Article Usage
“A” and “An”
● A is used when the word that follows it begins with a consonant.
○ A dog chased adirty cat.
● An is used when the word that follows it begins with a vowel.
○ An elephant was scared by an ugly mouse.
● A and an modify indefinite nouns, which are nouns that are not specific and can
belong to any group.
● A and an are also used when indicating that someone/thing belongs to a nation,
profession, or religion.
● A and an are only used for nouns that are singular. If it is a nonspecific noun that is
plural, use some.
“The”
● The is a definite article and modifies nouns that refer to a specific or particular thing.
● The cannot be used with non-count nouns that are not specific. A non-count noun is a
noun that can not be counted, like snow.
○ I think snow is pretty.
● The can be used with non-count nouns when they are made more specific.
○ I think the snow outside is pretty.
● The can be used with words that are unique, such as the Statue of Liberty.
● When referring to geography, the is special:
1) Use with
○ Names of rivers, oceans, gulfs, and seas – the Amazon, the
Atlantic, the Gulf of Mexico, the North Sea
○ Deserts, forests, peninsulas – the Gobi desert, the Redwood forest,
the Florida peninsula
○ Points of latitude and longitude – the Equator, the Tropic of
Cancer, the Bermuda Triangle
○ Geographic areas – the Orient, the South, the Middle East
2) Do not use with
○ Cities, streets, continents
○ Countries except the Netherlands, the US, and the UK
○ Specific lakes/bays, islands, and mountains. When referring to these as
groups you do use the. Es. The Great Lakes, the Cayman Islands, the Himalayas
● Articles will never be used with: sports, subjects in school, languages, ages when
only stating the numbers
● Exercise – Add the correct article in the space provided. If it is already correct,
leave it blank.[1]
1)Go buy ___ lollipop for your sister.
2)Carlos wants to go to ____ Coldplay concert in the park tomorrow.
3)Would you prefer ___ black cat or ____ orange one?
4)I have never been to ____ Spain, but I have been to ____ Iberian Peninsula.
5)Do you know how to get to _____ Washington, D.C?
6)I would like to see ____ White House.
7)_____ Equator crosses ____ South America and ____ Pacific and Atlantic oceans.
8)She is ___ 32, ____ Canadian, ____ doctor, and _____ atheist.
9)Mari would like ____ umbrella, ____ raincoat, and _____ boots.
10)____ beauty can be deceptive.
11)____ beauty of Barbie is deceptive.
[1] Answers: 1) a 2) the 3) a, an 4) correct, the 5) correct 6) the 7) the, correct, the 8) correct, a, a, an 9) an, a, some 10) correct 11) the