Chapter 11

Articles

Definite Indefinite

The a –an

When to Say "a" or "an"

The and a/an are called "articles". We divide them into "definite" and "indefinite" like this:

• When we are talking about one thing in particular, we

use the.

• When we are talking about one thing in general, we

use a or an.

Think of the sky at night. In the sky we see 1 moon and millions of stars. So normally we would say:

I saw the moon last night.

I saw a star last night.

the a, an•The capital of France is Paris.•I have found the book that I lost.•Have you cleaned the car?•There are six eggs in the fridge.•Please switch off the TV when you finish.

•I was born in a town.•John had an omelette for lunch.•James Bond ordered a drink.•We want to buy an umbrella.•Have you got a pen?

We want to buy an umbrella. (Any umbrella, not a particular umbrella.)Where is the umbrella? (We already have an umbrella. We are looking for our umbrella, a particular umbrella.)

For example, if I say, "Let's read the book," I mean a specific book. If I say, "Let's read a book," I mean any book rather than a specific book.

Here's another way to explain it: The is used to refer to a specific or particular member of a group. For example, "I just saw the most popular movie of the year." There are many movies, but only one particular movie is the most popular. Therefore, we use the.

A + consonant soundIf the following word starts with a consonant sound, then we say a cat - a game of golf - a human emotion -a Peruvian -a very fat woman

AN + vowel sound If the following word starts with a vowel sound, then we say an. an apple -an extremely easy job -an interesting film an old man -an umbrella

Countable nounsCountable nouns are easy to recognize. They are things that we can count. For example: "pen". We can count pens. Countable nouns can be singular or plural. - My cup is empty. - My cups are empty.We can use the indefinite article a/an with countable nouns. - A cat is an animal.

We can use some and any with countable nouns: - I've got some messages. - Have you got any call?We can use a few and many with countable nouns:I've got a few dresses. I haven't got many pens.

Uncountable nounsUncountable nouns are substances, concepts etc that we cannot divide into separate elements. We cannot "count" them. For example, we cannot count “oil". We can count "bottles of oil" or "liters of oil", but we cannot count “oil" itself.

music, art, love, happiness ,advice, information, news , furniture, luggage , rice, sugar, butter, water , electricity, gas, power, money, currency accommodation , baggage , behavior , bread, newsprogress , traffic , travel , trouble , weather ,work sadness, research, evidence, safety, beauty, knowledge.

We cannot use a/an with these nouns. To express a quantity of one of these nouns, use a word or expression like:some, a lot of, a piece of, a bit of, a great deal of...ExamplesThere has been a lot of research into the causes of this disease.He gave mea great deal of advice before my interview.They've got a lot of furniture.Can you give me some information about uncountable nouns?

Here are some more examples of countable and uncountable nouns:

Countable Uncountable

dollar money

song music

suitcase luggage

table furniture

battery electricity

bottle wine

report information

tip advice

journey travel

job work

View scenery

We use much and a little in front of uncountable nouns. We haven't get much money . There is a little oil in the pan.

We use many and a few in front of plural countable nouns.

There aren't many good parks here. I saw a few movies this weak .

The definite article with names:

We do not normally use the definite article with names: William Shakespeare wrote Hamlet. Paris is the capital of France. Iran is in Asia. But we do use the definite article with: -Countries whose names include words like kingdom, states or republic: the United Kingdom; the Kingdom of Nepal; the United States; the People’s Republic of China.• -Countries which have plural nouns as their names: the Netherlands; the Philippines•

geographical features, such as mountain ranges, groups of islands, rivers, seas, oceans and canals: the Himalayas; the Canaries; the Atlantic; the Atlantic Ocean; the Amazon; the Panama Canal.•newspapers: The Times; The Washington Post• well known buildings or works of art: the Empire State Building; the Taj Mahal; the Mona Lisa; the Sunflowers•

Organizations: the United Nations; the Seamen’s Union• Hotels, Pubs and Restaurants: the Ritz; the Ritz Hotel; the King’s HeadNote: We do not use the definite article if the name of the hotel or restaurant is the name of the owner, e.g.,Brown’s; Brown’s Hotel; Morel’s; Morel’s Restaurant, etc.• families: the Obamas; the Jacksons

Do not use the before:1-Names of most countries/territories: Italy, Mexico, Bolivia.2-Names of cities, towns, or states: Seoul, Manitoba, Miaminames of streets: Washington Blvd., Main St.3-Names of lakes and bays: Lake Titicaca, Lake Erie except with a group of lakes like the Great Lakes4-Names of mountains: Mount Everest, Mount Fuji except with ranges of mountains like the Andes or the Rockies or unusual names like the Matterhorn5-Names of continents (Asia, Europe)6-Names of islands (Easter Island, Maui, Key West) except with island chains like the Aleutians, the Hebrides, or the Canary Islands