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M2: Articles

M2Articles

Articles (a, an, the) are part of a category of words known as noun markers or determiners.

M2-a: Articles and other noun markers

M2-aBe familiar with articles and other noun markers.

Standard English uses noun markers to help identify the nouns that follow. In addition to articles (a, an, and the), noun markers include the following:

possessive nouns, such as Elena’s (See P4-a.)
possessive pronoun/adjectives: my, your, his, her, its, our, their (See B1-b.)
demonstrative pronoun/adjectives: this, that, these, those (See B1-b.)
quantifiers: all, any, each, either, every, few, many, more, most, much, neither, several, some, and so on (See M2-d.)
numbers: one, twenty-three, and so on

Using articles and other noun markers

Articles and other noun markers always appear before nouns; sometimes other modifiers, such as adjectives and adverbs, come between a noun marker and a noun.

In most cases, do not use an article with another noun marker.

Expressions like a few, the most, and all the are exceptions: a few potatoes, all the rain. See also M2-d.

Types of articles and types of nouns

To choose an appropriate article for a noun, first determine whether the noun is common or proper, count or noncount, singular or plural, and specific or general. The chart in M2-b describes the types of nouns.

Articles are classified as indefinite and definite. The indefinite articles, a and an, are used with general nouns. The definite article, the, is used with specific nouns. (The last section of the chart in M2-b explains general and specific nouns.)

A and an both mean “one” or “one among many.” Use a before a consonant sound: a banana, a vacation, a happy child, a united family. Use an before a vowel sound: an eggplant, an uncle, an honorable person. (See also a, an in W1.)

The shows that a noun is specific; use the with one or more than one specific thing: the newspaper, the soldiers.

M2-b: When to use the

M2-bUse the with most specific common nouns.

The definite article, the, is used with most nouns—both count and noncount—that the reader can identify specifically. Usually the identity will be clear to the reader for one of the following reasons. (See the chart in M2-d.)

The noun has been previously mentioned.

The article A is used before truck when the noun is first mentioned. When the noun is mentioned again, it needs the article the because readers can now identify which truck skidded—the one that cut in front of the van.
A phrase or clause following the noun restricts its identity.

The phrase in his car identifies the specific GPS.

note: Descriptive adjectives do not necessarily make a noun specific. A specific noun is one that readers can identify within a group of nouns of the same type.

The reader cannot identify which specific brand-new bright red sports car the writer will buy. Even though car has many adjectives in front of it, it is a general noun in this sentence.
A superlative adjective such as best or most intelligent makes the noun’s identity specific. (See also G4-d.)

The superlative tallest makes the noun boy specific. Although there might be several tall boys, only one boy can be the tallest.
The noun describes a unique person, place, or thing.

There is only one sun in our solar system, so its identity is clear.
The context or situation makes the noun’s identity clear.

Both the speaker and the listener know which door is meant.
The noun is singular and refers to a scientific class or category of items (most often animals, musical instruments, and inventions).

The writer is referring to the tin whistle as a class of musical instruments.

Types of nouns

Common or proper

Common nouns	Examples
name general persons, places, things, or ideas	religion knowledge rain	beautystudentcountry
begin with lowercase

Proper nouns	Examples
name specific persons, places, things, or ideas	HinduismPhilip	President AdamsWashington Monument
begin with capital letter	New JerseyVietnam	Supreme CourtRenaissance

Count or noncount (common nouns only)

Count nouns	Examples
name persons, places, things, or ideas that can be counted	girl, girlscity, citiesgoose, geese
have plural forms	philosophy, philosophies

Noncount nouns	Examples
name things or abstract ideas that cannot be counted	watersilverfurniture	patienceknowledgeair
cannot be made plural

note: See the chart in M2-d for lists of commonly used noncount nouns.

Singular or plural (both common and proper)

Singular nouns(count and noncount)	Examples
represent one person, place, thing, or idea	backpackcountrywomanachievement	rainbeautyNile RiverBlock Island

Plural nouns (count only)	Examples
represent more than one person, place, thing, or idea	backpackscountrieswomen	Ural MountainsFalkland Islandsachievements
must be count nouns

Specific (definite) or general (indefinite) (count and noncount)

Specific nouns	Examples
name persons, places, things, or ideas that can be identified within a group of the same type	The students in Professor Martin’s class should study. The airplane carrying the senator was late. The furniture in the truck was damaged.

General nouns	Examples
name categories of persons, places, things, or ideas (often plural)	Students should study. Books bridge gaps between cultures. The airplane has made commuting between cities easy.

M2-c: When to use a or an

M2-cUse a (or an) with common singular count nouns that refer to “one” or “any.”

If a count noun refers to one unspecific item (not a whole category), use the indefinite article, a or an. A and an usually mean “one among many” but can also mean “any one.” (See the chart in M2-d.)

The noun dictionary refers to “one unspecific dictionary” or “any dictionary.”

The noun apartment refers to “any apartment close to the lake,” not a specific apartment.

M2-d: When not to use a or an

M2-dUse a quantifier such as some or more, not a or an, with a noncount noun to express an approximate amount.

Do not use a or an with noncount nouns. Also do not use numbers or words such as several or many; they must be used with plural nouns, and noncount nouns do not have plural forms. (See the chart below for lists of commonly used noncount nouns.)

You can use quantifiers such as enough, less, and some to suggest approximate amounts or nonspecific quantities of noncount nouns: a little salt, any homework, enough wood, less information, much pollution.

Choosing articles for common nouns

Use the

if the reader has enough information to identify the noun specifically	count: Please turn on the lights. We’re going to the zoo tomorrow.
	noncount: The food throughout Italy is excellent.

Use a or an

if the noun refers to one item and if the item is singular but not specific

count: Bring a pencil to class. Charles wrote an essay about his first job.

note: Do not use a or an with plural or noncount nouns.

Use a quantifier (enough, many, some, etc.)

if the noun represents an unspecified amount of something	count (plural): Amir showed us some photos of India. Many turtles return to the same nesting site each year.
if the amount is more than one but not all items in a category	noncount: We didn’t get enough rain this summer.

note: Sometimes no article conveys an unspecified amount: Amir showed us photos of India.

Use no article

if the noun represents all items in a category	count (plural): Students can attend the show for free.
if the noun represents a category in general	noncount: Coal is a natural resource.

note: The is occasionally used when a singular count noun refers to all items in a class or a specific category: The bald eagle is no longer endangered in the United States.

Commonly used noncount nouns

Food and drink

beef, bread, butter, candy, cereal, cheese, cream, meat, milk, pasta, rice, salt, sugar, water, wine

Nonfood substances

air, cement, coal, dirt, gasoline, gold, paper, petroleum, plastic, rain, silver, snow, soap, steel, wood, wool

Abstract nouns

advice, anger, beauty, confidence, courage, employment, fun, happiness, health, honesty, information, intelligence, knowledge, love, poverty, satisfaction, wealth

Other

biology (and other areas of study), clothing, equipment, furniture, homework, jewelry, luggage, machinery, mail, money, news, poetry, pollution, research, scenery, traffic, transportation, violence, weather, work

note: A few noncount nouns (such as love) can also be used as count nouns: He had two loves: music and archery.

M2-e: No articles with general nouns

M2-eDo not use articles with nouns that refer to all of something or something in general.

When a noncount noun refers to all of its type or to a concept in general, it is not marked with an article.

The noun represents kindness in general; it does not represent a specific type of kindness, such as the kindness he showed me after my mother’s death.

The noun rice represents rice in general. To refer to a specific type or serving of rice, the definite article is appropriate: The rice my husband served last night is the best I’ve ever tasted.

In most cases, when you use a count noun to represent a general category, make the noun plural. Do not use unmarked singular count nouns to represent whole categories.

Fountains is a count noun that represents fountains in general.

exception: In some cases, the can be used with singular count nouns to represent a class or specific category: The Chinese alligator is smaller than the American alligator. See also number 6 in M2-b.

M2-f: Articles with proper nouns

M2-fDo not use articles with most singular proper nouns. Use the with most plural proper nouns.

Since singular proper nouns are already specific, they typically do not need an article: Prime Minister Cameron, Jamaica, Lake Huron, Mount Etna.

There are, however, many exceptions. In most cases, if the proper noun consists of a common noun with modifiers (adjectives or an of phrase), use the with the proper noun.

The is used with most plural proper nouns: the McGregors, the Bahamas, the Finger Lakes, the United States.

Geographic names create problems because there are so many exceptions to the rules. When in doubt, consult the chart below, check a dictionary, or ask a native speaker.

Using the with geographic nouns

When to omit the

streets, squares, parks	Ivy Street, Union Square, Denali National Park
cities, states, counties	Miami, New Mexico, Bee County
most countries, continents	Italy, China, South America, Africa
bays, single lakes	Tampa Bay, Lake Geneva
single mountains, islands	Mount Everest, Crete

When to use the

country names with of phrase	the United States (of America), the People’s Republic of China
large regions, deserts	the East Coast, the Sahara
peninsulas	the Baja Peninsula, the Sinai Peninsula
oceans, seas, gulfs	the Pacific Ocean, the Dead Sea, the Persian Gulf
canals and rivers	the Panama Canal, the Amazon
mountain ranges	the Rocky Mountains, the Alps
groups of islands	the Solomon Islands