Articles | A, AN, THE, ‘no article’ (with video!) – How do I use these correctly?

A, AN, THE, ‘no article’ – How do I use these correctly? (with video!)

A, an, the. Nothing? There are only three articles in English, but they can definitely be confusing. Let’s take a look at all of the rules step-by-step!

First,

we use ‘an’ with a vowel sound:

an + a e i o u

we use ‘a’ with a consonant sound:

a + b c d f g h j k l m n p q r s t v w x y z 

In spoken English we usually pronounce ‘a‘ –  ‘uh’.

Examples

an + vowel sound: I have an apple /I have an orange / I have an  umbrella

a + consonant sound: I have a dog /I have a cup of coffee / I have a shoe

Common Confusion

I go to a university.
What? Why do we use ‘a‘ with ‘u‘? ‘U’ is a vowel!
‘University’ starts with the ‘y’ sound. We need ‘a‘.

He is a unique person.
What? Why do we use ‘a‘ with ‘u‘? ‘U’ is a vowel!
‘Unique’ starts with the ‘y’ sound. We need ‘a‘.

I need an x-ray.
What? Why do we use ‘an‘ with ‘x‘? ‘X’ is a consonant!
‘X-ray’ starts with the ‘e’ sound. We need ‘an‘.

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A / An Rules

with a singular countable noun – in general

I need a pen. Do you have a pen?
(This is general. I don’t need a specific pen. Any pen is okay.)

A: What did you do last night?
B: I watched a movie.
(This is general. I’m not talking about a specific movie.)

I went to a friend’s house on Friday.
(This is general. I’m not talking about a specific friend.)

 

when we introduce something for the first time

Today, I saw a seagull, eating a hamburger.
I’m introducing this to you.

Did you read about this accident? A car crashed into a cafe yesterday.
I’m introducing this to you.

 

when speaking about someone’s job

I’m a teacher.

You’re an engineer

My mom’s a children’s author.

 

when trying to say ‘1’ with large numbers

I need a hundred roses.
100 roses

I’ve eaten a thousand mangoes in my life.
1,000 mangoes

 

when we say ‘how many times’

I go to the gym twice a week.
I go to the gym 2 days per week.

My husband and I order pizza once a month.
One day per month

3 days a year / 6 times a minute / 9 times a day

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THE Rules

when we want to mention something specific

a/an = general

the  = specific

I need a pen. (any pen)

I need the pen you were using earlier. (a specific pen)

I bought a gift for Teresa. (a general gift)

I bought Teresa the gift you told me to buy. (a specific gift) 

 

when something is mentioned again

Today, I saw a seagull, eating a hamburger.
I’m introducing this to you.
The seagull managed to eat the entire hamburger in two minutes!
I’m mentioning this to you again.

 

with superlatives

Coffee is the best drink in the world.

You are the smartest person I know.

 

with groups of society

the poor, the rich, the homeless, the youth

Robin Hood steals from the rich and gives to the poor.

 

when there is only 1 of something

the sun, the moon, the president, the government, the Queen

There was an assassination attempt on the prime minister.

 

with mountain ranges, oceans, seas, rivers

the Alps, the Pacific, the Mediterranean, the Thames

The Orkney Islands lie in the Atlantic.

 

with ‘plural’ countries

the USA, the UK, the Netherlands

I’ve always wanted to to go to the Philippines.

 

with instruments

Can you play the piano?

The harp is a very difficult instrument to learn.

 

with phrases such as in the morning,  in the afternoon, and in the evening 

But! We say at night.
at the night

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It’s important to remember, that grammar always has exceptions.
For example:

There is only 1 Buckingham Palace (rule #5), but we do not say ‘The Buckingham Palace’.

However, we do say ‘The Taj Mahal’.

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No article:

• 
  no ‘a’
  no ‘an’
  no ‘the’

 

when we speak about plural nouns in general

I love dogs. They are my favourite animal.
I love the dogs.

I’m not a fan of tattoos.
I’m not a fan of the tattoos.

 

uncountable nouns in general

I can’t drink milk. I’m allergic to milk.
I’m allergic to the milk. 

Happiness is important.
The happiness is important.

 

with streets/towns/cities/countries/single mountains

I live on Fulham Road.
I live on the Fulham Road. 

I’m from London.
I’m from the London. 

My parents live in Spain.
My parents live in the Spain. 

I want to climb Mount Everest.
I want to climb the Mount Everest. 

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Thank you very much for reading!

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See you next time!

Arnel 🙂