Article usage in English

There are three articles in English. They are: “a”, “an”,  “the”. The scholar should understand that, besides these three articles, there is such phenomenon as “zero article”, so we have not three, but four choices to make correctly.

If we talk about native-speakers, they have no complications in choosing the right article. As a rule, they use this grammar phenomenon correctly, without thinking over it. As for foreigners, those learners who study English, they need some guidelines, explanations and not only in theory, but in practice too. Especially it seems to be difficult for the learners, who have no article in their native language.

To use article in English without mistakes, one should categorize nouns as countable and uncountable.

Countable nouns could have a concrete number. For example: 1 (one) dictionary, 3 (three) libraries.

Uncountable nouns could not have concrete number. We couldn’t say: “one water”, “twenty information”. It would be incorrect!

The meaning of uncountable nouns in article usage

We can’t use “a”, “an” with any uncountable noun.

We can’t put any number before any uncountable noun. It means, that uncountable nouns have no plural forms.

We can use uncountable noun without any article, if in our speech or writing the thing is taken in general.

If we talk about particular thing, we should use “the” before the uncountable noun.

The meaning of countable nouns in article usage

A number could be put before countable nouns.

“A”, “an”, “the” – any of them could be put before countable nouns.

We must use an article before singular nouns, which are countable.

If we use countable noun first time, we must put “a”, “an” before them.

If we use countable noun in plural form and it means phenomena in general, or any of the phenomenon, without particularities, we mustn’t put article before it.

“The” is used before countable nouns, if we use them more than first time in our speech or writing.

“The” is also used before countable nouns if we mean some particularities in our speech or writing. 

“A” is used instead of “an” if the word, that is after it (noun, adjective, adverb) starts with not consonant but vowel sound. 

We may also use the following determiners instead of the articles: possessive pronouns, “such as this or that”, “some”, “many”, “this”, “that”, etc. 

Here is generalized information, which explains article usage in English, but of course, you may look for more detailed information in numerous reference works.