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In part 2 of the English Articles Tutorial, we continue our list of 25 articles usage tips. Here, we introduce the article THE and discuss how to choose between the indefinite articles A(AN) and the definite article THE.

USE 9

A and AN are called indefinite articles. "Indefinite" means "not specific". Use A(AN) when you are talking about a thing in general, NOT a specific thing.

Examples:

Use A(AN) when talking about a thing which is new, unknown, or introduced to a listener for the first time. Also use A(AN) when you are asking about the existence of something.

Examples:

Similarly, use A(AN) to introduce what type of thing we are talking about.

Examples:

REMEMBER: You cannot use A(AN) with plural nouns because A(AN) means "one" or "a single".

Examples:

I saw a bears in Yellowstone National Park. Not Correct

I saw bears in Yellowstone National Park. Correct

USE 10

THE is called a definite article. "Definite" means "specific". Use THE when talking about something which is already known to the listener or which has been previously mentioned, introduced, or discussed.

Examples:

I have a cat. The cat is black.

There is a book in my backpack. The book is very heavy.

Do you know where I left the car keys?

Do you own a car? Is the car blue?

Nobody lives on the Moon.

IMPORTANT: You can use THE with both singular nouns and plural nouns.

Examples:

I saw the bear in Yellowstone National Park. Correct

I saw the bears in Yellowstone National Park. Correct

USE 11

Many clauses and phrases make the noun known to the listener by telling the listener which person or thing we are talking about. Let's look at an example sentence:

Can you give me the book on the table.

We use THE in this sentence because the phrase "on the table" tells the listener which book we are referring to. We are not talking about other books, we are talking about a specific book that the listener can see or already knows about. Learning to recognize such identifying clauses and phrases will help you use THE correctly.

Examples:

Did you read the book which I gave you?

He didn't like the movie that you suggested.

He loved the dessert with chocolate and cherries.

The phone on my desk belongs to Ken.

Did you know the man who was talking to Leonie?

HOWEVER: Not all clauses and phrases make the noun known to the listener. Some are simply descriptive. They add extra information, but they do not tell the listener which specific thing we are talking about.

Examples:

Back to Part 1 - A vs. An Continue to Part 3 - Advanced Article Usage

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
In part 2 of the English Articles Tutorial, we continue our list of 25 articles usage tips. Here, we introduce the article THE and discuss how to choose between the indefinite articles A(AN) and the definite article THE. A and AN are called indefinite articles. "Indefinite" means "not specific".

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Try this amazing Definite And Indefinite Article Quiz quiz which has been attempted 9728 times by avid quiz takers. Also explore over 33 similar quizzes in this category.

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A2 Grammar: Definite and indefinite articles

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Lesson 1 - Definite / Indefinite Articles