Posted: May 28, 2024

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To put it simply, an article is a specific type of adjective. They are used to modify nouns, and in the English language, we have two: the and a/an.

The

The is what’s known as a “definite” article. It is used to refer to specific nouns.

• e.g. Marco picked up the book. [A specific book, either the only one around, or previously mentioned]
• e.g. “Are you going to the concert this weekend?” [A known concert, likely previously discussed]
• Barbie was the top grossing movie of 2023. [the top, meaning only one]

A/An

A/an (form depending on whether the noun begins with a vowel or not) is what’s known as an “indefinite” article. It is used to refer to any noun, any member of a group.

• e.g. Marco picked up a book. [Any book]
• e.g. “Are you going to a concert this weekend?” [Any concert]
• The Flash was a top grossing movie of 2023. [released in 2023, made money, but not the top or bottom]

When to Use

Always use the when referring to a specific noun or specific member of a group. Barbie is mentioned above as the top grossing movie of 2023. There are many movies that were released and made money that year, but Barbie was the top.

Likewise, there is a difference between the sentences in which Marco picks up the book versus picking up a book. A book could refer to any book, whereas the book references a specific book. This is likely to be one previously mentioned in the text; it’s either the only book around and therefore the only book that could be referred to, or it was given a title and the subject carries over from a previous sentence.

All other times, you would use a/an. An elephant refers to any elephant; a concert refers to any concert.

Using A vs. An

Use an when the following noun (or following word) begins with a vowel (a, e, i, o, u). An envelope; an apple; an ideal situation; an umbrella.

However, this is not always the case. Though y is sometimes considered a vowel, it rarely requires an. Words like “yellow” or “young” use a j sound. Rarely, there are words that start with y that use an i sound, such as “yttrium” (as in yttrium compound).

Some other vowels, such as u, don’t use an either, depending on how it is pronounced. “Unicycle” for instance, uses a yoo sound rather than an uh sound. Other examples include “uniform”, “European”, “university”, and “eugenics”.

Furthermore, there are also some consonants that require an depending on their pronunciation. Herb/herb can go either way, whether you pronounce the h or not. Words like “heir”, “hour”, and “honour” always use an, since the h is silent.

For further information, see my other Grammar articles:

Sources:

Aaron, J.E. & Morrison, A. The Little, Brown Compact Handbook, 5th Canadian ed. Pearson, 2013, chap 5