General rules when to use definite or indefinite articles

No text in the English language goes without articles. They seem unimportant at first glance. But in reality, omitting articles in some cases can lead to catastrophic results.

What is the article

The article is a part of speech that serves to express the category of definiteness or indefiniteness of the object expressed by a noun. This part of speech is used in many languages of the Indo-European language family and is very significant for understanding the essence of spoken and written speech. Thanks to the artificer, we understand which specific object, person, or phenomenon is being referred to.

There are two types of articles in English, definite and indefinite. Both are used to denote nouns. Let's take a closer look at each type.

Cases of the use of the indefinite article

In English, indefinite articles include a/an. The indefinite article has a number of uses that you should remember not to make mistakes. So, the important point is that since the indefinite article is derived from the word one, it can only be used with countable nouns in the singular. This fact should be remembered because using a/an with plurals is a gross grammatical mistake. The indefinite article is used:

• When we are talking about an object or phenomenon for the first time.
  This noun has not been used before in context, so we must emphasize it.

Examples:

• ✔️ A man came out from around the corner of a large building.
• ✔️ A dog was running down the street and barking at passersby.

As we can see, we do not yet know who this person is. We see him for the first time, so we use the indefinite article.

• If a noun has the meaning of 'some,' 'one,' 'some,' 'any.'

Examples:

• ✔️ There is a package for you.
• ✔️ A tiger is a very beautiful and sophisticated animal that lives in the wild.

• With the names of professions.

Examples:

• ✔️ She is a pathologist.
• ✔️ He is a builder and engineer.

It is also important to remember that if a noun is used with an adjective, the article will come before it.

Examples:

• ✔️ It was a very cold morning.
• ✔️ There is a very beautiful dress in the store.

Many people confuse the articles a and an. Remember that a is used when the noun begins with a consonant, and an when it begins with a vowel.

Examples:

• ✔️ Let's watch a movie.
• ✔️ I ate an apple and felt sick.

Cases of the use of the definite article

In English, there is also a definite article. It is known that the definite article the is derived from the indicative pronoun that, which is why it denotes a specific object or phenomenon.

Let's look at the most frequent cases of its use. The definite article is used

• When we are talking about the only thing in the world or of its kind.

Examples:

• ✔️ The Sun is the hottest known star in the Universe.
• ✔️ Today, the Internet is the greatest achievement of mankind.

• When it refers to an object/subject that is unique in given circumstances, and other people know about it.

Examples:

• ✔️ The banker gave me all the necessary documents. (We are talking about a particular banker).
• ✔️ Today the teacher gave us a very difficult task.

• When the object was mentioned earlier.

Examples:

• ✔️ I found an old book in the attic and showed it to my father, who told me that the book used to belong to my grandfather.
• ✔️ I met a man on the street, and later it turned out that the man was our new neighbor who had moved to New York from Sydney.

• To generalize or describe a group of objects.

Examples:

• ✔️ The hummingbird is recognized as the smallest bird in the world.
• ✔️ My son plays the piano very well.

• When we talk about a group of people.

Examples:

• ✔️ The homeless are the most defenseless and vulnerable group because they do not have proper living conditions.
• ✔️ Today, the youth have great ambitions and strive to build a career.
• ✔️ Under this law, the state is obligated to protect the rights of the poor.

• Before a surname in the plural, if we talk about family, relatives, etc.

Examples:

• ✔️ The Petersons came back from vacation.
• ✔️ We went to dinner last night at the Johnsons', they are very hospitable and polite people.

• Before the names of natural and geographical objects.

Examples:

• ✔️ There were a lot of tourists on the Baltic Sea this year.
• ✔️ The Alps are some of the most picturesque mountains in the world.

• Before superlative adjectives.

Examples:

• ✔️ Markus is the best student at our university, he has won many academic competitions.
• ✔️ Pine is the tallest tree in the forest near our house.

Conclusion

So, as you can see, there is nothing complicated in definite and indefinite articles. You just need to remember these rules and follow them obediently.