English Articles: A vs. The
- Amanda Clarke
- Feb 5
- 4 min read
What Is an Article?
Articles are words that come before a noun to tell readers if the noun is general or specific. There are three articles in English: a, an and the. It is difficult to construct complex sentences without them. Even though articles are small, they can cause major confusion for writers.
The Definite Article
The is the definite article. It means a specific version of the noun is being discussed as opposed to referring to the noun in general or to an unknown noun:
Using the definite article makes things more concrete. It should be used
to refer to nouns that have been previously established within the scene/narrative.
e.g. She grabbed the sword by the door is used to refer to a sword that the reader has already been told is kept by the door.
to signal a character's familiarity with a space or object.
e.g. The throne sat in the centre of the room describes a space the character is familiar with.
to refer to objects that were expected by the character/reader.
e.g. She turned to face the dragon means she consciously turned to face the dragon that she knows is waiting.
The definite article can be used for both singular and plural nouns:
The dragon charged at him.
The dragons surrounded him.
Indefinite Articles
A and an are the indefinite articles. They refer to a noun in a general sense as opposed to a specific one. Unlike the definite article, a/an can only be used for singular nouns. The correct article is determined by the noun.
The indefinite article is used
to make a general, blanket statement about something.
e.g. A dragon makes a terrible pet is a statement about all dragons, not just one.
to refer to something that has not been previously introduced.
e.g. She opened the box to find a ring shows she was surprised the box contained a ring.
to refer to something that a character doesn't know about.
e.g. A throne sat in the centre of the room describes a space the character is seeing for the first time.
to refer to something that a character didn't expect to see/find.
e.g. She turned to find a dragon staring at her means she didn't know a dragon was there.
Once a noun has been established as a specific element of a scene, the should be used instead of a or an.
A vs. an
Unlike the definite article, which is always the, the indefinite article changes depending on the first letter of the noun.
A is used when the noun starts with a consonant sound e.g. a sword, a fairy, a union
An is used when the noun starts with a vowel sound e.g. an element, an oracle, an inferi
Note: Usually, whether to use an or a can be determined by the starting letter of the word, but ultimately, it is pronunciation that determines the correct indefinite article. This is why both an herb (pronounced 'erb) and a herb (pronounced herb) are correct.
Indefinite Adjectives
An article can only be used for countable nouns. These are nouns that can be divided into distinct pieces like sword or dragon. The definite and indefinite articles can be used interchangeably with countable nouns without making any other changes to the sentence. The meaning changes, but both sentences make sense:
She grabbed a sword.
She grabbed the sword.
Uncountable nouns, such as water and magic, cannot be broken down into smaller pieces. These nouns can be preceded by the definite article but not an indefinite one.
The magic surrounded her. ✔
A magic surrounded her. X
Using the creates a proper sentence, while using a/an does not.
If you want to refer to magic in general, then you need to use an indefinite adjective instead of an indefinite article. Indefinite adjectives describe a noun in a non-specific sense. Common examples include:
Any
Each
Few
Many
Much
Most
Some
Some magic surrounded her.
The correct indefinite adjective will depend on the noun and the context. Sometimes there is only one option; sometimes there are several.
Nouns with Adjectives
When an adjective is placed in front of a noun, the article comes before the adjective.
The green dragons
When using an indefinite article, determining which one should be used is based on the adjective, not the noun.
A happy dragon
An angry dragon
Conclusion
When referring to a specific object or idea, always use the as the article. When referring to an unknown object or idea or something in the general sense, use the following rules to determine the article:
Countable or uncountable noun?
Countable = a/an
Uncountable = indefinite adjective
If using the indefinite article, does the noun start with a vowel sound or consonant sound?
Vowel = an
Consonant = a
Is there an adjective in front of the noun?
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