Articles

What is an article? An article is a special kind of adjective. We use adjectives with nouns, so we use articles with nouns.

a/an, some, the

There are only four words for articles: a (or an), some, and the.

We use the to talk about a specific thing. We use a or an to talk about a non-specific thing. Some is used as a plural of a or an.

Example:

Specific: Are you reading the book I gave you?

Non-specific: Are you reading a book?

Specific: When did the accident happen? The accident happened yesterday.

Non-specific: How were you hurt? I was hurt in an accident.

When to use a and when to use an

Use a in front of a word with a consonant:

a book, a cat, a dog, a front porch, a girl, a kite, a mother, a ride, a word

Use an in front of a word with a vowel or vowel-sound:

an eye, an idiom, an offer, an old man, an uncle, a yellow ribbon

The is the plural of the.

Some is the plural of a and an.

The chair, the chairs.

a chair, some chairs.

an elephant, some elephants.

There are other rules about using articles. To find out more, click the links below. (Each link opens a new window or tab.)

Using Articles: A good basic explanation

Using Articles A, An, The: Another good description of when to use which article

The/A: Another quiz