ARTICLE


Definition: English has two types of articles: definite (the) and indefinite (a, an.) The use of these articles depends mainly on whether you are referring to any member of a group, or to a specific member of a group: Indefinite articles - a and an (determiners) A and an are the indefinite articles. They refer to something not specifically known to the person you are communicating with. A and an are used before nouns that introduce something or someone you have not mentioned before: Examples:
I ate an apple this morning
I bought a pet for my son
You use a when the noun you are referring to begins with a consonant (b, c, d, f, g, h, j, k, l, m, n, p, q, r, s, t, v, w, x, y or z), for example, "a city" and "a factory You use an when the noun you are referring to begins with a vowel (a, e, i, o, u) Pronunciation changes this rule: If the next word begins with a consonant sound when we say it, for example, "university" then we use a. If the next word begins with a vowel sound when we say it, for example "hour" then we use an. Examples:
We say "university" with a "y" sound at the beginning as though it were spelt "youniversity". So, "a university" is correct.
We say "hour" with a silent h as though it were spelt "our". So, "an hour" is correct.
Definite Article - the (determiners) You use the when you know that the listener knows or can work out what particular person/thing you are talking about. Example:
The dog (that specific dog)
The apple (that specific apple)
You should also use the when you have already mentioned the thing you are talking about. Example:
She`s got two children; a girl and a boy. The girl`s eight and the boy`s fourteen.
We use the to talk about geographical points on the globe. Example:
the Middle East, the West
We use the to talk about rivers, oceans and seas Example:
the Nile, the Pacific
We also use the before certain nouns when we know there is only one of a particular thing. Example:
the rain, the sun, the wind
However if you want to describe a particular instance of these you should use a/an. Example:
"I could hear the wind." / "There`s a cold wind blowing."