When talking about English as a language, you cannot separate it from articles. This is because articles in English have an essential role in building sentences. So, you will know if those sentences are specifically addressed to a particular thing or just describing something in general.
Then, what are articles in English? After reading the explanations above, you might already know about it. Article is a word you can use to describe a noun, whether the noun is specific or not. Here is a comprehensive guide about how to use articles in English so that you can understand them better!
How to Use Articles
There are three ways to use articles in sentences. You can use it for something definite, indefinite, and uncountable.
1. Definite (The)
As its name suggests, you can use this article to point to something definite. For example, there are so many bicycles in the world. But, when you say “the bicycle”, you are talking about one specific bicycle. This is how you use it in sentences!
- The bicycle that I used this morning is parked in the parking lot.
Two definite article examples in the sentence above are “the bicycle” and “the parking lot”. So, “I” use a specific bicycle and park it in a particular parking lot.
Here are more examples that you can learn:
- I can’t sleep without hugging my doll, the teddy bear one.
- Sarah said she would miss the party because she was sick.
- He is a good cook, and the risotto that he made is delicious.
Aside from using the definite article “the” before a noun, you can also use it before an adjective, especially the superlative adjective. Here are the examples!
- She is the most beautiful person I have ever seen in my life.
- As for those pants, I like the shortest ones the most.
2. Indefinite (A, An)
If the noun is unspecific, then you need to use indefinite articles, such as “a” or “an”. When the noun is a consonant sound, use “a”. However, when the noun is a vowel sound, use “an”. You can use this article to describe something in general.
For example, when you said “a bicycle”, you didn’t specify which bicycle. It can be your bicycle or other people’s.
So, in sentences, here is how to use it:
- A bicycle is parked in a parking lot.
There are millions of bicycles in millions of parking lots. So, you only explain the general situation, not the specific thing. Here are more indefinite article examples you can learn:
- I think you will look good in a red dress.
- Sandi, you need an egg before you can make a pancake.
- Dodit cannot eat an apple, so I will eat it instead.
You must note that the determinant for “a” or “an” is the sound, not the letters. For example, you said “a University” and not “an University” because the beginning of the sound is “yu” and it is a consonant and not a vowel.
Aside from before a noun, you can also use indefinite articles before adjectives, for example:
- Haris writes a small note for every course.
- Clarisse has an incredible talent for music.
3. Uncountable (Some)
Some nouns, such as water, dirt, air, etc, are impossible to count. For those uncountable things, you still can use the definite article “the” if you talk about something specific. However, you cannot use “a” or “an” if it is unspecific. Instead, you should use “some”. Here are the examples!
- I need to drink some water before I get dehydrated.
- Jodi loves going to the countryside because he can finally get some fresh air.
So, did you finally manage to master articles in English? Obviously, there are many things that you can learn. You can attend an English class for children or teens at Fun English to learn all of it with fun. As a result, it will be more enjoyable!