Using the Right Article

Using the Right Article

What word appears most often in English?

It's "the," also known as the definite article.

Its partner, the indefinite article "a", is also among the top 10 most frequent words in English.

According to Professor Elka Todeva of the SIT Graduate Institute in Brattleboro, Vermont, "a" and "the" are also some of the most difficult words for learners to figure out how to use without some assistance.

"A," "an" and "the" are called articles. Why are these small words so hard to learn? More than 200 languages do not have articles. Other languages have articles but use them differently than English does. As a result, figuring out the logic¹ of English articles can be challenging.

Professor Todeva says English article usage falls into certain patterns. A basic understanding of common patterns can make learning articles easier.

Fairy tales capture one such powerful pattern, which Elka Todeva calls the a/the switch. The a/the switch occurs between the first and second mention. It is a shift from new to already familiar information.

Listen for the articles as she reads an example. Pay attention to the way "a" turns into "the" with the second mention of the old man and the old woman.

"Once upon a time, there was an old man and an old woman who lived in a little cottage in a vast open field. The old woman and the old man were very hungry, so the old woman decided² to bake a gingerbread man."

Before we explore this pattern and fairy tales further, let us look at some basic rules for article usage.

Indefinite articles

"A" and "an" are indefinite articles used before non-specific members of a group or category of nouns. The article "a" appears before singular nouns starting with a consonant⁴ sound. For example, "I ate a banana." The article "an" comes before singular nouns beginning with a vowel⁵ sound. For example, "Give me an apple."

Definite article

"The" is called a definite article. "The" appears before nouns which are specific members of a category as in, "I want to see the movie George Clooney just made." Also use "the" with previously⁶ mentioned nouns. For example, "We went to a movie last night. The movie was called Spy." Use "the" with unique things like the sun, the moon, the front door, and the tallest man in the world.

The zero article

In some situations, there is no article before a noun. Grammarians call this the "zero article." The zero article appears before proper nouns, names like Picasso and John Lennon. It also goes with names of places and institutions which consist of a proper name and another noun, as in Michigan State University.

There is also no article before the names of days, months, seasons and holidays. There is no article before geographical⁷ names like Europe, Italy, Tokyo, and Lake Superior.

The "zero article" applies to names of languages and nationalities, as with Chinese or English. For example, "Spanish is spoken in Spain." But if you are describing the people of that country, use the definite article. "The Spanish are known for being friendly."

The zero article also goes with names of sports and academic subjects.

The "a/the switch"

Professor Todeva is both a learner and teacher of English. She says the human brain loves patterns and finding logic behind things. She encourages teachers and learners to explore grammatical patterns in fun, engaging ways. She calls this "grammaring." Let's look at some common patterns in article usage.

Professor Todeva takes us back to fairy tales, or traditional stories, to demonstrate how the switch from "a" to "the" works.

"This particular pattern is very beautifully illustrated⁸ in most English fairy tales and in many jokes as well. Most fairy tales in English start with 'Once upon a time' … there is suspense⁹, there is sweet anticipation¹⁰, we are not sure what the story is about yet; we expect something exciting and something new, thus the use of the indefinite article at the beginning of most fairy tales as in the following piece from The Gingerbread Man:

"Once upon a time, there was an old man and an old woman who lived in a  little cottage - first mention - in a vast open field."

Here, the story teller¹¹ uses the indefinite articles because the characters are new to the listener or reader. When the information becomes familiar, the story teller uses the definite article, "the."

"The old woman and the old man were very hungry, so the old woman decided to bake a gingerbread man."

You might notice the "a/the switch" in most jokes. Here is an example.

"A man walks into a doctor's office. He has a cucumber up his nose, a carrot in his left ear and a banana in his right ear.

"What's wrong with me?" he asks the doctor (because it's already implied).

And the doctor says, "You're not eating properly."

Notice how the joke sets the stage with new information first. It starts with "a" before switching to "the."

General statements

Another important pattern involves general statements. General statements refer to all, or many members of a group. For example, "Politicians only care about money." You will often see general statements on bumper¹² stickers. These are small labels on the back of cars that express the owner's feelings or opinions.  

You might see bumper stickers that say, "Well-behaved women rarely make history" or "Teachers touch the future." Notice that general statements use the zero article.

Here's another general statement that you will probably agree with: "Articles are challenging for English learners." Look for a future Everyday Grammar with more tips for using articles.  

Take Professor Todeva's advice and let your brain pay attention to some of the patterns that we just explored. Happy learning and "grammaring" with the English language!  

For VOA Learning English Everyday Grammar,  

Words in This Story

definite article - gramm.  the word the used in English to refer to a specific person or thing?

indefinite article - gramm. the word a or an used in English to refer to a person or thing that is not identified or specified¹³

article - gramm. a word (such as a, an, or the) that is used with a noun to show whether or not the noun refers to a specific person or thing

switch - v. a change from one thing to another 

gingerbread man – n. a cookie flavored with ginger³ and honey or molasses, usually in the shape of a human

Quiz:

Try filling in the articles in this fairy tale to test your knowledge.

Once upon a time there was __ good, wise King who had __ very lovely daughter. __ Princess was so pretty that poets vowed¹⁴ she was fairer than __ fairest rose in __ royal gardens.

Reference:

Basic Uses of Articles in English
Indefinite Article (a or an)	Singular, non-specific nouns; I am a teacher; She has a dog.    Use a with singular nouns beginning with a consonant sound: auser (sounds like 'yoo-zer,' i.e. begins with a consonant 'y'sound, so 'a' is used); a university; a unicycle    an with nouns starting with silent "h": an hour    a with nouns starting with a pronounced "h": a horse
Definite Article (the)	Specific plural or singular nouns; non-count nouns: I spilled themilk; names of rivers, oceans and seas: the Nile, the Pacific    points on the globe: the Equator, the North Pole    geographical areas: the Middle East, the West    deserts, forests, gulfs, and peninsulas: the Sahara, the Persian Gulf15, the Black Forest, the Iberian Peninsula
Zero Article (nothing)	Proper nouns such as Picasso, Paul, Ringo, John, George; namesof places and institutions which consist of a proper name andanother noun, e.g. Michigan State University, Trafalgar Square, Penn Station; names of days, months, seasons and holidays, e.g. on Sunday, in March, at Christmas; many geographicalnames, e.g. Europe, Italy, Tokyo, Lake Superior; certainprepositional phrases, e.g. at peace, by heart, by train/car.

Answers to the quiz:

 

The Frog Prince

Once upon a time there was a good, wise King who had a very lovely daughter. The Princess was so pretty that poets vowed she was fairer than the fairest rose in the royal gardens.

 

From The Golden Book of Grimms' Fairy Tales. Golden Press, New York 1973.

1 logic   

n.逻辑(学)；逻辑性

参考例句：

• What sort of logic is that?这是什么逻辑？
• I don't follow the logic of your argument.我不明白你的论点逻辑性何在。

2 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

3 ginger   

n.姜，精力，淡赤黄色；adj.淡赤黄色的；vt.使活泼，使有生气

参考例句：

• There is no ginger in the young man.这个年轻人没有精神。
• Ginger shall be hot in the mouth.生姜吃到嘴里总是辣的。

4 consonant   

n.辅音；adj.[音]符合的

参考例句：

• The quality of this suit isn't quite consonant with its price.这套衣服的质量和价钱不相称。
• These are common consonant clusters at the beginning of words.这些单词的开头有相同辅音组合。

5 vowel   

n.元音；元音字母

参考例句：

• A long vowel is a long sound as in the word"shoe ".长元音即如“shoe” 一词中的长音。
• The vowel in words like 'my' and 'thigh' is not very difficult.单词my和thigh中的元音并不难发。

6 previously   

adv.以前，先前（地）

参考例句：

• The bicycle tyre blew out at a previously damaged point.自行车胎在以前损坏过的地方又爆开了。
• Let me digress for a moment and explain what had happened previously.让我岔开一会儿，解释原先发生了什么。

7 geographical   

adj.地理的；地区(性)的

参考例句：

• The current survey will have a wider geographical spread.当前的调查将在更广泛的地域范围內进行。
• These birds have a wide geographical distribution.这些鸟的地理分布很广。

8 illustrated   

adj. 有插图的，列举的 动词illustrate的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• His lecture was illustrated with slides taken during the expedition. 他在讲演中使用了探险时拍摄到的幻灯片。
• The manufacturing Methods: Will be illustrated in the next chapter. 制作方法将在下一章说明。

9 suspense   

n.（对可能发生的事）紧张感，担心，挂虑

参考例句：

• The suspense was unbearable.这样提心吊胆的状况实在叫人受不了。
• The director used ingenious devices to keep the audience in suspense.导演用巧妙手法引起观众的悬念。

10 anticipation   

n.预期，预料，期望

参考例句：

• We waited at the station in anticipation of her arrival.我们在车站等着，期待她的到来。
• The animals grew restless as if in anticipation of an earthquake.各种动物都变得焦躁不安，像是感到了地震即将发生。

11 teller   

n.银行出纳员；(选举)计票员

参考例句：

• The bank started her as a teller.银行起用她当出纳员。
• The teller tried to remain aloof and calm.出纳员力图保持冷漠和镇静。

12 bumper   

n.(汽车上的)保险杠；adj.特大的，丰盛的

参考例句：

• The painting represents the scene of a bumper harvest.这幅画描绘了丰收的景象。
• This year we have a bumper harvest in grain.今年我们谷物丰收。

13 specified   

adj.特定的

参考例句：

• The architect specified oak for the wood trim. 那位建筑师指定用橡木做木饰条。
• It is generated by some specified means. 这是由某些未加说明的方法产生的。

14 vowed   

起誓，发誓（vow的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• He vowed quite solemnly that he would carry out his promise. 他非常庄严地发誓要实现他的诺言。
• I vowed to do more of the cooking myself. 我发誓自己要多动手做饭。

15 gulf   

n.海湾；深渊，鸿沟；分歧，隔阂

参考例句：

• The gulf between the two leaders cannot be bridged.两位领导人之间的鸿沟难以跨越。
• There is a gulf between the two cities.这两座城市间有个海湾。