Article ze. The use of articles in English. Using the Particle "The" with Place Names

In many foreign languages there is such a part of speech as the article (The Article). This service unit speech and it acts as a determiner of a noun. There is no such part of speech in Russian, so it is difficult for Russian-speaking people who begin to learn English to get used to using articles in speech. How and why in English language are articles used?

But if we do not use them, it may be difficult to communicate with an Englishman, because he will not understand what kind of subject in question whether something is known about him or not. To avoid problems in communication and just to learn how to express yourself correctly, it is important and necessary to study the articles in English and their uses.

Today we will talk about such an important topic as the use of articles in English, and also consider cases when you need to use articles.

There are two types of articles in English:

Definite Article (definite article)
Indefinite Article (indefinite article)

THE- a definite article or Definite Article, and it is pronounced [ ðǝ ], when the noun begins with a consonant and [ ðɪ ] when the noun begins with a vowel. For instance: the [ ðǝ ] school, the [ ðɪ ]apple.
A or AN- indefinite (Indefinite Article). When a noun begins with a consonant, we say " a banana", but if with a vowel, then " an orange".

To better understand what is the difference between a definite and an indefinite article in English, we will give an example in Russian: When articles are put in English

Cases of using articles in English

Here it is important to remember what are the rules for using articles in English:

The article is used before every common noun.
We do not use the article when the noun is preceded by a demonstrative or possessive pronoun, another noun in the possessive case, a cardinal number or the negation of no (not not!).

This is a girl. - It's a girl.
My sister is an engineer. — My sister is an engineer.
I see the girls jumping rope. — I see girls jumping rope.

As a rule, the indefinite article in English is used when the subject is spoken about for the first time, and also if nothing is known about the subject. The definite article (Definite Article) is present where something is already known about the subject or it is mentioned in the conversation again. Let's follow this with a few examples. Note:

He has got a computer.- He has a computer (what kind of computer, what's wrong with it, what brand, etc. - we don't know.
The computer is new. - The computer is new (Now there is some information about the computer - it is new).
This is a tree. - This is a tree (it is not clear which tree, nothing is known about it).
The tree is green. - The tree is green (something is already known, the tree is covered with green foliage).
What articles and when are used in English?

Indefinite Article a, an can be used in exclamatory sentences beginning with the word what: What a surprise! - What a surprise! What a beautiful day! — What a beautiful day!
Indefinite article a, an in English it is used only with countable nouns: This is a book. - This is a book. I see a boy. - I see a boy.
Definite Article is used with both countable and uncountable nouns: The book I read is very interesting. The book I am reading is very interesting. The meat you've bought is fresh. The meat you bought is fresh.
Indefinite Article is used before an adjective if it is followed by a noun: We have a large family. - We have a big family. I read an interesting book. — I am reading an interesting book.
The indefinite article can be used in a sentence in the sense of the word "one, one, one": My father has three children, two sons and a daughter. My father has three children - two sons and one daughter. Today I bought a copy-book and two pens. Today I bought one notebook and two pens.
Definite Article is used in the superlative degree of adjectives: Pink Street is the largest street in that town. - Pink Street is the largest in this city.
The definite article is used with geographical names, that is, before the names of rivers, canals, seas, mountains, oceans, bays, straits, archipelagos. But it is not used with the names of lakes, countries, continents. Exceptions: the United States of America, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, the Netherlands, the Ukraine, the Congo, the Crimea.

And now, friends, pay attention to what stable phrases in English always have a definite article:

in the south
in the north
in the east
in the west
to the south
to the north
to the east
to the west
What's the use?
To the cinema
To the theater
To the shop
To the market
At the cinema
At the theater
At the shop
At the market.

There are still many separate cases of the use of articles in English. We will consider them in more detail in articles that are separately devoted to the definite article and separately to the indefinite article.

In general, the situation with articles in English is very serious. They need and should be used in speech, without them there is simply no way, otherwise we ourselves can get confused and confuse our interlocutor in the information presented. And in order not to get confused which articles exactly and when to use them, just memorize these cases. And you will see how this small but very necessary service part of speech will bring clarity to your conversation, and your speech will be beautiful and complete! So let the kids the, a and an become your helpers in your English speech!

This article explains the difference between the indefinite (a/an) and the definite (the) articles.

What is an article? Basically, the article is an adjective. Like adjectives, the article defines the noun.

There are two articles in English: the and a/an. The article the is used before definite or special nouns; The article a/an is used to change the meaning of indefinite and non-special nouns. We call the article the definite article, and the article a/an indefinite.

the = definite article

a/an = indefinite article

For example, if you say "Let" s go in the room, "then it means a certain specific room. If you say," Let "s go in a room," then it means any room, not any specific one.

Another explanation: the article the is used to highlight some special or special member of the group. For example, "I just heard the most horrible story." There are many stories, but only one of them is the most terrible. Therefore, the definite article the is used here.

The article "a/an" is used to highlight some non-special or non-special member of a group. For example, "I would like to go to a pub." This phrase does not refer to any particular pub. This refers to any pub. There are many pubs and I want to go to any of them. I don't mean any particular pub.

Let's consider each of the articles in more detail.

Indefinite articles: a and an

The articles "a" and "an" indicate that the noun is indefinite and refers to any member of the group. Example:

"My son really wants a cat for Christmas." This refers to any cat. We don't know which cat it is because we haven't found it yet.
"Somebody call a doctor!" This also means any doctor. We don't need any special doctor; we need any available doctor.
"When I was in the church, I saw an angel!" Here we are talking about one, not a specific subject, in this case an angel. There may be several angels in the church, but there is only one that we are talking about here.

Remember that the use of the articles a or an depends on what sound the word following the article begins with. So that...

a + singular noun beginning with a consonant: a toy; a cat; a zoo; a bike; a dog
an + singular noun beginning with a vowel: an angel; an apple; an avocado; an olive; an ear
a + singular noun beginning with a consonant sound: a user (sounds like "yoo-zer", i.e. begins with a consonant sound "y", so the indefinite article "a" is used); a university; a unicycle
an + noun beginning with an unpronounceable "h": an hour
a + noun beginning with a pronounced "h": a horse
- In some cases, if the letter "h" is pronounced, such as in the word "historical," then the indefinite article an can be used.
  However, the use of the indefinite article a is more common and desirable.
  A historical event is just something that happened in the past.

Remember that these rules also apply when using acronyms:

Who is a Member of Technical Staff (MTS)? This is an engineer and his/her work effort in a technical subject area within the organization mission and all the elements needed to support that engineer. Therefore, an MTS can also be considered a "manyear of technical service".

This rule also applies in another case, when acronyms begin with a consonant but a vowel is pronounced:

Apply Now for an MBA (Master of Business Administration) Program in one year.
The algorithm to compute the Cholesky factor of an SPD (Symmetric Positive Definite) matrix is close to the Gaussian elimination algorithm.

If the noun is determined by an adjective, then the choice between the articles a and an depends on the first sound in the adjective that follows the article:

a broken wing
an unusual gem
a European city (sounds like "yer-o-pi-an", that is, the word begins with a consonant sound "y")

Remember that in English, indefinite articles are used to denote membership in groups:

I am a welder. (I am a member of a large group known as welders.)
Cody is an Irishman. (Cody is a member of the group of people known as the Irish.)
Frank is a practicing Catholic. (Frank is a member of a group of people known as the Catholics.)

Definite article: the

The definite article is used before nouns in both the singular and the plural if the noun is definite or special. The article the indicates that the noun is definite and refers to some member of the group. Example:

"The cat that scratched me ran away". Here we are talking about a certain cat that scratched me.

"I was happy to see the doctor who saved my dog!" It also speaks of a particular doctor. Even if we don't know his name, he's still a very special doctor because he saved my dog.

"I saw the tiger at the zoo". Here we are talking about a certain definite noun. Perhaps there is only one tiger in the zoo.

Countable and uncountable nouns

With uncountable nouns, you can use the definite article the, or you can do without the article at all.

"I like to sail over the water" (meaning a certain part of the body of water) or "I like to sail over water" (meaning any water surface).
"He spilled the drink all over the floor" (meaning a certain drink, perhaps the one that was bought in the morning of the same day) or "He spilled drink all over the floor" (any drink in general).

The indefinite articles "a/an" can only be used with countable nouns.

"I need a bottle of rose."
"I need a new glass of drink."

In most cases, you can't say "She wants a water" unless you mean, for example, a bottle of water.

Using the definite article the with place names

There are special rules for using the definite article the with place names.

The definite article the not used before:

names of most countries and territories: Georgia, Spain, Italy ; but the Netherlands, the Dominican Republic, the Republic of Poland, the United States
city or state names: Quebec, Miami, Texas
street names: Independence Blvd., Elm St.
names of lakes and bays: Lake Tahoe, Lake Bell, except for the names of a group of lakes, for example the Great Lakes
mountain names: Mount Rushmore, Mount Vernon, except for mountain ranges like the Alps or the Rockies, and unusual names like the Matterhorn
continent names: Australia, Europe
names of islands (Cocos Island, Maui, Key West), with the exception of a range of islands, for example, the Aleutians, the Hebrides, or the Canary Islands

The definite article the is used before:

names of rivers, oceans and seas: the Nile, the Atlantic
names of points on the globe: the Equator, the South Pole
geographical area names: the Middle East, the West
names of deserts, forests, bays and peninsulas: the Sahara, the Persian Gulf, the Black Forest, the Iberian Peninsula

Cases where articles are not used

Articles are not used with some common types of nouns:

with names of languages or nationalities: Chinese, English, Spanish, Korean (if you do not mean the population of the nation: " The Turks are known for their warm hospitality.")
with sports names: football, baseball, hockey
with the names of academic subjects: physics, history, biology, geology

27.11.2014

An article is a word that defines a noun.

There are two kinds of articles in English: definite (the) and indefinite (a/an).

Based on the names, respectively, the indefinite article is used when we are talking about a phenomenon that we meet for the first time, a subject in general, and a definite article is used when we are talking about something specific, or already encountered in a conversation.

The concept of the article is present in many languages of the world, but in the same number of languages it is absent.

So don't panic if your native language doesn't use articles.

The data will help you make fewer mistakes when speaking English.

It is very important to be able to use the correct articles in your speech or writing.

1. With the names of countries and continents

In this case, we do not use articles at all, BUT if the country name consists of parts, such as USA, UK, UAE, then our article appears the, and will be: the USA, the UK, the UAE, the Czech Republic, the Netherlands.

This also applies to continents and islands: usually we do not use the article, but if the name is collective, the definite article has a place to be.

For example: Africa, Europe, Bermuda, Tasmania BUT the Virgin Islands, the Bahamas.

She lived in America.
They live in England.
My friend is from the Czech Republic.

2. With the words breakfast, dinner, lunch

When it comes to eating in general, there is no article. But if you're talking about a specific breakfast, dinner, or lunch, use the.

For example:

I don't eat breakfast.
We didn't like the dinner.

3. With job titles, professions

In this case, the indefinite article is used. a/an.

For instance:

I want to be a politician.
My younger brother wants to be a vet.

4. With the names of the cardinal points

Usually the names of the cardinal directions are capitalized, so they are easy to recognize: the North, the South, the East, the West .

True, if a noun indicates a direction, then it should be used without an article and written with a small letter.

For instance:

They went east.
The North is cooler than the South.

5. With the names of oceans, seas, rivers and canals

Remember that the definite article is always used with the names of these bodies of water.

For instance: The Amazon, the Indian Ocean, the Red Sea, the Suez Canal .

I would like to swim in the Red Sea, and you?
The Amazon is the longest river in the world.

6. With the names of unique phenomena

It means that a phenomenon or an object exists in one copy, one in its kind, in particular, the sun, the moon, the inter net , the sky , the earth.

For example:

The sun is a star.
We looked up at all the stars in the sky.
He is always on the internet.

7. With uncountable nouns

This category of nouns implies those units and concepts that we cannot count. Plus, as an identification mark in most cases, they do not have an ending. -s- plural indicator.

But do not forget that there are ten exceptions to one rule, that is, if you are talking in general about any uncountable concept, there will be no article, but again, if the case is special, use the.

For instance:

I like bread/milk/honey.
I like the bread/the milk/the honey. (Specifically this and nothing else.)

8. With surnames

If we are talking about members of the same family, you can put the article the before the surname. Thus, you designate a group of people, a family with one word.

For example:

The Smith are coming for dinner today.
Have you seen the Jonson recently?

These are not all uses of articles in English. However, to begin with, remember these rules, gradually deepening your knowledge.

But not everyone accurately understands the functions of these articles and the difference between them. In the article we will consider when the definite article is used in English and how it differs from the indefinite one.

You already know that the indefinite article has 2 forms: a(before words into a consonant) and an(before vowel words). All articles indicate that they will be followed by a noun - this is the main function of articles in any European language. The indefinite article comes from the word one(one), hence the rule that a/an We only use singular nouns! And the definite article the derived from the word that(that), you can use it with singular and plural nouns, countable and uncountable. Now let's move on to the specific functions of the definite article.

Functions of the definite article the in English

We use the when we talk about something that is only in one copy in the world, about a unique phenomenon.
Where is the longest river in the world? - Where is the longest river in the world? (she is the only one, the longest, so we use the)
When we talk about something that has already been mentioned in a speech/text. The first time we use the article a/an, and the second time the.
A car crashed into a wall. The car was quite badly damaged. - The car crashed into a wall. The car was badly damaged. (in the first case, “one of the cars” crashed into the wall, and in the second sentence, “exactly this” car was damaged)

There is a sports center in the city. The center is open from 10 till 21. – There is a sports center in the city. The center is open from 10 am to 9 pm. (in the first sentence we simply report about some center in the city, in the second we say that this particular center is open at a certain time)
Often the definite article is used before words like the same(same), wholesale(whole), right(right), left(left), wrong(wrong), only(only), main(main), last(last), next(next), previous(previous).
The whole group passed the exam successfully. The whole group successfully passed the exam.

If you take the left turn you'll get there. “If you turn left, you will get there.

We have the same interests. We have the same interests.
Before ordinal numbers: first, twenty-fifth, etc. Again, because this unique item, person or phenomenon.
Who was the first teacher you had at school? Who was your first teacher at school?

I was the second to know that she got married. I am the second person to know that she is married.
Before adjectives in a superlative degree: the most some (the most intelligent, the most courageous, etc.). Here again the uniqueness function is traced.
This is the best compliment I have ever got. “That's the best compliment I've ever received.

That was the worst performance that I have seen. It was the worst show I have ever seen.
Before nouns like cinema(cinema), theater(theater), as well as words that indicate the place where the action takes place.
We often go to the cinema. We often go to the cinema.

She has books everywhere: on the table, on the floor, in the kitchen and even in the bathroom. She has books everywhere: on the table, on the floor, in the kitchen and even in the bathroom.

When not to use the article the

In his lesson, a native speaker Jade gives examples of when the article should not be used the in English. Watch the video carefully to remember all the material. And we will give all the rules after the video.

The definite article is usually not used with:

Country names - England, Spain, Germany. But if the name of the country consists of 2 or more words, then the article is needed. Remember a simple example - Russia, but the Russian Federation.
Meals - for breakfast(for breakfast), for dinner(for dinner).
The names of professions. In this case, the indefinite article is used: I want to be a doctor(I want to be a doctor), he is an engineer(he is an engineer).
With most proper names: Paris(Paris), Monday(Monday).
- There are, of course, exceptions to this paragraph. If you want to read about them in detail, then we have an article "", where you will find special cases of using articles.
With language names: English, French. But if after English have a word language(language), you must use the: English, but the English language.

How to pronounce the article the

The definite article has one form of writing - the, but can be pronounced in two ways - / ðə / and / oi/. If next after the there is a word that begins with a consonant sound, then you need to pronounce / ðə /: the book /ðə bʊk/, the table /ðəˈteɪbl/. And if the word begins with a vowel sound, then we pronounce / oi/: the umbrella /ði ʌmˈbrelə/, the egg /ði eɡ/. Watch the video where you can hear the correct pronunciation the.

Hello to all! Each language has its own rules that lend themselves to logic and explanation, and there are exceptions that are subject only to cramming. If your native language- Russian, and you study English, then you are very lucky. You will have to learn a lot less rules. When studying irregular or modal verbs, you may not agree with me. But trust me in English rules and there are much fewer exceptions than in Russian. Definite article

Many cases of using, for example, articles in English can be reduced to a few basic rules, and in other cases, you need to learn how to find the logic of these same rules. Well, the rest, of course, you just have to memorize :). In this article, I will tell you about the basic rules for using the Definite Article in English.

You already know from previous lessons that there are two types of articles in English: uncertain (a/an) and definite (the), expressed by the given single form. Individualizing "The", like the definite, came from the Old English language, where it served as a demonstrative pronoun "that"(this that).

By pointing at something or someone, you rid your speech of any uncertainty, and the interlocutor will immediately understand what you are talking about. " The"That's why it is called definite, because when it is used, it is immediately clear about what object, person or event and it's about: The sandwich on the table(identifies a specific book lying on a specific table).

In this way, Definite Article sometimes used when the person or thing mentioned is known to both the listener and the speaker (from the environment, context previously mentioned in the conversation): It is a table - this is a table. The table is at the wall - the table is near the wall.

Basic Rules for Using the Definite Article

The fact that Definite Article is derived from a demonstrative pronoun determines the basic rules for its use. "The", unlike "a/an", can be used in any number and placed before any nouns. But in what situation? So, the definite article is used before:

One of a kind items: The Moon moves around the Earth. — The moon moves around the earth.
Items that have a definition: The boy that has stolen a picture, was caught. The boy who stole the painting has been caught.(Which boy? - who stole the painting)
Objects from a restricted collection or group: The wheel of the lorry was missing. The truck didn't have a wheel.(One of the 4 or 6 wheels of the truck was missing).

Article The

These are the basic rules for using Definite Article.

In general, try to do this: put the pronoun “this” or “that” before the noun.If the meaning of the sentence or phrase does not change, then feel free to sculpt "The", and if it changes, then before an uncountable noun. in units we put “a / an”, and if this is a plural noun, then we don’t put the article at all!Simply and easily! But you need to know the rules, so let's continue.