Parts of Speech:
ELL Guide to Grammatical Articles
What are articles?
Articles are words placed before a noun in a sentence . They are used to introduce the noun. The three English articles are a, an and the.
No Article – Singular Noun (Incorrect)
Read book.I have apple.Dave sells watch.
No Article – Plural Noun (Correct)
- I read books.
- I like apples.
- Dave sells watches.
Articles A & An – Singular Noun (Correct)
- Read a book.
- I have an apple.
- Dave sold a watch.
The (Correct)
- Read the book.
- I have the green apple.
- Dave wants the gold watch.
When are the articles a, an and the used?
The articles a and an are indefinite articles. Indefinite articles are used with general nouns. General nouns do not refer to a specific person, place or thing.
Use a before words that begin with a consonant sound.
Use an before words that begin with a vowel sound.
Do not use a and an with plural nouns.
Nouns
(Consonant Sound Beginning)
- a mother
- a boy
- a cake
- a hat
Nouns
(Vowel Sound Beginning)
- an apple
- an orange
- an x-ray (sounds like ‘ex’)
- an hour (sounds like ‘our’)
The article the is a definite article. Definite articles are used with specific nouns. Specific nouns refer to specific persons, places, and things.
Non Specific Singular Nouns
(with Indefinite articles)
- a boy
- an orange
- a shirt
Non Specific Plural Nouns
(No articles needed)
- boys
- oranges
- shirts
Specific Nouns with
Definite articles
- the boy at the front door
- the orange from the basket
- the shirt from the concert
What are good examples of the articles a, an and the in sentences?
General Nouns
- My sister baked a pie.
- I fed an elephant yesterday.
- Rudy asked for a peach.
- Erica asked for an apple.
Specific Nouns
- My sister baked the pie on the counter.
- I fed the biggest elephant at the zoo.
- The children like the green grapes.
- I didn’t like the fruit that I was given.
