ARTICLES

I. Definition: The article is a form word of the noun which identifies or classifies the noun.

II. Classification:

The factors to decide an article to use with a certain noun:

-Whether a noun is singular or plural.

-Whether a noun is countable or uncountable.

-Whether we are making general statements.

-Whether we are referring to something or someone the listener or reader can positively identify or not.

1. Indefinite articles: A and An

1- Are only used with countable singular nouns.

+ “a” comes before a word begins with a consonant or a semi-vowel in pronunciation.

+ “an” comes before a word begins with a vowel, a mute “h” or a non-stressed syllable beginning with “h”.

Eg: a book, a table, a yard, a university, a European, a one-eye man.

An apple, an orange, an hour, an historical novel.

2- “A” and “An” are used with countable singular noun in the general sense.

Eg: A dog is an animal. A small car is more practical nowadays than a big one.

3- “A” and “An” are used with the meaning: One, each, every.

Eg: They have a son and a daughter. This is a book and a pen for you. She can types sixty words a minute. Once a week/ twice a month/ six miles an hour…

4- “A” and “An” are used with nouns of nationality, occupation, religion, politic, etc.

Eg: He is an American. She is a doctor. I’m a Catholic.

5- “A” and “An” can be used before title (Mr., Mrs., Ms., etc.) with the sense of “a certain person whom I don’t know”

Eg: A Mrs. Tandy phoned and left a message for you.

6- “A” and “An” are used after the following words: what, such, many, quite, half, etc.

Eg: What an interesting story! Such a beautiful day. He is quite a good fellow. Half an hour. Many a man think so.

7- “A” and “An” are used to refer to illnesses, and idiomatic expressions.

Eg: She’s got a headache / a cold. To be in a hurry. To be at a loss. As a rule…

2. Definite articles “THE”

1. Pronunciation:

“the” is pronounced /ðə/ when it comes before consonant and semi-vowel sounds. (the day, the way)

“the” is pronounced /ðI/ when it comes before vowel sounds and the mute ‘h’ . (the end, the hour)

2. “the” normally has the definite reference (i.e. the person or thing to which it referred is assumed to be known to the speaker, writer, listener or reader). Eg: The president is sleeping now.

3. “the” can combine with the singular countable, plural countable, and uncountable nouns (which are always singular). (The + Noun). Eg: the man, the cars, the information,…

4. “the” is used when the noun is definite by the situation or context.

Eg: The book you gave me is very interesting.

5. “the” is used for classifying a certain class from other classes, nationality, etc.

Eg: The cobra is dangerous. The British and the American are allies.

6. “the” used with plural name can refer to the group as a whole like: families, races, politics, etc.

Eg: The Smith, the Europeans, the Beatles.

7. “the” is used with collective nouns or plural countable nouns denoting specific groups, particular groups or community.

Eg: The Police, The Army, The public, The Unions.

8. “the” is used for specifying in certain context, structure.

Eg: It is a quiet village. The village has a population of only a few hundred people.

The life of Smith is full of hardship. The Johns you are looking for no longer lives here.

Who is at the door? – It is the post-man

9. “the” is used with certain part of body, object, place: the head, the mind, the country, the seaside.

10. “the” is used to express time and time expressions: The end, the past, the night, at the moment.

11. “the” is used with superlatives and ordinal numerals: the most, the twenty first, the first.

12. “the” is used with unique objects, positions, items, etc. :

The Sun, the Moon, the King, the Queen, the Titanic, the Economist, the Times, the Labor Party…

13. “the” is used with musical instruments, with fixed phrases, “the + Adj. + ER …the + Adj. + ER” and with certain idiomatic expressions:

The guitar, the piano,…

The sooner the better / the more the merrier

On the one hand……(and) on the other hand…

14. “the” is used with adjectives to form substantivized nouns or abstract nouns:

The blind, the poor, the rich…

Not all the beautiful become the good.

15. “the” is used with plural name of countries, and full name of countries:

The Philippines, the United States, The Socialist Republic of Vietnam.

3. Zero Article: is the state of using neither indefinite nor definite articles.

1. Is often used in front of a plural countable noun, an uncountable noun and proper nouns.

The people who work next door is architects.

Sugar is not good for teeth.

Margaret is a very good student.

2. Is used with plural countable nouns, abstract nouns, and material nouns in general sense:

Cats catch mike. Women are fighting for their rights. Independent or dead. Life is short, art is long. Gold is a valuable metal. Oil is essential for industry.

3. Is needed with names of meals, noun of color, languages, days of week, months of year, seasons… in general sense:

Breakfast is ready. She is now at lunch. He likes green. English is a world language. Monday is the first day of the week. July is the hottest month of the year. Autumn is the nicest season in a year.

4. is used with names of subjects, art, sports, games, places, means of transport with “by”, headline news…

Chemistry is an interesting subject to learn. She is studying music and fine art. Football is great. He is now in hospital. He was sent to prison for four years. She went to China by air. “Hotel fire disaster in Chicago was unidentified.”

5. is used in fixed phrases, proper nouns with position, “pair” joined by “and”…

To fight side by side / to go from North to South.

To go hand in hand / from left to right…

President Lincoln / Queen Elizabeth.

This business has been run by father and son.

At noon / at night / Last week….

III. Position of the article:

1. The article is generally placed before the noun or its attribute:

This is a good book.

We are in the same boat, so we must help one another.

2. In following cases, the article is placed after the attribute:

+ “The” follows the pronouns: “all” and “both”:

All the books you gave me are very good.

He has read both the article I mentioned.

+ “a” or ”an” follows the demonstrative pronoun “such” and the exclamatory “what”:

Never have I seen such a terrible accident.

What a beautiful sunset I have ever seen.

+ “a” or ”an” is placed between an adjective used as an attribute and its noun if the adjective is preceded by one of the following adverbs: as, so, too, how:

So beautiful a tree should not be destroyed.

How happy a time we had on our holiday.

It is too difficult a task to be done in so short a time.

+ Both articles are used after “half”:

She spent half the morning in packing up.

This must be half a morning’s work

She spent half an hour to do this present.