Indefinite Articles – A or An
What are Indefinite Articles? A and An
The words a and an are called indefinite articles. We can use them with singular nouns to talk about any single person or thing.
Deciding which indefinite article to place in front of a word depends upon the initial sound of the word, not the first letter of the word.
When to Use “A”
‘A’ is used before words beginning with a consonant sound.
E.g.
A man; A hat; A lamp; A teacher
When to Use “AN”
The article ‘an’ should be placed before words that begin with a vowel sound.
The initial sound should be a, e, i, o, or u.
E.g.
An apple; An egg; An island; An article
A vs An | 13 Rules for Using Indefinite Articles
1.‘A’ must be used before words which begin with a vowel symbol pronounced with the same sound as the ‘y’ or a ‘w’-
like sound.
E.g.
A Euro, A unicycle A union, A unique, A united, A university, A user, A unicorn
2. Sometimes, ‘an’ is found before words beginning with the letter ‘h’.
Silent ‘h’ : ‘an’ is used before these words.
E.g.
An hour, An honor, An heir, An heirloom, An hourly, An honorarium, An honesty, An honorary.
But this practice is going out. If ‘h’ is pronounce, ‘a’ is used:
E.g.
A hamburger, A hall, A hat, A hacksaw
3. We use ‘an’ before abbreviations that begin with vowel sound.
E.g.
An M.A., An M.Sc., An M.B.B.S., An M.L.A., An N.C.C Officer, An M.Com., An M.C.A, An M.B.A..
4. A or an must be used before a singular noun standing for things that can be counted.
E.g.
He was sitting in a chair.
She had a bottle in each hand.
Did you bring an umbrella?
I would like an apple.
5. A or an must be used before the names of professions.
E.g.
She is a director.
Peter is an actor.
6. Words like hero, genius, fool, thief and liar take the indefinite article.
E.g.
We all regarded him as a hero.
I suspect he is a thief.
7. The following word has indefinite article. Such + a/an + noun (or) Such + a/an + adjective + noun
E.g.
Such a policy
Such a long trip
Such a great teacher
Such an attractive woman
8. The following word has indefinite article. so + adjective + a/an + noun.
E.g.
So boring a book
So beautiful an actress
9. ‘Few’ and ‘Little’ are negative meaning. ‘A few’ and ‘a little’ are positive and mean ‘some‘.
E.g.
He is young and has little experience of life.
Sweeten the mixture with a little honey.
He had few coppers in his pocket.
I went to spend a few days at the seaside.
10. In its original numerical sense of one.
E.g.
Not a word was said.
Twelve inches make a foot.
A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.
I have a novel with an intricate plot.
11. A an = one thing or person.
E.g.
She works in a hospital.
There’s a problem with the drains.
I’ve got a puppy.
There was a girl sitting next to him.
12. We use a an when we say what a thing or a person is.
E.g.
“Coca Cola” is a beverage.
Badminton is an indoor game.
A dog is a domestic animal.
Mary is a shy girl.
13. We use a an for jobs, etc.
E.g.
She works as a nurse in a hospital.
John is a fireman.
I want to be a doctor.
She is a cashier in a bank.
Note : The indefinite articles are not used before plural nouns, proper nouns, abstract nouns, uncountable and
material nouns.
E.g.
A dog is a faithful animal.
Dogs are faithful animals.
What is the Definite Article THE?
The Definite Article ‘the’ generally specifies and identifies. It answers the question: ‘Which one?’ Is specifies a person,
place, or thing already mentioned.
The definite article ‘the’ means this, that. It answers the question which one?. It can be used with both singular and
plural nouns. A noun is first introduced with the indefinite article and the definite article is used to refer to it again.
When to Use The Definite Article THE?
1. “The” is used in the superlative degree.
E.g.
The greatest
The largest
The worst
2. “The” is used with the names of:
River Oceans Banks
E.g. The Amazon E.g. The Atlantic Ocean E.g. The Bank of America
Seas Bays Hotels
E.g. The Black Sea E.g. The Guanabara Bay E.g. The Califonia Hotel
3. The words ‘King’ and ‘Queen’. E.g.
The King of Morocco
The Queen of Sweden
But “the” is not used before the words ‘King‘ and ‘Queen‘ if they are followed by the name of the king or
queen.
King Mohammed VI (the Sixth)
Queen Silvia
4. When to Use The? Put “the” before the names of musical instruments. E.g.
I taught myself how to play the piano.
He played the tune on the horn.
5. Do not put “the” before the names of single mountains or hills. E.g.
Mount Kilimanjaro
Nanda Devi
But “the” must be put before the names of mountain ranges or ranges of hills.
E.g.
The Eastern Ghats
The Aravalli
6. When to Use The? Use “the” with ordinals. E.g.
The first: He was the first person to set foot on the moon.
The eighth: The elevator broke down and we had to walk up the eighth floor.
7. We say all day, all night; but all the morning, all the afternoon, all the evening, all the week.
8. Use “the” before the names of municipal or government departments and before the names of shops, business
houses, industrial concerns; banks, etc. except when they begin with a personal noun. E.g.
The Ministry of Defence
The Sydney Opera House
The Anantara Hua Hin Resort
The Agricultural Bank of China
9. When to Use The? “The” may be used before a name which ends in Road, but it may also be omitted. E.g.
Susie used to live on Dudley Road.
I meet him at a club in the Steve Road.
10. Purpose for which the building exists visit or inspection.E.g.
Go to church – go to the church
Go to university – go to the university
Go to court – go to the court
Go to prison – go to the prison
When “the” is omitted, the reference is to the purpose for which the building exists. E.g.
He had to go to hospital for treatment.
I’m going to go to court to get custody of the children.
With “the” the reference is merely to the building. It is the visit or inspection that is referred to, not the actual
purpose. E.g.
I’m going to the hospital to visit my brother.
We went to the court and asked for a delay to continue preparing our defense.
11. Do not put “the” before the names of substances if they are used in a general sense. E.g.
Gold will not buy everything.
Oil does not mix with water.
Flowers grow along the side of the wall.
But “the” must be used if the reference is to a particular kind of specimen of the substance. E.g.
The gold mined here is of poor quality.
The oil from the vats is used for cooking.
12. “The” is used before a singular noun to express what we call the generic singular, i.e. the one thing mentioned is
taken to represent all of the kind. E.g.
The whale is in danger of becoming extinct.
An exception to the above rule is the noun man when it is used to denote the human race as a whole.
13. “The” is used before common nouns which are names of things unique or their kind. (Before a noun of a thing
which exists only one) E.g.
The world
The sea
The sky
14.When to Use The? “The” is used before an adjective when the noun is understood. E.g.
Jeans are popular among the young.
15. “The” is also used as an adverb with comparatives. E.g.
The longer you keep this wine, the better it tastes.
The more you care, the more you have to lose.
Articles with Uncountable Nouns Articles with Countable Nouns
Learn how and when to use Articles with Uncountable Learn how and when to use Articles with Countable
Nouns. Nouns.
1. We do not say a/an with an uncountable noun. 1. We put a number in front of a countable noun.
For example: For example:
water (NOT a water) two cats
weather (NOT a weather) three pens
music (NOT a music) five students
2. A number can not be put in front of an uncountable 2. We put both a/an and the in front of a countable
noun. noun.
For example:
a book
an apple
a piece of news (NOT 1 news)
the lions
two bottle of water (NOT 2 water)
a grain of rice (NOT 1 rice)
3. A plural countable noun is used with no article if we
mean all or any of that thing.
3. An uncountable noun is used with no article if we
mean that thing in general. For example:
For example:
She’s always out with her friends.
He likes cats but dislikes dogs.
He put sugar in his tea and stirred it.
I like books about sport.
He taught music at a school in Edinburgh.
4. We usually use a/an with a countable noun the first
4. The is used with an uncountable noun when we time we say or write that noun.
are talking about a particular thing.
For example:
For example:
John has a dog and a cat. The dog is called
I immerse my clothes in the water. Rover, and the cat is called Fluffy.
She dissolved the sugar in the tea.
Did you like the music they played at the
5. We use the with countable nouns when the second
dance?
and subsequent times we use the noun or when the
listener already knows.
For example:
I like the book you bought last night.
I found the puppy whimpering next to the front
door.
Please open the window!
I think I’ve broken the washing machine.
When to Use NO ARTICLE?
1. We usually use no article to talk about things in general.
Examples:
Milk is good for you. 4. Do not use article before the name of language.
Men are always fond of soccer. Examples: We are learning English.
2. We do not use an article when talking about sports and 5. Do not use article before the names of railway stations
games. Examples: when they are also place names.
Let’s go and play basketball. 6. Do not use article before the names of meals if they refer
to the meals generally, as a part of the daily routine. Ex:
Badminton is an indoor game.
They invited some friends to dinner.
He loves to play table tennis.
We had beef steak for dinner.
3. Do not use article before the names of countries unless
the name suggests that the country is made up of smaller But the must be used when the meal is a particular one,
units or constituent parts. Examples: thought of as a social function. Ex:
Japan The wedding breakfast was held in a beautiful
garden.
France
7. Do not use article before noun + number. Ex:
Italy
You’ll be leaving from Gate 5 on the eastern
Bolivia concourse.
England The laboratory is in room 6 on the third floor
Exceptions: Use the – the UK (United Kingdom), the USA
(United States of America), the Irish Republic… (Kingdom,
state, republic and union are nouns, so they need an article.)
