentence in German: “Da er_Botaniker ist, liebt er die Natur” (“Being a botanist, he loves nature”) — and the corresponding sentence in English: “Being a botanist, he is fond of nature”.

As you can see, in the English version there is an indefinite article in front of the name of the profession, in German it is not. Conversely, English does not place articles in front of nouns such as “nature,” while German requires a definite article in the same position.

Even between British and American English in this case, there are discrepancies. For example, Americans usually speak of someone in a hospital as “in the hospital”; in the same way he could be in the bank, “at the bank,” or in the park, “in the park”.

For a Briton, this means that there is only one hospital in the city, or an American talks about a specific hospital that he constantly visits. The British will say that the patient is “in hospital”, the child is “at school”, and the criminal is “in prison”. In their understanding, it is more about the profile of these institutions, and not about the buildings in which they are located.

But if you just walked into a hospital, school or prison building, then you are at the hospital, at the school or at the prison — here the British are in solidarity with the Americans.

These examples are intended to show that articles in English are a more significant part of the language than meets the eye. They are precise instruments that help to express all the subtle nuances of meaning in English in a delicate way. In the vast majority of cases, the use of the article has a clear rationale. Understanding this can help disguise non-native English and improve communication with native speakers.

Differences between the article The and A

Let’s remember a little from theory. A (year) — 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 a book.

The first sentence applies 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 the indefinite article, since it is mentioned for the first time, the person has not yet determined what kind of book it is.

Some more examples:

Yesterday I got a 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 if it is indefinite, irrelevant. 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 a 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 a friend of mine.
(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 by… — 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)

The definite article The

The main rule of thumb for using the definite article in English is this: if we use the, then we are talking about something concrete, specific, about something that is familiar to both us and our interlocutor. A synonym for the definite article can be considered words such as this, That.

In general rules, we told the main use cases for the article the, now we will consider many special cases:

The definite article the is used with one-of-a-kind, exceptional objects: the sun, the environment, the internet.

The superlative adjective will help make objects unique: the tallest building (the tallest building), the best singer (the best singer), the most expensive car (the most expensive car).

And thanks to the words only (unique), same (same), first (first) objects also become unique: the same exam (the same exam), the only person (only person), the first time (first time).

Yuri Gagarin was the first person in space. — Yuri Gagarin was first person in space.

To describe or indicate a group of objects, a class as a whole, use the construction «the + countable noun in the singular».

The cheetah is the fastest animal in the world. — Cheetah Is the fastest animal in the world. (we are not talking about one cheetah, but about the type of animals)
i play the piano… — I play on pianist.
I consider the telephone to be the most important invention. — I think that phone Is the most important invention.

Also, when talking about a group of people, use the + adjective. Please note that the verb in this case will be plural.

For example: the young, the poor, the homeless.

The young always argue with their parents. — The youth always argues with his parents.

The same construction is used with adjectives that end in -сh, -sh, -ese, if all representatives of any nation are meant.

For example: the French, the English, the Chinese.

The french are charming. — French people adorable.
The Vietnamese are very hard-working. — Vietnamese very hardworking.

When referring to all family members as a group, use the definite article the and the plural surname: the Joneses.

Often the definite article the is used with names:

• buildings (hotels, cinemas, theaters, museums, galleries, restaurants, pubs) — the Plaza hotel, the Odeon, the Kremlin, the Red Lion pub a lion»);
• newspapers (the article is part of the name and is written with a capital letter) — The Times (the Times newspaper), The Guardian (the Guardian newspaper);
• sporting events — the FIFA World Cup;
• historical periods and events — the Bronze Age (Bronze Age), the Vietnam War (Vietnam War);
• famous ships and trains — the Mayflower (ship «Mayflower»);
• organizations, political parties, institutions — the Red Cross, the Democratic Party;

Source: https://englishfull.ru/grammatika/artikl-the.html

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

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.

Artikli in English

Artikli in English — these are the determinants of nouns, they determine whether they mean a specific subject or just one of many.

Accordingly, there are two articles:

The absence of an article is sometimes referred to as the zero article. Once upon a time the articles a an and the were full words one (one and That (this one), but over time they decreased, but their meaning remained approximately the same.

:

Indefinite article «a / an»

Read more about the indefinite article: “The article a an in English”.

It is used only with countable nouns in the singular (after all, in the past it was «one»), when it comes to something vague, non-unique. For example, the bank — it’s just a bank, any, to envelope — some kind of envelope.

Keep your money in a bank. — Keep your money in a bank (no matter which one).

I need an envelope. I need (some) envelope.

The definite article «the»

More about the definite article: “The article the in English”.

Used in front of singular and plural nouns when talking about something definite, specific.

The criminals robbed the bank. — The criminals robbed a bank (some specific one).

Please close the door. — Please close the door (not any door in the house, but this door).

In other words, if you can add “some” in front of a noun, then there will be an indefinite article, and if “the very same” is appropriate, then a definite one.

The definite article is also used with nouns that mean:

1. Something unique, existing in a single copy

the Sun — the sun,

the Columbia river — Columbia river.

(about the article before proper names, see below)

2. Periods (segments) of time

in the morning — in the morning,

Source: https://langformula.ru/english-grammar/articles/

Articles in English. Theory

An article in English is a service word for a noun that is absent as a part of speech in Russian. Well, we don’t have articles. Because of this, even at advanced levels, the article remains the most common mistake in speaking and writing. Rather, not so much the article itself, how much its absence.

I must say that articles are found in all Romano-Germanic languages, and even in some Slavic languages, in Bulgarian, for example. It is much easier for native speakers of such languages, because you just need to translate their native articles into English, find a match for them.

How can we, Russian-speaking, remember whether an article is needed? And if so, which one? I decided to look through my favorite grammar reference books and summarize in one article.

:

Indefinite article — indefinite article

Definite article — definite article

Zero article — no article

Examples of the use of articles

Since we have no correspondence, to begin with, we learn the iron axiom — a countable noun in the singular must be with an article. If it is not there, then there is a reason for this, we will consider them later. So which one should you choose?

Indefinite article

Actually, the numeral «one» is where the indefinite article came from, the Old English version is ane. From this word, the modern forms a and an were formed. Just like in other languages ​​- une / un in French (numeral “un”), ein / eine in German (numeral “eins”), etc.

Therefore, a / an before a noun means «some», «some», «one of many». If we try to draw an analogy with the Russian language, then we can also find examples of the use of the numeral «one» in this meaning:

I met one person here = some, some person, I do not specify.

I read it in one book = I read it in some book, I don’t specify.

Now regulations:

1. Some, some, which we are talking about for the first time, often with a turnover there is:

there is a spider in the bathroom — there is a spider in the bathroom (some kind, I see it for the first time)

He buys a newspaper every day — he buys (some) newspaper every day.

I have a car — I have (a certain, then I will clarify which) car.

A spider is an insect — A spider (there are many of them, this one of them) is an insect (there are many of them, this is one of the types of insects)

It is to this category that we classify the professions:

I’m a teacher — I am a teacher (there are many teachers, I am one of them)

You’re a student — you are a student (one of many)

He’s an engineer — he is an engineer

By the way, you can already see here when а, and when an :

a — before words that start with a consonant — a teacher, a student

an — before words that start with a vowel — an engineer, an apple

1. Before the words indicating the quantity — a hundred / a few / a lot / a little / a great deal

I started learning English a few weeks ago.

1. How often does something happen:

Twice a day — twice a day

A waiter gets 100 pounds a week — the waiter gets 100 pounds a week.

This car goes at 110 miles an hours — this car goes 110 miles per hour

1. With the words “such”, “rather”, “what” in exclamations

What a nice day! — what a wonderful day!

He’s such a bore — he’s such a bore!

It’s rather a high price, isn’t it? — It’s very expensive, isn’t it?

1. For the advanced. If 2 items are often used in pairs, then the article is placed only before the first:

A knife and fork — knife and fork

A cup and saucer — cup and saucer

1. Sometimes with uncountable nouns, denoting a type or grade:

This area produced a fine cheese — great cheese is produced here (variety)

1. With the name of a person we don’t know

There’s a Mr. Wilkins to see you — To you a certain Mr. Wilkins

Indefinite article NOT usedif the noun is preceded by

• possessive adjective (my, his, their, etc.,) — this is my bag — this is my bag
• particle «no» — He’s no friend — he is not my friend
• numeral «one» — I have one question — I have one question

Also, you cannot use the indefinite article with plural nouns — it means «one», remember? Therefore, if you say “a people”, it means “one people”.

For the same reason, we don’t use it with uncountable ones — you wouldn’t say “one water” or “one glass”, right? If you mean an indefinite amount, it is better to say “some water”.

The indefinite article with the word «hair» especially amuses me. Hair in English is an uncountable noun, but the article can be used if you mean one hair — on the sleeve, for example, or in a bowl of soup. But if you describe a friend and say “He has a long dark hair”, then I hear: “My friend has one long dark hair”.

Definite article

It also has a history, derived from the demonstratives this / that. Since we are pointing to it, we do not mean “some”, but “that one”. The article the is used if the subject is determined by the situation itself, if both interlocutors understand who or what exactly is meant. Plus a few points that you just need to remember. Go:

1. It is already clear what this is about

There’s a spider in the bathroom (of some kind). The spider is huge! (the one in the bathroom!)

1. With superlative adjectives

Bob is the youngest in his class — Bob is the youngest in class

1. Before the extensions of or which / who

London is the capital of the UK — London is the capital of (what?) Great Britain.

It is the book (which) I told you about is and book, о where I told you.

It is the man who lives next door — This is he (the one who) lives in an apartment nearby.

1. Subject / object / person is determined by the situation, the framework

The soup is not tasty.

If I say so, then you understand what kind of soup I mean. If I say simply

Source: https://urokangl.ru/artikli-v-anglijskom-yazyke/

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

Articles in English

Articles in English

›Grammar

This lesson focuses on the articles — small but important words in the English language. The topic is quite voluminous and often causes difficulties, because the use of articles is not typical for the grammar of the Russian language. In this topic, we will consider what an article is and how many articles are in English, and we will try to help you easily learn the basic rules for using articles with nouns.

What is an article? Definition of the term

What is an article? Definition of the term

The article (English The Article) is a service word that is used before the noun to give it a shade of certainty or uncertainty. Sometimes the article is placed before the adjective that refers to the noun being defined.

So what are the articles?

1. The article The, or definite (English the Definite Article).
2. Article A (An), or indefinite (English the Indefinite Article).

Some designs do not require the use of the article. Such an article (or rather its absence) is often called the Zero Article.

Below we will look at all three options.

The Definite Article

The Definite Article

The definite article The is used in front of both singular and plural nouns to denote a particular person / thing. This article comes from the English pronoun “that” — which means “that”, from where the meaning of its concreteness originates. Let’s take a look at the main uses of the definite article below:

1. Used to designate previously mentioned or already known and understandable to the interlocutor persons / objects. In this example, the difference between a and the is clearly visible:

Ex. You gave me a pen, but I lost the pen. — You gave me a pen (one), but I lost (this) pen.

Where is the book I gave you last week? — Where is (that) book I gave you last week?

1. In constructions denoting one-of-a-kind, unique objects / phenomena such as the sky — the sky, the equator — the equator, the moon / the sun — the moon / sun.

Ex. The moon is bright tonight. — The moon is bright today. (Only one Moon exists in the Universe — the only and unique).

1. In cases where a person / object denotes a whole class of the same kind (with singular nouns). For example, articles with animal species:

The Amur leopard is a leopard subspecies. The Amur leopard is one of the subspecies of the leopard. 4. In the names of nationalities (about all representatives of nationality): the French — French.

1. The definite article is used with the names of hotels, newspapers, theaters, restaurants, music groups: the Times — The Times, the Hilton — Hilton.
2. In some stable structures, such as at the theater — in the theater, in the morning — in the morning.
3. In proper names containing the words republic, union, kingdom. Ex. The republic of Belarus.
4. After prepositions of place:

Ex. There is a dog in front of the door.

1. With words — definitions like last, next, following, only:

Source: https://englishfun.ru/grammatika/artikli-v-anglijskom

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

Frequently Asked Questions on Articles in English Grammar