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Articles in English - what are they for and when to use them? Articles: how to remember them When an article is needed before a proper name.

Despite the fact that initially the category of articles is absent in the consciousness of a Russian-speaking person, for the vast majority of modern European languages it is extremely significant and is absorbed literally with mother’s milk. Therefore, today we will look at how to use the article a/an, the in English correctly so that you never make mistakes in the future.

Rules for using the article a

This article is called an indefinite article and always accompanies countable nouns in the singular, that is, those that can be counted or listed. The very essence of the article is expressed in the fact that it, together with an, is a remainder of the Old English word meaning "one". That's why the article a used exclusively with words in the singular. In addition, cases of using this particular article include the following:

First mention of the item. For example, if the speaker is talking about his new notebook to a friend, he will say: Yesterday I bought a nice notebook. The notebook is green and pink. As you can see, the indefinite article was used for the first time a, in the second already definite article - everything is in accordance with the established rules.
When naming a profession or type of activity, for example: She’s a doctor. I am a teacher.
After the constructions there is, it is, that is, this is, for example: This is a beautiful dress. There is a computer on the table.
If a noun is preceded by an adjective describing it, then the article will not destroy their connection, but will come before the adjective, for example: I’m a young boy. In that vase there was a beautiful red rose.
After the words quite, such: Such a smart woman!
In expressions denoting quantity, namely: a lot of, a couple, a dozen, a way too, a great many, a great deal of.
In structures where a replaces the preposition per(in, for): 7 Euros a kilo, twice a day, etc.
In exclamatory sentences of the following type: What a nasty weather! What a good puppy! What a tasty pancake!
Sometimes accompanied by proper names, namely: Two days ago I met a Mrs. Black, which translates to “Yesterday I met some Mrs. Black."

Article an

It should be noted right away that this article is not independent and is only a form of the article described above a. Therefore for an The same rules of use are characteristic, but the main condition for its use is the presence of a situation in which the countable word in the singular begins with a vowel. Example: I’ve bought an apple. In his bag there is an orange. An umbrella is what I really need now!

Combinations you need to learn

For each article ( a/an, the) there is a set of certain stable combinations, by remembering which you can be sure that you will not fall flat on your face. Often it is on them that the compilers of all kinds of exams like to catch people learning the language.

For articles a/an You need to remember the following basic stable phrases:

To be in a hurry - to be in a hurry, to hurry.
To be at a loss - to be in difficulty, perplexed.
To be in a rage - to be furious, furious.
To have a headache - to have a headache.
To have a toothache - to have a toothache.
In a loud voice - in a loud voice.
In a low voice - in a quiet, low voice.
In a whisper - in a whisper.
It’s a pity - what a pity; It's a pity that...
It’s a shame - shame.
It’s a pleasure - it’s a pleasure (to do something).

Definite article

The definite article is identical to the demonstrative pronoun “this” and “that” and is used with nouns in both singular and plural in the following situations:

If we are talking about an object that has already been mentioned in the conversation, or the context allows us to understand which specific object from the set is being spoken about, for example: Yesterday I went in the cinema and saw a film. The film was absolutely not interesting.
With words that serve as a nomination for unique objects, things or phenomena, one of a kind, namely: sun, sky, Earth, moon.
After prepositions indicating a place, for example: There is a dog in front of the door.
With adjectives in the superlative form.
If one object implies a whole category, for example: The dog is a mammal (a dog is a mammal; this means not just one dog, but their total set).
With ordinal numbers, namely: the second grade, etc. However, it is important to note here: if the numeral denotes a number, the article is not used at all, for example: Lesson 3, Section 6, page 172, etc.
When mentioning cardinal directions: in the south.
With a surname, if the whole family is meant, and not an individual member: the Petrovs (Petrovs).
In sustainable designs that need to be remembered: in the morning/evening/afternoon, to the theater/cinema, to the market/shop.
Always with the words: same, next, only, very, previous, last, left, right, upper, very, central, following, main.
Together with adjectives that have passed into another part of speech, to nouns (such words are called substantivized), namely: The rich (rich people) and others.

The definite article is also used with geographical names of all:

rivers (the Neva);
oceans (the Pacific Ocean);
seas (the Red Sea);
lakes (the Baikal; however, if there is the word lake, for example Lake Superior and etc., the use of the article is not required at all);
channels;
straits and bays;
mountain ranges (the Alps);
deserts (the Victoria Desert);
archipelagos and islands (the British Isles);
states, if their name contains the words Kingdom, Federation, Republic (for example, the Dominican Republic), if the name is in the plural (the Netherlands) or is an abbreviation (the USA);
in two cases of exceptions: the Gambia and the Bahamas;
with the names of cinemas, theaters, newspapers (The New York Times), magazines, hotels.

And again idioms

Another portion of stable phrases, actively used in everyday speech by the British and everyone who can speak their language, but with an article the, looks like this:

To tell (or speak) the truth - to tell the truth. You can remember with the help of association: there is only one truth, there are many lies (that’s why they say a lie).
To play the piano - play the piano.
In the day-time - in the daytime, during the day.
To read in the original - read in the original (i.e. not in translation).
On the one hand… on the other hand… - on the one hand (one opinion)…, on the other hand (another opinion).
It’s out of the question - there can be no question of this.

So, when the basic rules for how the article is used a/an, the, considered, it’s time to deal with the zero article and find out why these categories were formed in the English language, but not in Russian. In addition, it is also necessary to develop the theoretical basis through practical exercises.

Without article

There is a certain set of situations when the use of an article is not required (zero article, or “zero”). This includes the following cases:

If the word is used in the plural and in a general sense, for example: Children like bonbons (in general, all children (any) love candy).
With uncountable nouns, if no determiners or descriptive units are given: My father likes music.
With proper names (countries, cities, human names).
With nominations for days of the week and months, for example: September, monday.
With the words breakfast, lunch, dinner.
When a word already has determiners in the form of possessive and demonstrative pronouns, as well as the words any, every, some.
Along with the names of the means of transport: I prefer traveling by plane.
With words denoting sports.
With nouns denoting parents, family, educational institutions (if there is no specification and clarification): Are you at college?
With words expressing insufficiency: few, little.
With names of holidays (Easter, Christmas).
With nominations of diseases (flu, cancer).
And also in a number of stable combinations.

How English developed. Articles a/the: history of appearance

It must be said that articles did not exist in languages immediately. In addition, even foreigners who have a system of articles in their native languages cannot always understand the system of this functional part of speech in another language. For example, the article system of the German language is considered the most sophisticated and complex, but many German residents admit that they absolutely cannot understand the pattern of using English articles, and vice versa.

Article a/an, the, as well as zero - all this is natural for a native English speaker today, and it’s clear why. The fact is that the history of the English language as a whole is the history of a grammatical revolution. At a certain period of its development, this representative of the Indo-European language family took and changed the “pronoun + noun” connective, so characteristic, for example, of Slavic languages, with the “noun + article” connective.

Resources that can help you practice the material

Today articles a/the, the rules of use of which were discussed above, sometimes become a stumbling block at the very beginning of the journey of learning English. Therefore, this article has collected resources and materials that will help solve the difficulties that have arisen:

Duolingo is a site where all topics, including articles a/the, the use and examples of which have already been covered in detail in the article, are provided with visual tables and explanations.
Njnj is a seemingly unremarkable service, but useful at least for a one-time visit. Here anyone can practice articles a/the; the exercises contain the keys.
Lim-english - site for the final stage. Here you can fix articles a/the; The tests, among other rules, cover this section and ask you to test yourself by answering 20 questions.

Afterword

As you can see, there is nothing wrong with articles. Yes, it is extremely unusual for a Russian-speaking person just starting to get acquainted with foreign languages to use them, but here, as you know, the main thing is experience and practice. Regular practice, watching films and listening to original music will quickly help you accept and understand the category of articles.

Greetings, my dear readers.

I know I usually start somewhere else, but today I have a task for you right away. I want you to look at these sentences and tell me what the difference is.

Tommy sat down on a chair while waiting for his turn.- Tom sat down on a chair while he waited his turn.

Tommy sat on the chair nearest to the door while waiting for his turn.- Tom sat down on the chair closest to the door while he waited his turn.

You have probably already noticed that the difference is in the very articles and the meanings that they carry. And yes, my dears, today an exciting journey awaits us, where there will be an important topic for you and me - articles in English. I will tell you the basic rules and give you many examples, both for children and adults. I also immediately give you links to and on the topic of articles.

What is it and what is it used for?

Let's define it right away: article- this is what should always come before a noun. He, to put it very roughly, defines the noun so that we can better understand what is being said.

What are they and what are they used with?

There are three of them in total: a, an and the.

And their use depends on what noun follows. In English there are two types of nouns:

Countable- those that we can count. For example:

Pen

Earring - earring

Uncountable- those that we cannot count. For example:

Sugar - sugar

Water - water

To understand when articles are used, we also need to remember that nouns are singular (diamond - diamond) or plural (diamonds - diamonds).

And now, to make it absolutely clear to you, here you go table with examples where you can clearly see where and with what they are used.

Brother "a"

This article also bears the not at all proud name “ uncertain » ( ). This is because it is usually placed in front of objects, of which there are many all over the world. And it is used only with nouns that can be counted, and even then if they are singular. That is, if there is a lot of something, and you need to mention one thing, you need to use this particular article. Let's look at examples:

This morning I bought a magazine.- This morning I bought a magazine. (Not a specific magazine, but one that was in the store).

I had a sandwich for lunch.- I had a sandwich for lunch. (Just one sandwich).

My sister has got a job. - My sister got a job. (One of the existing works all over the world).

By the way, the article “a” has a small, modest brother who appears quite rarely - before words starting with vowels. This is "an". His goal is the same, so don’t be afraid - you won’t get confused.

I've got an apple and an orange with me. - I have an apple and an orange with me.

Brother "the"

The article the, also called definite , is used when we know the subject that will be discussed. Countable and uncountable nouns, both singular and plural, coexist calmly next to it ( You can find out more about him).

In addition, it is very often used with place names and set expressions that you just need to learn. But it is important to remember that everywhere, including in the names of places, there are exceptions, which we will study separately ( Come in to find out about it).

Rosy doesn't feel well. She went to the doctor. - Rosie doesn't feel well. She went to the doctor. (To the doctor she usually goes to).

Did Molly get the job she applied for?- Did Molly get the job she applied for? (Exactly the job she applied for).

When is he not there at all?

OK then,- you say. - When these articles are used, we understand. But we don’t always use only them!

And here you will be right, because the English language has prepared a little test for us and created cases where the article is not needed at all. And this phenomenon even got its name - zero article. Its use is mainly associated with exceptions to the previous rules. Or if we use in speech proper names(Tom, Mary, Ritha) or any concepts in general.

Apples grow on the trees.- Apples grow on trees. (In general, all apples as a species).

Tom bought a bike.- Tom bought himself a motorcycle. (The article is not placed before proper names.)

There are also situations when you don’t need to put anything in front of a noun. It's happening after pronouns(my, our, his, this, that, etc.).

By the way, my dears, after completing the lesson with the rules, never forget to practice. I have something for you that will help you secure the new material for a long time. You can also, which will help you remember the rules for using articles for a long time. Of course, articles are not the simplest rules for children, be it 2nd grade or 8th grade. And adults usually suffer with them too. But with my help, I hope you can figure them out faster.

Don't forget that you can receive news from my blog much faster by simply subscribing to the newsletter. Be the first to know about all important events.

The topic of articles for Russians learning English is, to put it mildly, complex. They are not in our grammar.

Yes, we have something similar, there are indicator words: “over there, one, this one” that vaguely indicate articles, but my Russian brain constantly forgets to use them before nouns. Even when writing, when I have time to think and check the text, I still forget to put a/an/the.

How to learn articles?
No way.
Articles are not a poem; you won’t be able to memorize them. And it doesn't make sense.

What to do?
Relax.
Correct use of articles will only come with practice!

I’ll tell you my experience and examples of other people.

When I first started learning English, like everyone else, I opened an English grammar with the topic “Articles” and began to study the rules for using articles.

As many people know, there are always exceptions to the rules.
There are many exceptions with articles!

Those who take a closer look will notice that the rules themselves come first, and after them the exceptions.
And when you try to put both in your head, in practice you end up with even more confusion and confusion than when you don’t know all this.

For some time I was very confused about this topic, confused with the rules and exceptions, and tried to use logic. By the way, about the famous English logic.

Logic doesn’t work with the topic of articles!
You are trying to logically explain, understand and forgive their system of counting nouns, but it, well, does not lend itself to any logic.

A very clear example with the words: “television” and “radio”.
One word is written with an article, the other without.
Tell me, where is the logic?
In my opinion, both countable nouns are NOT countable - TV and radio - I can’t touch and count, nevertheless:

I saw some badminton on TV and found it quite interesting.
I heard the song played on the radio

And “sugar,” which can be weighed in grams and seems to be a completely countable product, is NOT a countable noun among the English.

And the more I tried to understand the logic that does not exist, I let go of this topic.
Which is why the issue of using articles has not ceased to be relevant.

I asked the guys who are fluent in articles to help.
She gave me my example proposals to check.
People honestly corrected me and checked my mistakes.

But this brought little success because... These are still separate specific proposals. But the English language is a living thing and you cannot prepare examples for all occasions.

I tried to analyze the letters of the bourgeoisie. I looked at in what cases they use articles, and where they don’t use them at all.

Conclusion made personally for myself

The more you try to use the rules, the more confused you become.
So why not make this process natural, as it happens with the natives themselves?

I didn’t know what to do until one of our Russian boys, now living in the States, told me the following thing:

“Don’t worry, the articles will form on your brain with time and practice.”

The fact that we skip articles in the English language is not bad. And it is a big mistake.
But because everything comes with experience, I just let go of this topic and now all I do is just watch how Americans use articles in writing. It weighs on my brain to one degree or another. And little by little it shoots out.

So, see for yourself.
Trying to remember all the rules and exceptions, of which there are even more, in my opinion, is not at all productive. Yes, and at the time of speaking or writing a letter, bourgeois, as long as you remember these rules, while you analyze whether this noun is countable or not, as long as you turn on logic... I think the idea is clear.

However, in the burzhunet I came across short explanations of the rules for using articles, perhaps some of you will find them useful.

1.Use "A" before all words that begin with consonant sounds. In English, nearly all words that begin with consonants will be preceded by the article "A."

For example: a pet, a door, a green onion, a cat, a hysterical joke.

2. Understand that there are some exceptions to this rule.
Some words may be spelled beginning with vowels but be pronounced with initial consonant sounds.
Words that begin in h, y, u, and eu or “e” are common words that can cause confusion.

Use “A” when u makes the same sound as the y in you: a union, a unicorn, a used napkin, a usability study.
Use "A" when o makes the same sound as w in won: a one-legged man.
Use “A” when eu or “e” makes the same sound as y: a European trip, a ewe lamb.
Do not use “A” when the ‘h’ is silent.

3. Read words aloud if you're unsure.
Sometimes, the way the word looks on the page is not enough to tell you which article to use. Read the word aloud in the way it sounds appropriate to you, and then base your article use on that.

4. Using "An" Correctly

Use "An" before all words that begin with vowel sounds. In English, nearly all words that begin with vowels will be preceded by the article “An.”

For example: an apple, an elbow, an Indian.

5. Understand that there are also some exceptions to this rule.
Some words may be spelled beginning with consonants but be pronounced with initial vowel sounds. Words that begin in h are the most common causes of confusion, but there are some other letters that can pose a challenge, too.

Use “An” before a silent h: an hour, an honorable peace, an honest error.
Use “An” before words that are spelled with consonants but pronounced with vowel sounds: an MBA.

6. Understand that pronunciation may vary depending on geographical location.

For example, British and American pronunciation of certain words varies dramatically, particularly words beginning in h such as “herb.”
In American pronunciation, the h is silent, so correct usage would be “an herb.”
But in British pronunciation, the h is pronounced, so correct usage would be a herb.

7. Understand that the word “historic” is a special case.

There is substantial debate over whether the correct usage is “a historic event” or “an historic event.” Nearly all style handbooks and usage guides prefer “a historic event,” citing the consonant sound explanation given in this article. However, you may see “an historic” crop up from time to time, particularly among British writers.

Some American writers will also use “an” with longish words (three or more syllables) beginning with H, where the first syllable isn’t accented: “a hypothesis,” “an habitual offender.”

When I studied English philology, we had many pairs dedicated to English grammar. I remember a thick textbook with rules that we had to learn and retell to the teacher. Section with rules of use English articles seemed especially complicated - a lot of rules and even more exceptions.

After graduating from university, I brushed up my English grammar using British textbooks. Also, I realized that my mind can only retain in long-term memory those rules that 1) important 2) I I completely understand.

Articles are important. Many philologists are of the opinion that the level of English language proficiency can be easily determined by how skillfully a person uses English articles, phrasal verbs and idioms. Also, an article can completely change the meaning of a word. For example, Sherlock Holmes spoke about Irene Adler " the woman” (that same woman), emphasizing her exclusivity.

This is the way we go to school, go to school, go to school
This is the way we go to school so early in the morning

7) Visualize images

I used this technique to remember the rule that with the names of canals, rivers, seas and oceans you need to use definite article. I simply presented a map where canals flow into rivers, rivers into seas, and seas into oceans.

The lakes do not flow anywhere and are used without article.

In the same way, I imagined forests and deserts, which are also used with certain article I imagined an area with many trees (forest) and a place without trees (desert).

8) Make cards with collocations and examples

You can make flashcards with word combinations by highlighting the article with a colored marker.

in the morning
I have breakfast in the morning

on Monday
I worked on Monday

Then sign the Russian translation on the other side of the cards and simply learn them like new words.