| Definite Articles: | |
|---|---|
| The is used with nouns which have been identified previously. (The speaker and the listener both know which thing/person/substance/idea is being referred to.) | |
| The woman is cleaning the house. | Both listener and speaker know which woman and which house. |
| Throw away the blue book. | I know which book you are talking about. |
| Indefinite Articles | |
| A and anare used with nouns that have not been identified previously (by both the speaker and the listener.) They are used with items that have not been singled-out yet. (Note: As soon as the items are identified, they require a specific article.) | |
| A woman is cleaning a house. | Neither listener nor speaker knows which woman or house. |
| I want a shirt. | Any shirt will be fine. |
| Other examples using the indefinite and defenite articles. | |
| Which shirt do you want? | The white one . |
| Hand me some water. | I spilled the water. |
| I bought some fruits at the market. | These are the fruits that I bought. |
| Non-count and plural nouns are used without articles in the generic sense. | |
| War is dangerous . | Ablution is necessary for prayer. |
| Article Chart | |||
| Specific (This one, that one) (This/that group) Which one? Which ones? |
Non-Specific Any one Any group One of many One of many groups |
Generic In general |
|
| Count Singular |
The apple The bird The child |
An apple A bird A child |
* * |
| Count Plural |
The apples The birds The children |
Some apples Some birds Some children |
Apples Birds Children |
| Non-count |
The water The information |
Some water Some information |
Water Information |