Look at these examples to see how articles are used.
She's a doctor.
I need an umbrella.
Have you heard the news?
I don't like spiders.
Try this exercise to test your grammar.
- Grammar test 1
Read the explanation to learn more.
Grammar explanation
Here are some of the most important things to know about using articles.
Jobs
When we say what people's jobs are, we usually use a/an.
He's an architect.
She's a scientist.
My grandmother was a teacher.
Singular nouns
Singular, countable nouns always have an article – a/an or the (or another determiner – my, your, this, that, etc.).
We use a/an – the indefinite article – when we talk about something for the first time, or something that is part of a group or type.
I saw a good film yesterday.
Do you want a drink?
We use a when the word that follows it begins with a consonant sound. We use an when it's followed by a vowel sound. This makes pronunciation easier.
She has a university degree.
It took me an hour to get home.
We use the – the definite article – when the listener already knows which thing we are talking about because it was mentioned before or because there's only one of them.
I'm going to take the dog for a walk.
Have you seen the car key?
They go to the school next to the bridge.
Things in general
When we talk about things in general, we normally use a plural or uncountable noun with no article.
Birds eat worms.
Water freezes at 0°C.
Children need a lot of sleep.
Particular groups of things
When we talk about a particular group of things, we use the.
We went to the zoo and saw the kangaroos. (These are the particular kangaroos in that zoo – not kangaroos in general.)
Do this exercise to test your grammar again.
- Grammar test 2
Because it's a particular group
When we talk about a particular group we use the
This is my favourite car. I will buy the car.
Why this statement sounds bad. I know there will be this car instead of "the car" but why, as we know we use"the" after using a noun earlier. Here also in the sentence car is mentioned in the first sentence
Hi Vivek,
I don't think the statement sounds bad. There's no problem with using "the" or "this" here. But, I think the most common thing to say would be "I will buy it".
I hope that helps.
Jonathan
The LearnEnglish Team
"The proportion of paper and cardboard that WAS recycled "
Here "paper and cardboard" are two things, then why there is "Was" instead of "were"?
Hi amit_ck,
The noun is not just "paper and cardboard" but the whole phrase "the proportion of paper and cardboard". The main word is "proportion" in the singular, so the verb needs to match it.
If the sentence said "the proportions of paper and cardboard" (proportions = plural), then the correct verb would be "were".
I hope that helps :)
Jonathan
The LearnEnglish Team
thank you
Suppose there was a football match,and I asked my friend that "did you watched the match".
And suppose my friend is eating an apple.And I asked him did you ate the apple.
Sir, why in first sentence "the match" means common noun is used and in second sentence "the apple"not "the fruit is used.
Hello Vivek,
Generally, we use the word which best describes (makes clear) what we are talking about. You would say 'apple' here because that is what your friend is eating and there is no reason to use a more general word. Similarly, in the first sentence you say 'match' rather than 'sporting event'.
There is no rule which says you cannot use more general words. However, it would be strange to use more general words when there is a perfectly clear and common word available.
By the way, the question here would be 'Did you watch...?' not *'Did you watched...?'*
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team
Suppose I am in a room there I said to a person to "please close the door"
And, suppose I am in a train and there I asked a person " where this train is going. "
Why in second example" the train" is not suitable .
Hello Vivek,
That's a good question and one that is difficult to answer. We often use 'this' to refer to a situation or event that is happening or about to start. In the example on a train, you're asking about the train, but since the train is kind of like a situation -- the situation shared by all the people on the train, as they are all in it together -- then perhaps this is why 'this' is better than 'the'.
In the case of the door, it's not really a situation.
I'm sorry if that's not a completely coherent answer, but in the end this seems to be a matter of usage and so my explanation may not be entirely satisfactory.
All the best,
Kirk
The LearnEnglish Team