ARTICLES

Gustavo Carvajal Alvarado

The Indefinite Articles: a, an We use “A” and “AN” only before singular

count nouns. A Cat is a small animal. I like to eat an apple everyday.

Be careful with plurals Girls love roses.

Pay attention if there’s a non-count noun I like to drink water.

The Indefinite Articles: a, an A when followed

with a consonant sound. A baby A cake

An when followed with a vowel sound. An orange An apple

Pay attention to words beginning with H and U A House / an Hour. A University / an Umbrela

The Definite Article: the

When you are talking about something specific. General: I love motorcycles. (I love all types

of motorcycles) Specific: The television is not working.

( One specific television isn’t working)

When you are using the superlative form Natal is the most beautiful city in Brazil.

The Definite Article: the

Countries whose names make a reference to plural. The United States (more than one state) The Philippines (Islands) The United Kingdom (4 countries) The Netherlands (The Low Countries)

Most countries don’t use an article Italy Brazil Japan

The Definite Article: the

When talking about Geographic areas. The Atacama Desert The equator The Middle East The Nile River The Pacific Ocean The World

We don’t use an article when refering to Lakes Lake Paranoa

No Articles

When talking about a category or group. Rabbits are faster than Tortoises.

When refering to Abstract Nouns. All you need is love. The true sign of intelligence is not

knowledge, but imagination.

Things to remember

1) Indefinitive articles must be used when talking about professions. I’m an English teacher. My brother is an

Engineer. 2) Pay attention to the SOUND of the

next syllable, when deciding to use A/AN. An European country/ an MP3 player

Don’t forget to use an article (the/an/a) before Singular Count Nouns dog/ball/book/orange/airplane/desk/chair