What is an article? Basically, an article is an adjective. Like adjectives, articles modify nouns.English has two articles: the and a/an. The is used to refer to specific or particular nouns; a/an is used to modify non-specific or non-particular nouns. We call the the definite article and a/an the indefinite article.the = definite articlea/an = indefinite articleFor 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/an" is used to refer to a non-specific or non-particular member of the group. For example, "I would like to go see a movie." Here, we're not talking about a specific movie. We're talking about any movie. There are many movies, and I want to see any movie. I don't have a specific one in mind.Let's look at each kind of article a little more closely.

Indefinite Articles: a and an"A" and "an" signal that the noun modified is indefinite, referring to any member of a group. For example:

"My daughter really wants a dog for Christmas." This

refers to any dog. We don't know which dog because we haven't found the dog yet.

"Somebody call a policeman!" This refers to any policeman. We don't need a specific policeman; we need any policeman who is available.

"When I was at the zoo, I saw an elephant!" Here, we're talking about a single, non-specific thing, in this case an elephant. There are probably several elephants at the zoo, but there's only one we're talking about here.

Remember, using a or an depends on the sound that begins the next word. So...

a + singular noun beginning with a consonant: a boy; a car; a bike; a zoo; a dog

an + singular noun beginning with a vowel: an elephant; an egg; an apple; an idiot; an orphan

a + singular noun beginning with a consonant sound: a user (sounds like 'yoo-zer,' i.e. begins with a consonant 'y' sound, so 'a' is used); a university; a unicycle

an + nouns starting with silent "h": an hour a + nouns starting with a pronounced "h": a horse

In some cases where "h" is pronounced, such as "historical," you can use an. However, a is more commonly used and preferred.A historical event is worth recording.

Remember that these rules also apply when you use acronyms:Introductory Composition at Purdue (ICaP) handles first-year

writing at the University. Therefore, an ICaP memo generally discusses issues concerning English 106 instructors.Another case where this rule applies is when acronyms start with consonant letters but have vowel sounds:An MSDS (material safety data sheet) was used to record the data. An SPCC plan (Spill Prevention Control and Countermeasures plan) will help us prepare for the worst.If the noun is modified by an adjective, the choice between a and an depends on the initial sound of the adjective that immediately follows the article:

a broken egg an unusual problem a European country (sounds like 'yer-o-pi-an,' i.e. begins

with consonant 'y' sound) Remember, too, that in English, the indefinite articles are used to indicate membership in a group:

I am a teacher. (I am a member of a large group known as teachers.)

Brian is an Irishman. (Brian is a member of the people known as Irish.)

Seiko is a practicing Buddhist. (Seiko is a member of the group of people known as Buddhists.)

Definite Article: theThe definite article is used before singular and plural nouns when the noun is specific or particular. The signals that the noun is definite, that it refers to a particular member of a

group. For example:"The dog that bit me ran away." Here, we're talking about a specific dog, the dog that bit me."I was happy to see the policeman who saved my cat!" Here, we're talking about a particular policeman. Even if we don't know the policeman's name, it's still a particular policeman because it is the one who saved the cat."I saw the elephant at the zoo." Here, we're talking about a specific noun. Probably there is only one elephant at the zoo.

Count and Noncount NounsThe can be used with noncount nouns, or the article can be omitted entirely.

"I love to sail over the water" (some specific body of water) or "I love to sail over water" (any water).

"He spilled the milk all over the floor" (some specific milk, perhaps the milk you bought earlier that day) or "He spilled milk all over the floor" (any milk).

"A/an" can be used only with count nouns. "I need a bottle of water." "I need a new glass of milk."

Most of the time, you can't say, "She wants a water," unless you're implying, say, a bottle of water.

Geographical use of theThere are some specific rules for using the with geographical nouns.

Do not use the before: names of most countries/territories: Italy, Mexico,

Bolivia; however, the Netherlands, the Dominican Republic, the Philippines, the United States

names of cities, towns, or states: Seoul, Manitoba, Miami names of streets: Washington Blvd., Main St. names of lakes and bays: Lake Titicaca, Lake Erie except

with a group of lakes like the Great Lakes names of mountains: Mount Everest, Mount Fuji except

with ranges of mountains like the Andes or the Rockies or unusual names like the Matterhorn

names of continents (Asia, Europe) names of islands (Easter Island, Maui, Key West) except

with island chains like the Aleutians, the Hebrides, or the Canary Islands

Do use the before: names of rivers, oceans and seas: the Nile, the Pacific points on the globe: the Equator, the North Pole geographical areas: the Middle East, the West deserts, forests, gulfs, and peninsulas: the Sahara, the

Persian Gulf, the Black Forest, the Iberian Peninsula

Omission of ArticlesSome common types of nouns that don't take an article are:

Names of languages and nationalities: Chinese, English, Spanish, Russian (unless you are referring to the population of the nation: "The Spanish are known for their warm hospitality.")

Names of sports: volleyball, hockey, baseball Names of academic subjects: mathematics, biology,

history, computer science

How do you know when to use the indefinite articles?The choice of article is actually based upon the phonetic (sound) quality of the first letter in a word, not on the orthographic (written) representation of the letter. If the first letter makes a vowel-type sound, you use "an"; if the first letter would make a consonant-type sound, you use "a." However, you may follow these basic rules when deciding to use "a" or "an," remembering that there are some exceptions to the rules."A" goes before words that begin with consonants.

a cat a dog a purple onion a buffalo a big apple

"An" goes before words that begin with vowels: an apricot an egg an Indian an orbit an uprising

ExceptionsUse "an" before unsounded "h." Because the "h" hasn't any phonetic representation and has no audible sound, the sound that follows the article is a vowel; consequently, "an" is used.

an honorable peace an honest error

When "u" makes the same sound as the "y" in "you," or "o" makes the same sound as "w" in "won," then a is used. The word-initial "y" sound ("unicorn") is actually a glide [j] phonetically, which has consonantal properties; consequently, it is treated as a consonant, requiring "a."

a union a united front a unicorn a used napkin a U.S. ship a one-legged man

The Basic Rules: Count and Noncount NounsA count noun is one that can be expressed in plural form, usually with an "s." For example, "cat—cats," "season—seasons," "student—students."A noncount noun is one that usually cannot be expressed in a plural form. For example, "milk," "water," "air," "money," "food." Usually, you can't say, "He had many moneys."

Count and Noncount Nouns with AdjectivesMost of the time, this doesn't matter with adjectives. For example, you can say, "The cat was gray" or "The air was gray." However, the difference between a countable and uncountable noun does matter with certain adjectives, such as "some/any," "much/many," and "little/few."Some/Any: Some and any countable and uncountable nouns.

"There is some water on the floor." "There are some students here." "Do you have any food?" "Do you have any apples?"

Much/Many: Much modifies only uncountable nouns. Many modifies only countable nouns.

"We don't have much time to get this done." "Many Americans travel to Europe."

Little/Few: Little modifies only uncountable nouns. "He had little food in the house." "The doctor had little time to think in the emergency

room." Few modifies only countable nouns.

"There are few doctors in town." "Few students like exams."

Other basic rulesA lot of/lots of: A lot of/lots of are informal substitutes for much and many. They are used with uncountable nouns when they mean much and with countable nouns when they mean

many. "They have lots of (much) money in the bank." "A lot of (many) Americans travel to Europe." "We got lots of (many) mosquitoes last summer." "We got lots of (much) rain last summer."

A little bit of:A little bit of is informal and always precedes an uncountable noun.

"There is a little bit of pepper in the soup." "There is a little bit of snow on the ground."

Enough: Enough modifies both countable and uncountable nouns.

"There is enough money to buy a car." "I have enough books to read."

Plenty of: Plenty of modifies both countable and uncountable nouns.

"They have plenty of money in the bank." "There are plenty of millionaires in Switzerland."

No: No modifies both countable and uncountable nouns. "There is no time to finish now." "There are no squirrels in the park."