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
Hi Francoandrian.
as I know "university" has the first spelling is "j", not "u". so that is why it follows "a"
"The" explanation helped me a lot.
Is it right?
BTW, it was really helpful.I got to learn enough from it.
Thanks!
Signing off:)
Hello uttambro,
Yes, that's correct.
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team
could you tell me the meaning of (BTW)?
Hi fatoma45,
It's short for 'by the way' :)
Jonathan
LearnEnglish team
BTW which stands for “By The Way is used in everyday life.
Example:
- I think we've discussed everything we need to - by the way, what time is it?
- I hope you enjoyed your holiday in Florida - btw, can you recommend a good hotel?
I have a question why we doesn't use the before countries?
Hello Nivonshi,
We do use articles before some countries:
Other countries are treated as proper names and so have no article.
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team
Thank you for this clear and easy-to-follow explanation!
Good lesson