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Articles are used as modifiers for nouns. However, some nouns do not need to be modified. In this lesson, we will learn about them.
What Are Articles?
Articles are small words that come before a noun and define it as specific or general.
English Articles
In English, there are two types of articles: 'the' is called the definite article and 'a'/'an' are called the indefinite articles.
| Definite Article | Indefinite Article |
|---|---|
| The | A/An |
Indefinite Articles
'A' and 'an' are called indefinite articles. They are used with singular nouns to refer to any general noun of that type.
The difference between 'a' and 'an' is that 'a' is used before a consonant sound and 'an' is used before a vowel sound (a, e, i, o, u):
| a | an |
|---|---|
|
a |
an |
|
a |
an |
|
a |
an |
|
a |
an |
|
a |
an |
Definite Article
'The' is a definite article. It can be used before a singular or plural noun to refer to a specific or particular noun that is known to both the speaker and the listener. Look at the examples:
I ordered a pizza and a salad.
That is
Mary has a dog.
In the second sentence, it is already clear which dog the speaker is talking about. So, the definite article is used.
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