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Articles: a, an and the

Learn when to use a, an or the before a noun, why sounds matter more than letters, and when no article is needed.

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Let us begin

The big idea

The little words a, an and the are called articles. They come before nouns and tell us whether we mean any one thing or one particular thing. They are small, but using them well makes your English sound natural.

A and an are indefinite articles. We use them when we talk about any one of a kind, not a particular one, and only with singular countable nouns: a book, a city, an apple, an idea.

Choose a or an by the first sound of the next word, not the first letter. Use an before a vowel sound: an egg, an hour (the h is silent), an honest man. Use a before a consonant sound: a dog, a university (the u sounds like you), a one-rupee coin (one starts with a w sound).

The is the definite article. We use it when both the speaker and the listener know which one we mean: the sun, the Taj Mahal, the teacher of our class. We also use the when something has already been mentioned: I saw a dog. The dog was brown.

The is used with things that are the only one of their kind (the moon, the sky), with rivers, oceans and mountain ranges (the Ganga, the Indian Ocean, the Himalayas), with superlatives (the tallest boy) and with ordinals (the first day).

No article is used with plural or uncountable nouns spoken of in general (Children like sweets. Water is precious.), with most names of people, cities and countries (Delhi, India, Kerala, Asha), with languages (Hindi, English) and with meals (We had lunch).

Which article to useA flow chart. First question: is it a particular thing that both of us know? If yes, use the. If no, is the noun singular and countable? If yes, choose a or an by the first sound. If no, use no article. A particular thing we both know? yes the no Singular and countable (one thing)? no none yes Does the next word start with a vowel SOUND? yes no an a an egg, an hour a cat, a university rice, water, children
Ask these questions in order to choose the right article.

Worked examples

See how it works

  1. Sound, not spelling

    An umbrella (u sounds like a vowel), but a uniform (u sounds like you). An hour (h is silent), but a horse (h is sounded). An MLA (M is said as em), but a man.

  2. From a to the

    I bought a pen and a notebook. The pen is blue and the notebook has 200 pages. The first time we use a. Once the thing is known, we use the.

  3. With the and without

    The Ganga flows through Varanasi (river takes the). India is a big country (country name takes no article). The tallest mountain in the world is Mount Everest (superlative takes the, but the mountain name does not).

Try it at home

Article hunt in the kitchen

You will need

  • Paper
  • A pencil
  • Kitchen items such as a spoon, an onion, an egg, a cup

What to do

  1. Make three columns on the paper with the headings a, an and the.
  2. Look at ten things in the kitchen. Write each one under a or an depending on its first sound: a spoon, an onion, a bottle, an egg.
  3. Now write two sentences about the same item: first with a or an, then with the. Example: I see an egg. The egg is white.
  4. Read each sentence aloud and listen to how a and an sound before the noun.
  5. Find two things that need no article when spoken of in general, such as rice or water, and write a sentence for each.

Practice sheet

Check what you learned

Write your answers in a notebook, or print this sheet and write on it. When you finish, mark your work with the answer key.

Practice sheet: Articles: a, an and the (Classes 6-8, English)

  1. Fill in: ___ apple a day keeps the doctor away.
  2. Fill in: She is ___ honest girl.
  3. Fill in: We waited for ___ hour at the station.
  4. Fill in: My uncle teaches at ___ university.
  5. Fill in: ___ moon looks bright tonight.
  6. Fill in: Shreya is ___ tallest girl in our class.
  7. Fill in: I saw ___ cat. ___ cat was sleeping.
  8. Which is correct: a European country or an European country?
  9. Does this sentence need an article? "___ Delhi is the capital of India."
  10. Correct the sentence: The children like a sweets.
  11. Fill in: ___ Himalayas are in the north of India.

Answer key

Answers: Articles: a, an and the

Do the practice sheet first, then check here. If an answer is different from yours, read the lesson again and try once more.

  1. An apple, because apple begins with a vowel sound.
  2. An honest girl, because the h in honest is silent.
  3. An hour, because the h in hour is silent.
  4. A university, because university begins with a "you" sound.
  5. The moon, because there is only one moon.
  6. The tallest, because superlatives take the.
  7. A cat. The cat (first mention takes a, second mention takes the).
  8. A European country, because European starts with a "you" sound.
  9. No article: names of cities take no article. Delhi is the capital of India.
  10. Children like sweets (plural nouns spoken of in general take no article).
  11. The Himalayas, because mountain ranges take the.

What next

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