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Definite & Indefinite Articles

Articles in English are very important, as we use them all the time. The three articles in English are a, an, and the. Here are some basic rules for understanding how to use these articles:

The is the definite article. It is used before singular or plural nouns that are specific or particular. Here are some examples:

"The girl who lives next door to me is really cute." This refers to a particular girl: the girl who lives next door. "The president is a busy man." There is only one president, so we are referring to a specific noun here. "I love the books you gave me." Again, we're talking about particular books, the ones you gave me.

A/an are the indefinite articles. We use a/an before general, non-specific nouns or to indicate membership in a group. A/an can only be used with countable, singular nouns. Here are some examples of how to use a/an:

"Let's go see a movie tonight." We aren't talking about a specific movie, as we haven't said which movie we want to see. "Cassie is an actor." Cassie belongs to a group: actors. We use "an" instead of "a" because "actor" begins with a vowel. "I hope I get a car for my birthday." This refers to any car. I don't know which car yet because I haven't gotten the car.

Finally, all articles in English are invariable, meaning that they do not change if the noun is singular or plural, masculine or feminine. There are no other forms of the, an, or a.

Definite & Indefinite Articles Grammar Quiz

  1. forward from Manchester United plays beautiful soccer.

  2. Nothing tastes better than omelette with cheese, peppers and mushrooms.

  3. film "Where the Wild Things Are" is very different from the children's book.

  4. I want to buy Ikea table and chairs that are easy to assemble.

  5. Where can I buy cheap suit to wear to my job interview?

Go Super to see the answers! Go Super!

Definite & Indefinite Articles Lessons:

Houseguests

Red

Owl City

Orchards

Kings of Leon

The Green Hornet

Crowdfunding

Elections

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Comments

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englishlrnr

Pakistan

A nice note about the article

06:36 PM Jun 22 2016 |

NIJ321655

NIJ321655

United States

love this. it alsome.

02:36 PM Oct 21 2015 |

sudeceker

Azerbaijan

thank you…this information was important for me ..my english is not very well and i am trying to improve ….i hope i will speak better than now

02:10 PM Aug 11 2015 |

1 person likes this

jariya_aom

jariya_aom

Thailand

Smilethanks you

04:06 PM Aug 13 2012 |

1 person likes this

Somayeh

Iran, Islamic Republic Of

first thx for these useful information. and if you’d mind letting me to know the correct answers of above-mentioned quiz of Definite & Indefinite Articles. thx a zillion

02:44 PM Jul 19 2012 |

1 person likes this

Dreamer girl

Algeria

it is good….thanks.

02:38 PM Jun 11 2012 |

Purewightpearl

Iraq

thanks very uesfull

10:27 PM Sep 03 2011 |

Ahmed Yaya

Saudi Arabia

Thanks a lot for the lesson… I think most student when they write letter or email usually forget the article so we should practice, practice , practice …

12:51 AM Aug 17 2011 |

Lemson lifa

Malawi

thanks…i get it

05:13 AM Apr 07 2011 |