Articles with English Nouns

Articles are small words (a, an, the) that tell us whether a noun is specific or general.

1. Types of Articles

Article	Usage	Example
a	General singular noun (consonant sound)	"I saw a dog."
an	General singular noun (vowel sound: a, e, i, o, u)	"She ate an apple."
the	Specific noun (both singular & plural)	"The sun is bright."
No Article (Ø)	General plural/uncountable nouns	"I love Ø cats."

2. When to Use Which Article?

A. Indefinite Articles: "A" / "An"
✔ First mention of something (not specific):

• "I need a pen." (Any pen, not a specific one)
  ✔ Jobs or identities:
• "She is a doctor."
  ✔ With singular countable nouns:
• "He has an umbrella."

Note:

• "A" before consonant sounds (a university, a European trip)
• "An" before vowel sounds (an hour, an MBA)

B. Definite Article: "The"
✔ Specific things (both speaker & listener know it):

• "Close the door." (The door in this room)
  ✔ Unique things (only one exists):
• "The moon is full tonight."
  ✔ Superlatives & ordinals:
• "She’s the tallest in class."
• "It’s the first time I’ve been here."

C. No Article (Ø)
✔ General plural nouns:

• "Ø Cats are independent." (All cats in general)
  ✔ Uncountable nouns (general sense):
• "She drinks Ø coffee every morning."
  ✔ Names of most countries, cities, people:
• "I live in Ø Canada." (But: "The United States")

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3. Quick Summary Table

Situation	Article	Example
General singular (consonant sound)	a	a car
General singular (vowel sound)	an	an egg
Specific noun	the	the house
General plural/uncountable	Ø	Ø water, Ø ideas