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Definition
 An article goes in front of a noun.
There are two types of article in English:
- the definite article [the]
- the indefinite article [a or an].
Examples
The definite article is the |
— |
as in the book |
The indefinite article is a |
— |
as in a pencil |
| or an |
— |
as in an apple |
Use
When
using the indefinite article
a is used before nouns which begin
with a consonant
an is used when the noun begins with a vowel.
This
convention is based on ease of speaking. It is easier to say an
apple than a apple, and a new book than an
new book.
The
definite article the remains the same in all cases, although
speakers do vary the pronunciation according to whether a vowel
or a consonant follows. For example:
[thee] |
the other |
the argument |
[theu] |
the ball |
the tent |
Articles
in English are fairly simple compared with some other European
languages. English articles vary only according to ease of speaking,
whereas in French they have to agree with the gender of the noun.
For example
MASCULINE |
le bureau
(the office) |
le matin
(the morning) |
FEMININE |
la maison
(the house) |
la plage
(the beach) |
Students
of English as a foreign language are relieved to find that the
articles stay fairly constant with the exception of the variation
between a and an.
However,
English wasn't always like this. Old English or Anglo-Saxon had
as many variations as Latin or modern German. These have very
gradually disappeared as word-order has
become more crucial.
Even
today, some people say an historic occasion or an hotel.
This is a remnant of Middle English when, because of the French
influence, the aitch was not articulated, making the initial
syllables of these words effectively vowels. [End of history
lesson.] |
