Lesson 18: Articles

In this section, we will be discussing articles and how they’re used in a sentence.

Objectives:

To define articles
To enumerate the different ways in which articles are used
To demonstrate how articles are used in a sentence

Articles are very important in English grammar. Not only do they complete sentences, they also tell us the context in which the noun is being referred to. In this lesson, we’ll be studying the two kinds of nouns—definite and indefinite. We’ll be specifying and demonstrating how these articles are used in a sentence via examples.

Definition

An article is a word which precedes a noun in a sentence and clarifies what kind of noun is being referenced.

Types & Examples

There are two main kinds of articles—the definite and the indefinite. Below, we’ll be defining both and when it’s appropriate to use them. We’ll also be taking a look at different sample sentences to be able to observe how articles are used to complete sentences.

[WpProQuiz 149]

Definite Articles

A definite article is one which is used before a definite noun. It is the article equivalent of a proper noun. There is only one definite article, and it is the. Below are a few examples of how to use the in a sentence.

Ex:

I was reading about the school that burned down.

She told me about the legend of the fall.

I remember her telling me that this was the moment that she’d been looking forward to the most.

She was picking at the asphalt, unsure of what to say to him.

Do you remember the time we went on a road trip to Alabama?

[WpProQuiz 150]

Indefinite Articles

An indefinite article is one that is used before an indefinite (unspecified) noun. It is the equivalent of common nouns in the world of articles. There are two indefinite articles: a and an.

A comes before singular words that begin with consonants or consonant sounds (a cat, a euphemism).

An comes before singular words that begin with vowels or vowel sounds (an avalanche, an hors de oeuvre).

Ex:

A rash was beginning to develop on her face; she wondered if she had Lupus.

A massage would feel really good right now.

A handsome man was walking down the street earlier today.

An evening of romance sounded good to her.

An acrobat injured himself the other week.

She plucked an hors de oeuvre from the silver tray.

Now we know how articles are used in a sentence. We also learned about the different types of articles—we can now decide when to use a, an or the when talking about different nouns.

[WpProQuiz 151]

Keep reading and we’ll be one step closer to mastering basic English grammar. Next up, we’ll be talking about interjections and how they liven up a sentence.

Looking for an exceptional company to do some custom writing for you? Look no further than ProfEssays.com! You simply place an order with the writing instructions you have been given, and before you know it, your essay or term paper, completely finished and unique, will be completed and sent back to you. At ProfEssays.com, we have over 500 highly educated, professional writers standing by waiting to help you with any writing needs you may have! We understand students have plenty on their plates, which is why we love to help them out. Let us do the work for you, so you have time to do what you want to do!