Grammar: Articles: a, an, the (or no article)
by Geoff Taylor, CALL Co-ordinator, St Clare's, Oxford, January 2003

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1. Test yourself: a, an, the, or no article?
2. Introduction: a, an and the
3. Study and practice: a or an?
4. Test yourself: a or an?

5. Study and practice: the
6. Test yourself: a, an or the?
7. Study and practice: the or no the?
8. Test yourself: a, an, the or no article?

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Articles: Introduction: a, an and the

• In English, the words a, an and the are called articles.

The indefinite articles:

There are two indefinite articles:

• a and an
• For example: Can I have a sandwich? Can I have an apple?

The definite article

There is one definite article:

• the
• For example: London is the capital of England.

The zero article

Sometimes we don't use any article. In this case, we can say we use the zero article (zero = nothing).

• For example: Apples are good for us.

When we use articles

We normally use a, an and the before nouns (city, car, factory):

• Oxford is a city in southern England.
• The original Mini was an inexpensive car.
• The car factory is in Cowley, East Oxford.

We normally use a and an when we are talking about:

• any one thing, animal, person or idea

We normally use the when we talk about:

• one or more specific things, animals, persons or ideas

Problems with articles in English

Articles in English are very small words. So why do a lot of learners of English have problems with them?

Maybe because:

• there are no articles in the learners' first language, or
• there are articles in the learners' first language, but they are used in a different way

Help with articles in English

• Luckily, there are some useful rules to help you know when and how to use articles in English.
• You can find study and practice exercises in the Menu.

Now go to:

• Study: a or an?

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1. Test yourself: a, an, the, or no article?
2. Introduction: a, an and the
3. Study and practice: a or an?
4. Test yourself: a or an?

5. Study and practice: the
6. Test yourself: a, an or the?
7. Study and practice: the or no the?
8. Test yourself: a, an, the or no article?

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