Kenneth Beare is an English as a Second Language (ESL) teacher and course developer with over three decades of teaching experience.
Updated on January 21, 2020The definite and indefinite articles "a," "an," and "the" are basic building blocks of the English language. They provide specificity, both in writing and in conversation, by indicating which object or objects are being referenced. In other words, definite and indefinite articles let the listener know who or what you're talking about. Using them indicates two things: whether a word is singular or plural, and whether a noun is definite or indefinite. Beyond that, there are just a few important rules to remember.
"A", "an", and "the" can all be used with nouns and noun phrases. "A" and "an" are used with countable nouns, which may be singular or plural and can be counted, such as "egg" or "women." However, you would not use these definite articles with an uncountable noun, such as "flour" or "money" which do not have plural forms and refer to an indistinct quantity. The definite article "the" can be used with both countable and uncountable nouns, as well as with other noun types in English.
Other rules for using these articles include:
| Use the indefinite article "a" when referring to a single, nonspecific object that begins with a consonant. | She has a dog. I work in a factory. |
| Use the indefinite article "an" when referring to a single, nonspecific object that begins with a vowel. | Can I have an apple? She is an English teacher. |
| Use the definite article "the" when referring to a specific object that both the person speaking and the listener are familiar with. | The car over there is fast. The teacher is very good, isn't he? |
| The first time you reference something with an indefinite article, use a definite article when you repeat that object. | I live in a house. The house is quite old and has four bedrooms. I ate in a Chinese restaurant. The restaurant was very good. |
| Do not use an article with countries, states, counties or provinces, lakes and mountains, except when the country is a collection of states such as the United States. | He lives in Washington near Mt. Rainier. They live in northern British Columbia. |
| Use an article with bodies of water, oceans, and seas | My country borders on the Pacific Ocean |
| Do not use an article when you are speaking about things in general. Make sure to use the plural form of countable objects. | I like Russian tea. She enjoys reading books. |
| Do not use an article when you are speaking about meals, places, and transport | He has breakfast at home. I go to college. He comes to work by taxi. |
| Use the definite article in American English (not British) when you are referring to a hospital. | He needs to go to the hospital. |
Complete the following sentences using "a," "an," and "the," or choose "no article."