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Articles

General Rules for the Use of Articles:

I. Use a/an with singular count nouns whose specific identity is not known to the listener either because it is being mentioned for the first time, or because its specific identity is unknown.
Examples:
Ahmad flew in a plane. (not a specific plane.)
I want an umbrella. (an = any umbrella well do just fine.)

II. Do not use a/an with non-count nouns. Only use a/an with non-count nouns if you add a count noun in front of the non-count noun.
Example:
Ali asked Ahmad for water.
Ali asked Ahmad for a glass of water.

III. Use "the" with most nouns whose specific identity is known to the reader because:
1. the noun has been previously mentioned:
Yesterday, I bought a car.
The car had expensive tires.
The tires were imported for a man.
The man decided to sell the car.
2. the noun we are talking about is made specific by a superlative:
I bought the fastest car there is.
3. the noun describes a unique person, place, or thing:
I went to see the supervisor.
The ocean is blue.
They left for the North Pole.

IV. Do not use "the" with plural or non-count nouns when they are used in a generic sense. Do not use "the" with most singular proper nouns.
Rice is the preferred food in Middle East.
In some parts of the world, the rice is the main course.

Singular count nouns cannot stand alone in a sentence.
We can't say :
Cat is in house. (Wrong!)
We should say:
A cat is in the house. (Right!)
The cat is in the house. (Right!)

Singular count nouns must be preceded by one of the following:
1. An article (the, a, an
A cat is in the house.
The prince gave us a reward.
2. A number or a quantifier (one, another, the other, each, every, either, neither)
One cat was in the house.
Neither cat was in the house.
The other cat was in the house.
Either cat could be in the house.
3. This, that, some
This man built that house.
Some stranger came to the house. (unidentified subject)
4. A possessive pronoun or noun.
It is my cat.
It is Samir's cat.

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