An article precedes a noun and its modifiers. There are two main types of articles: definite and indefinite.
The is a definite article. It points to a specific person, place, or thing. For example, say you pointed to your car and said, “The car is red.” You are referring to a specific car.
A and an are indefinite articles. They point to nouns that are not specific. For example, you could ask your friend, “Would you please hand me a pencil?” You probably do not care which pencil your friend gives you; you just want any of them!
The trick with a and an is when to use them. You use a when referring to a word that starts with a consonant (a boy, a dog, a hat). You use an when it comes before a word that starts with a vowel (an egg, an umbrella, an obstacle course).
Think you’re ready to distinguish between a, an, and the? Try some of these fun quizzes and find out!
http://www.usingenglish.com/quizzes/21.html
http://www.usingenglish.com/quizzes/216.html
http://www.englishmedialab.com/GrammarGames/basketball/Articles/Articles%20definite%20and%20indefinite.html
Thursday, September 23, 2010
Word of the Week: Article
