Use of definite and indefinite articles: How and When to Use in English
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Use of definite and indefinite articles
English words can be preceded by a definite or indefinite article (no gender distinction exists).
The definite article in English is the:
The definite article in English is the:
| with countable nouns: | with uncountable nouns: |
| the dog | the sugar (referring to some specific sugar) |
| the flowers | the information (referring to a specific piece of information) |
With people and nationalities:
the British, the British people people from Britain
the British, the British people people from Britain
Note: the definite article the is NOT used in the following cases:
• Uncountable nouns expressing generalities:
Materials: wood, glass, ironColors: pink, black, brown
Food: flour, butter, sugar
Human activities: surfing, soccer, war
Languages: Italian, Russian
Abstract nouns: love, freedom
Days of the week: Fridays, Sundays
• Names of countries:
Thailand, Spain, Peru, LuxembourgBUT: The United States, The West Indies...
• Names of people holding titles:
Queen Mary Doctor Jekyll
President Eisenhower
Indefinite articles for singular nouns in English are a/an. As a general rule, an precedes words starting with a vowel sound and a precedes those starting with a consonant sound:
| an anteater | a harp |
| an ice cream cone | a rhinoceros |
Note that words starting with an audible 'h', like 'history' or 'happy' take the 'article 'a'.
He has a history test in an hour.
Note: the indefinite articles a/an can also be used to replace the number '1':
I have a brother and a sister is more natural than 'I have one brother and one sister'.
Exercise 1
One of the four words in bold below is not correct. Replace the ONE incorrect word with a more appropriate term. Write out the correct terms again. Make sure you write something in ALL FOUR blanks!
Last week, Kevin bought tickets for the theater. Unfortunately, his credit card was rejected, so he must pay for the tickets in cash.
→Last week, Kevin tickets for theater. Unfortunately, his credit card rejected, so he pay for the tickets in cash.
Last week, Kevin bought tickets for the theater. Unfortunately, his credit card was rejected, so he must pay for the tickets in cash.
→Last week, Kevin tickets for theater. Unfortunately, his credit card rejected, so he pay for the tickets in cash.
One of the four words in bold below is not correct. Replace the ONE incorrect word with a more appropriate term. Write out the correct terms again. Make sure you write something in ALL FOUR blanks!
Last week, Kevin bought tickets for the theater. Unfortunately, his credit card was rejected, so he must pay for the tickets in cash.
→Last week, Kevin bought 1 tickets for the 2 theater. Unfortunately, his credit card was 3 rejected, so he had to 4 pay for the tickets in cash.
Last week, Kevin bought tickets for the theater. Unfortunately, his credit card was rejected, so he must pay for the tickets in cash.
→Last week, Kevin bought 1 tickets for the 2 theater. Unfortunately, his credit card was 3 rejected, so he had to 4 pay for the tickets in cash.
1 bought: 'Bought' is correct. Because we are talking about 'last week' we use the simple past tense here. 'Buy' is an irregular verb: buy/bought/bought.
2 the: 'The' is correct. Because we are not speaking of the abstract generality of 'theater' as an artistic medium, the structure of the sentence requires the definite article 'the' before 'theater'.
3 was: 'Was' is correct. We already know that the action is taking place in the past. 'Was' is the preterit from of 'to be'. It is irregular: 'I am, you are/I was, you were/I had been, you have been'.
4 had to: 'Must' is the mistake in this sentence. Because we are speaking about past events, we cannot use 'must' which can only be used in the present tense. In order to express necessity in the past we use 'had to' (the past form of 'have to') in place of 'must' or 'need to'.
Exercise 2
Choose the correct article in each of the blanks below.
There may be more than one correct answer!
(Select 'NONE' if you believe that no article is required.)
Susie: Did we get newspaper today?
Bob: Hmm. That's good question.
Susie: I forgot you don't read it like everyone else.
Bob: I read comics... I suppose I am little immature.
Susie: You're honest man, Robert.
There may be more than one correct answer!
(Select 'NONE' if you believe that no article is required.)
Susie: Did we get newspaper today?
Bob: Hmm. That's good question.
Susie: I forgot you don't read it like everyone else.
Bob: I read comics... I suppose I am little immature.
Susie: You're honest man, Robert.
Choose the correct article in each of the blanks below.
There may be more than one correct answer!
(Select 'NONE' if you believe that no article is required.)
Susie: Did we get the 1 newspaper today?
Bob: Hmm. That's a 2 good question.
Susie: I forgot you don't read it like everyone else.
Bob: I read the 3 comics... I suppose I am a 4 little immature.
Susie: You're an 5 honest man, Robert.
There may be more than one correct answer!
(Select 'NONE' if you believe that no article is required.)
Susie: Did we get the 1 newspaper today?
Bob: Hmm. That's a 2 good question.
Susie: I forgot you don't read it like everyone else.
Bob: I read the 3 comics... I suppose I am a 4 little immature.
Susie: You're an 5 honest man, Robert.
1 the: We use 'the' to show that Susie had expected a specific newspaper (one which is normally or routinely delivered every day). Note: it is also possible to use 'a' here.
1 an: We cannot use 'an' before a word that begins with a consonant, such as 'newspaper'.
1 NONE: This sentence would be grammatically incorrect without an article.
2 a: Because Bob is referring to Susie's 'question', we use 'a' to describe it. We often use the indefinite article when the noun is preceded by a general adjective such as 'good'.
2 an: We cannot use 'an' before a word that begins with a consonant, such as 'good'.
2 the: We cannot use 'the' here followed by the adjective 'good'. In English, we never say 'that's the good question'. If we wanted to express that someone has asked a pertinent or relevant question, we might say 'that's the right question (to ask)'.
2 NONE: This sentence would be grammatically incorrect without an article.
3 the: This is the best choice here. We use 'the' to show that Bob reads 'the' section of the newspaper featuring comics.
3 a: We cannot use 'a' before a plural noun such as 'comics'.
3 an: We cannot use 'an' before a plural noun such as 'comics'.
4 a: We use the article 'a' as a part of the construction 'a little' and not to describe a noun.
4 an: We cannot use 'an' before a word that begins with a consonant, such as 'little'.
4 the: This is incorrect. Because there is no noun in this construction, we cannot use the definite article 'the' here.
4 NONE: This sentence would be grammatically incorrect without an article.
5 an: Because the 'h' in 'honest' is not pronounced, we use the article 'an'. We use 'an' to precede terms with vowel sounds at the beginning of the term.
5 a: We cannot use 'a' before words which begin with vowel sounds such as 'honest'.
5 the: Because Susie is telling Bob that he is 'an honest man' in general, or as an example of 'an honest man', we cannot use 'the' here. The definite article is used to refer to specific subjects and ideas.
5 NONE: This sentence would be grammatically incorrect without an article.
Exercise 3
Choose the correct article in each of the blanks below.
There may be more than one correct answer!
(Select 'NONE' if you believe that no article is required.)
Horatio: That is nice house. Is it made out of wood?
Bruno: No. It's gingerbread house. It's made from flour and sugar.
Horatio: Can I eat it?
Bruno: No! Now let's go! We're late for work.
Horatio: But it's Friday.
Bruno: Yes, and we work on Fridays.
Horatio: Ah, I see your logic. Let us go then.
*Gingerbread is a type of spicy, sweet bread, often eaten during the holidays. It is sometimes made into miniature houses which can be eaten.
There may be more than one correct answer!
(Select 'NONE' if you believe that no article is required.)
Horatio: That is nice house. Is it made out of wood?
Bruno: No. It's gingerbread house. It's made from flour and sugar.
Horatio: Can I eat it?
Bruno: No! Now let's go! We're late for work.
Horatio: But it's Friday.
Bruno: Yes, and we work on Fridays.
Horatio: Ah, I see your logic. Let us go then.
*Gingerbread is a type of spicy, sweet bread, often eaten during the holidays. It is sometimes made into miniature houses which can be eaten.
Choose the correct article in each of the blanks below.
There may be more than one correct answer!
(Select 'NONE' if you believe that no article is required.)
Horatio: That is a 1 nice house. Is it made out of NONE 2 wood?
Bruno: No. It's a 3 gingerbread house. It's made from NONE 4 flour and NONE 5 sugar.
Horatio: Can I eat it?
Bruno: No! Now let's go! We're late for work.
Horatio: But it's NONE 6 Friday.
Bruno: Yes, and we work on NONE 7 Fridays.
Horatio: Ah, I see your logic. Let us go then.
*Gingerbread is a type of spicy, sweet bread, often eaten during the holidays. It is sometimes made into miniature houses which can be eaten.
There may be more than one correct answer!
(Select 'NONE' if you believe that no article is required.)
Horatio: That is a 1 nice house. Is it made out of NONE 2 wood?
Bruno: No. It's a 3 gingerbread house. It's made from NONE 4 flour and NONE 5 sugar.
Horatio: Can I eat it?
Bruno: No! Now let's go! We're late for work.
Horatio: But it's NONE 6 Friday.
Bruno: Yes, and we work on NONE 7 Fridays.
Horatio: Ah, I see your logic. Let us go then.
*Gingerbread is a type of spicy, sweet bread, often eaten during the holidays. It is sometimes made into miniature houses which can be eaten.
1 a: This is the best choice here. We use 'a' here to describe the house which Horatio is talking about. Because he describes it as 'nice' we use the indefinite article.
1 an: We cannot use 'an' before a word that begins with a consonant such as 'nice'.
1 NONE: This sentence would be grammatically incorrect without an article.
1 the: Although it is grammatically correct, 'the' sounds awkward in this construction. If we use 'the' here, it would mean that Horatio was choosing the 'nice' house from a group of several others.
2 NONE: We do not use an article before most materials (wood, stone, brick, etc.), when they are used in a general sense.
2 a: 'A' is not grammatically incorrect in this sentence, but it is extremely rare to refer to 'a wood' unless one was speaking very specifically about the wood, as compared to others. For example 'This is a wood which compliments the color of the walls'. It is not a good choice in Horatio's sentence.
2 an: 'An' would be grammatically incorrect here.
2 the: 'The' is be grammatically incorrect here.
3 a: We use 'a' here to describe the house which Bruno is talking about. Because he specifies it as 'gingerbread' we use the indefinite article 'a' to describe it. 'Gingerbread' is a type of sweet, spicy bread often used in cakes and cookies.
3 an: We cannot use 'an' before a word that begins with a consonant such as 'gingerbread'.
3 the: Although it is grammatically correct, 'the' sounds awkward in this construction. If we use 'the' here, it would mean that Bruno was indicating the 'gingerbread' house from a group of other houses.
3 NONE: This sentence would be grammatically incorrect without an article.
4 NONE: This is the best choice here. We do not use an article before listing ingredients (flour, butter, sugar, etc.), when they are used in a general sense.
4 an: 'An' would be grammatically incorrect here.
4 the: 'The' would be grammatically incorrect here.
4 a: 'A' would be grammatically incorrect here.
5 NONE: This is the best choice here. We do not use an article before listing most food ingredients (flour, butter, sugar, etc.), when they are used in a general sense.
5 the: 'The' would be grammatically incorrect here.
5 an: 'An' would be grammatically incorrect here.
5 a: 'A' would be grammatically incorrect here.
6 NONE: This is the best choice here. We do not use an article when talking about days of the week (Friday), with few exceptions.
6 a: 'A' would be grammatically incorrect here. 'A' can be used to precede a day of the week only referring to it in the most general sense. For example: I believe that the Spring equinox falls on a Friday this year'.
6 an: 'An' would be grammatically incorrect here.
6 the: 'The' would be grammatically incorrect here.
7 NONE: This is the best choice here. We do not use an article when talking about days of the week (Fridays). In English, we do not say 'I work the Friday'. We say: 'I work Fridays' or 'I work on Fridays'.
7 a: 'A' would be grammatically incorrect here.
7 an: 'An' would be grammatically incorrect here.
7 the: 'The' would be grammatically incorrect here.
Exercise 4
In the blanks below, determine which article from the list below should be used.
a | an | the
If you believe that no article is required, type NONE in the blank.
Job applicant: Good morning, Mr. Delavigne. I'm here about the job. It's honor to meet you.
Bruno: Thank you. That's interesting shirt you're wearing. May I try it on?
Job applicant: What? Oh, of course. Here.
Bruno: Wonderful. I've always wanted shirt like this.
Job applicant: Oh, well then, please take it! I have similar one at home.
Bruno: Congratulations. job is yours. You start Monday. Polly will give you a towel on your way out.
a | an | the
If you believe that no article is required, type NONE in the blank.
Job applicant: Good morning, Mr. Delavigne. I'm here about the job. It's honor to meet you.
Bruno: Thank you. That's interesting shirt you're wearing. May I try it on?
Job applicant: What? Oh, of course. Here.
Bruno: Wonderful. I've always wanted shirt like this.
Job applicant: Oh, well then, please take it! I have similar one at home.
Bruno: Congratulations. job is yours. You start Monday. Polly will give you a towel on your way out.
In the blanks below, determine which article from the list below should be used.
a | an | the
If you believe that no article is required, type NONE in the blank.
Job applicant: Good morning, Mr. Delavigne. I'm here about the job. It's an 1 honor to meet you.
Bruno: Thank you. That's an 2 interesting shirt you're wearing. May I try it on?
Job applicant: What? Oh, of course. Here.
Bruno: Wonderful. I've always wanted a 3 shirt like this.
Job applicant: Oh, well then, please take it! I have a 4 similar one at home.
Bruno: Congratulations. The 5 job is yours. You start NONE 6 Monday. Polly will give you a towel on your way out.
a | an | the
If you believe that no article is required, type NONE in the blank.
Job applicant: Good morning, Mr. Delavigne. I'm here about the job. It's an 1 honor to meet you.
Bruno: Thank you. That's an 2 interesting shirt you're wearing. May I try it on?
Job applicant: What? Oh, of course. Here.
Bruno: Wonderful. I've always wanted a 3 shirt like this.
Job applicant: Oh, well then, please take it! I have a 4 similar one at home.
Bruno: Congratulations. The 5 job is yours. You start NONE 6 Monday. Polly will give you a towel on your way out.
1 an: Because the 'h' in 'honor' (or 'honour') is not pronounced, we use the article 'an'. We use 'an' to precede articles with vowel sounds at the beginning of the term.
2 an: We use the indefinite article 'an' to precede terms which begin with a vowel sound, such as 'interesting'. Note that in this sentence the adjective 'interesting' signals the need for 'an', whereas 'shirt' would normally be preceded by the indefinite article 'a'.
3 a: Here we use the indefinite article 'a' to describe a 'shirt': a noun which begins with a consonant sound. Note that we are referring to shirts in general here and not a specific shirt and so we use the indefinite article rather than the definite article 'the'.
4 a: Here we use the indefinite article 'a' to describe the adjective 'similar': a term which begins with a consonant sound. Although 'a' really modifies the pronoun 'one' in this sentence, because 'one' is preceded by an adjective with a consonant sound, we use the indefinite article 'a' to describe it.
5 The: Here Bruno is referring to a job or position introduced at the beginning of the dialogue. The context tells us that the definite article is required as a specific job opportunity is being discussed by Bruno and the applicant. The definite article 'the' is used to describe specific people, places, ideas and more. Note that 'the job is yours' is an expression often used when a job has been awarded to someone.
6 NONE: In English, we rarely use articles to precede days of the week (Monday), unless we are referring to a specific day (this Tuesday, that Friday) in which case demonstrative adjectives are often used. We do not say 'I work the Friday'. We say: 'I work Fridays' or 'I work on Fridays'. Note that we could also say 'You start on Monday' here.
Exercise 5
Fill in the blanks below with the appropriate article: a | an | the
If no article is required, type 'NONE' in the blank - do not just leave it blank!
Luna: Now that I'm getting older, I'm making list of things I want to do before I turn 40.
Polly: That's nice. What kind of things are on your list?
Luna: Well, since I've always lived in United States, I'd like to travel a bit.
Polly: Where to?
Luna: My first stop will be Great Britain, because I've heard that British are classy, plus they share my love for tea. Then I want to see Spain, and learn Spanish there.
Polly: Can we finish this discussion later, Luna? I only have hour for lunch, and I'd like to buy ice cream cone.
If no article is required, type 'NONE' in the blank - do not just leave it blank!
Luna: Now that I'm getting older, I'm making list of things I want to do before I turn 40.
Polly: That's nice. What kind of things are on your list?
Luna: Well, since I've always lived in United States, I'd like to travel a bit.
Polly: Where to?
Luna: My first stop will be Great Britain, because I've heard that British are classy, plus they share my love for tea. Then I want to see Spain, and learn Spanish there.
Polly: Can we finish this discussion later, Luna? I only have hour for lunch, and I'd like to buy ice cream cone.
Fill in the blanks below with the appropriate article: a | an | the
If no article is required, type 'NONE' in the blank - do not just leave it blank!
Luna: Now that I'm getting older, I'm making a 1 list of things I want to do before I turn 40.
Polly: That's nice. What kind of things are on your list?
Luna: Well, since I've always lived in the 2 United States, I'd like to travel a bit.
Polly: Where to?
Luna: My first stop will be NONE 3 Great Britain, because I've heard that the 4 British are classy, plus they share my love for tea. Then I want to see NONE 5 Spain, and learn NONE 6 Spanish there.
Polly: Can we finish this discussion later, Luna? I only have an 7 hour for lunch, and I'd like to buy an 8 ice cream cone.
If no article is required, type 'NONE' in the blank - do not just leave it blank!
Luna: Now that I'm getting older, I'm making a 1 list of things I want to do before I turn 40.
Polly: That's nice. What kind of things are on your list?
Luna: Well, since I've always lived in the 2 United States, I'd like to travel a bit.
Polly: Where to?
Luna: My first stop will be NONE 3 Great Britain, because I've heard that the 4 British are classy, plus they share my love for tea. Then I want to see NONE 5 Spain, and learn NONE 6 Spanish there.
Polly: Can we finish this discussion later, Luna? I only have an 7 hour for lunch, and I'd like to buy an 8 ice cream cone.
1 a: The indefinite article 'a' precedes terms which begin with a consonant sound, such as 'list'. Note that in this sentence 'a' also indicates that Luna is making 1 list.
2 the: In English, the names of countries which are comprised of smaller states (or countries in the case of THE United Kingdom) are generally preceded by the article 'the'. Because they are considered plural (or collective) nouns, we use the definite article 'the' to precede them. Other countries which are independent nations without sub-states aren't preceded by an article at all. Example: On my trip to Asia, I visited China, Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam.
3 NONE: In English, the names of most countries aren't preceded by an article. The country 'Great Britain' does not take an article, even though the name refers to several countries within the same area.
4 the: In English, when referring to groups of people collectively (the British, the French, the Russians), we use the definite article 'the' to precede the nationality.
5 NONE: In English, many countries aren't preceded by an article. The country 'Spain' does not take an article.
6 NONE: In English, we don't use articles to describe a language. Example: I am learning Japanese, he is studying English.
7 an: Because the 'h' in the term 'hour' is silent, it becomes a word which begins with a vowel sound. We use the indefinite article to precede terms which begin with vowel sounds in English. Examples: an honor, an ant, an ugly person.
8 an: Because the term 'ice cream cone' begins with a vowel sound, we use the indefinite article 'an' to describe one of them. We use the indefinite article to precede terms which begin with vowel sounds in English. Examples: an honor, an ant, an ugly person.
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