UH-Victoria

A, An or The?
Understanding Articles

 

Exceptions: No Articles

  • Common uncountable (noun cannot be counted) nouns are not preceded by an article.
    Examples: Pizza is Sara’s favorite food. (all sorts of pizza, can’t counted)
    Creativity is essential for advertising. (all sorts of creativity, can’t be counted)
  • Common countable (noun can be counted) plural nouns are not preceded by an article.
    Examples: Errors are often known as mistakes. (all errors)
    Tigers are fearful animals. (all tigers)
  Example Meaning
Noncount Noun Creativity is essential for advertising. All sorts of creativity
Plural Count Noun Tigers are fearful animals. All tigers


Common count nouns are used without articles in certain special situations:

Idiomatic expressions (see handout on idioms for further explanation) We’ll go by bus.
He must be in school.
With seasons In spring, the flowers bloom.
With institutions John is in college/church/jail/class/school.
With meals Breakfast was at 9:00 am.
Cyndi made dinner for Jimmy.
With diseases He has cancer.
I have pneumonia.
With time of day
They like to travel mostly by night.
We should get there around midnight.

Geographical uses of the include:

  • Geographical areas (the Middle East, the South)
  • Deserts, forests, gulfs and peninsulas (the Sahara, the Persian Gulf)
  • Names of rivers, oceans, and seas (the Nile, the Atlantic)
  • Points on the globe (the Equator, the South Pole)

Do Not use the before:

  • Names of countries (England, Mexico, China)
    Except: the Netherlands, the United States, the Republic of China
  • Names of cities, towns, or states (Victoria, Houston)
  • Names of streets (Red River, Navarro)
  • Names of individual lakes and bays (Lake Austin, Lake Erie) Except: groups of lakes like the Great Lakes
  • Names of individual mountains (Mount Everest, Mount Rushmore)
    Except: ranges of mountains (the Andes or the Rockies)
  • Names of continents (North America, Asia)
  • Names of individual islands (Fiji Island, Maui)
    Except: island chains (the Canary Islands)

Do not use any articles before……

  • Names of languages (Chinese, English, Spanish)
  • Names of sports (basketball, softball, baseball)
  • Names of academic subjects (history, biology, mathematics)
    Note: First and Subsequent use

A or an can be used to introduce a noun for the first time within a piece of writing. The is used after the initial mention of the noun each time you refer to that particular noun.

Example: A company softball tournament is scheduled for next weekend. The winners of the tournament will be awarded $500.00.

CAUTION!!

Remember that even though you might know all the rules and principles behind the use of articles, there will be situations when selecting the right article or deciding whether or not even to use one will prove to be risky. How the reader approaches the text (situational or contextual) can also become a factor in the meaning and appropriate word choice or in this case, article choice. The key to becoming a wiz when choosing and knowing the correct use of articles is to practice, practice, practice!!


Continue to Academic Center Exercises