types of articles

An article is a word that modifies or describes the Noun. It is used before the noun to show whether it refers to something specific or not. So, in a way, articles can also be described as a type of adjectives as they also tell us something about the nouns, like adjectives.

There are two types of articles in the English language, they are indefinite articles (a, an) and definite article (the).

Types of Articles with Examples

Definite Article

Definite means to be clear, exact or obvious about something. It is called definite because it is used in relation to a particular thing or person. “The” is the definite article in English, which is used to refer to particular nouns, the identities of which are known.

Article ‘A’ Example Sentences

The article ‘A‘ is used when the word begins with a consonant. A sound other than a, e, i, o, u is called a consonant sound. Here are example sentences using article A.

1. Sofia is a good girl.
2. She’s a topper.
3. He was really a smart guy.
4. It is a beautiful flower.
5. He is a doctor.
6. Amelia is baking a cake.
7. Isabella’s preparing a speech.
8. We are going to buy a Bugatti.
9. William’s owning a BMW car.
10. He’s a king.
11. I have a dog.
12. It is a building.
13. Pakistan is a beautiful country.
14. They own a car.
15. I need a kilogram of salt.
16. I have a problem.
17. This is a table.
18. She is a designer.
19. I’ve built a strong ship.
20. He is a nice guy.
21. My mother is a tall lady.
22. I saw an accident with a truck.
23. This is a beautiful house.
24. She didn’t read a book.
25. Nick bought a car.
26. I have a storybook.
27. The sun is a star.

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Article ‘An’ Example Sentences

Article An is used when a word begins with a vowel sound (a, e, i, o, u). Here are example sentences using article An.

1. Ava has an umbrella.
2. He’s an introvert.
3. She’s not an extrovert.
4. I’m eating an orange.
5. Sofia’s eating an egg daily.
6. Isabella’s going to fly an aeroplane.
7. An elephant is such a fat animal.
8. She’s not eating an apple.
9. He’s an elegant boy.
10. She’s an intelligent student.
11. Ali is late an hour.
12. She asks an easy question.
13. We are living in an apartment.
14. I am an English teacher.
15. I saw an accident.
16. Elijah is training to be an engineer.
17. The movie will begin in an hour.
18. A red bus left an hour ago.

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Article ‘The’ Example Sentences

Article ‘The’ is used before a proper noun, abstract noun, and material noun. Here are example sentences using article The.

1. The Satluj is such a big river.
2. The United States is a strong country.
3. I could tell you to meet me at the top of the Burj Al Khalifa.
4. The president is situated in London.
5. The Sasan Gir is situated in Gujarat.
6. The Nile is the longest river in the world.
7. They read the New York Times.
8. I am eating the orange that you have brought.
9. I am eating the banana that you have brought.
10. Imran Khan is the prime minister of Pakistan.
11. The movie is perfect.
12. The sun is a star.
13. I was born in the west.
14. The car I bought broke down.
15. I remember the day we first met.
16. The feeling I got was very strange.
17. I passed the test!
18. Look at the sun.

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Do not use articles:

# When you talk about things in general.

For example: 

I like birds.

Here, the speaker wants to imply that he/she likes any bird in general, and not a specific type of a bird.

# When talking about plural count nouns.

For example: 

Dogs make great pets.

Here, you are not talking about one specific dog or one specific pet; you are talking about all dogs in general.

# When talking about non-count nouns.

For example: 

I love music.

Here, the speaker is saying that he enjoys music, in general – not any specific kind of music or song.

# When talking about specific days or holidays, geography, companies, languages.

For example: 

I have bought candles for Diwali.

Here, the speaker is talking about the candles he has bought to use on the day of Diwali.

# When talking about Geography.

Articles are not used before countries, states, cities, towns, continents, single lakes, single mountains, etc.

For example: 

I live in Canada.

Mt. Rosa is part of the Alps mountain range.

Here, Mt. Rosa is one mountain, whereas The Alps refer to a group of mountains.

# When you talk about companies.

For example: 

Steve Jobs founded Apple.

I use Facebook every day.

Here, the speaker is referring to companies like Apple and Facebook.

# When you talk about languages.

For example: 

I speak Hindi.

Here, the speaker is talking about the language Hindi.

# When you talk about places, locations, streets.

For example: 

My house is located on Callowhill Drive.

I left my pen at home.

Here, a street called Callowhill Drive and speaker’s home are being talked about.

However, there are specific places that do need the use an article. For example:

the bank, the hospital, the post office, the airport, the train station, the bus stop, etc.

# When you talk about sports and physical activities.

For example: 

I love to play cricket.

She enjoys dancing.

Here, cricket and dancing is being talked about.

# When there is a noun + number

For example: 

She is staying at the Hilton hotel in room 127.

The train to Montreal leaves from platform 9.

Here, the nouns are followed by numbers; hence, no article is used.

# When talking about academic subjects.

For example: 

I hate attending Mathematics classes.

Here, the mathematic classes are being discussed.

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Article Exercise Quiz

1. He is _________ doctor.

Add description here!

 a

 an

 the

 none

2. He is holding _________ umbrella.

 the

 an

 a

 none

3. We walk the dog three times _________ day.

 a

 the

 an

 none

4. We only spent a __________ there and then we caught _________ train to Dublin.

 day / a

 time / the

 money / the

 hour / a

5. She washed an __________ and cut it into two slice.

 mango

 pear

 banana

 apple

6. I want to be __________ English teacher when I grow up.

 a

 an

 the

 in

7. Our new house cost us _________ hundred and eighty thousand pounds.

 a

 an

 the

 on

8. There is __________ university in our town.

 an

 the

 a

 none

9. He ate __________ kilo of ice cream yesterday evening.

 a

 the

 an

 none

10. There are sixty minutes in __________ hour.

 the

 a

 an

 in

7 Tips for Learning English Vocabulary

Follow these ideas and learn new English words more easily.

1. Read whenever possible. Whether it is novel or a magazine or something trivial, pay close attention to anything with writing on it. The more you are exposed to words, the more you will learn. Do not skip unfamiliar words: if you don’t know what a word means, look it up and make a note of it.

2. Write down new words. Writing the actual word with the meaning will help you remember it. Keep a diary so that you will have a collection of all your new words that you can easily revise when needed.

3. Vocally practise new words. Have a “word of the day” and use your newly learnt word throughout the day so you will learn to use it in context and not forget it quickly.

4. Visually remembering words is very helpful. Try writing words on small sticky notes and adding them to items around the house so that you will associate new words with their relevant images.

5. Play word games online and look up the meanings of new words as you encounter them. Scrabble is a fun game to play for this purpose.

6. Use new words regularly so that you don’t forget them. Write articles that people will enjoy reading or start a blog that could be about anything.

7. Correspond with an English pen friend. The best way to gain confidence in speaking any language is by talking to a native speaker.