We use ‘the’ when we it’s clear (or should be clear) which thing(s) or person(s) we are talking about. There are usually a few reasons for this:
eg We’ll talk more at the hotel. 1) This hotel is the usual one the speaker and listener go to.
eg Did you find the chart? 2) The listener knows which chart because it was mentioned previously.
eg Can you pass me the red pen? 3) The speaker makes it clear which thing he’s talking about. (‘red’ here helps to make it clear)
eg Don’t open the (cockpit) door, there’s a crazy passenger trying to get in. 4) It’s clear from the situation which thing the speaker is talking about because there’s only one in the area.
Using ‘the’ helps the listener understand that he/she should know the thing or person being mentioned.
Study the situations above and try to create some of your own examples.
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1) When talking in general about people or things we don’t use the with plural nouns or uncountable nouns.
eg Planes transport people huge distances in short periods of time. (not specific planes but planes in general) eg Pilots have to do recurrent training every year. (not specific pilots but pilots in general)
2) When talking about jobs or types of things, use a / an with a singular noun to say what job a person has, what group something belongs to or what we use something for.
eg He’s a dispatcher. eg We have a checklist to remind us of everything we need to check.
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There are four basic rules to follow when using articles; ‘a’, ‘an’ and ‘the’.
Don’t use a / an with plurals.
a cars / an eggs = INCORRECT
a car / an egg = CORRECT
Don’t use ‘the’ to make general statements about things / people.
The trees are good for the environment = INCORRECT
Trees are good for the environment = CORRECT
Don’t use a / an / the with other words that make something definite or that indicate quantity.
Look at the my car! = INCORRECT (my already makes ‘car’ definite, this sounds strange to most people too)
Look at my car! = CORRECT
The some people on board the plane didn’t feel well = INCORRECT
Some people on board the plane didn’t feel well = CORRECT
Countable singular nouns always need an article or determiner.
Plane is on its stand = INCORRECT
The / my / his / her / our / your / their / this / that etc…. plane is on its stand = CORRECT (note: this sentences can only have ONE article or determiner)
Check out the diagram below to see a summary of the rules and try to create some of your own examples.
How to use a, an & the.
Tip: It can be difficult to learn these rules and ‘use’ them when speaking. As you read and listen more in English you will naturally start to have an idea when we use a / an / the. In some situations when you’re not sure it can be useful to check the rules, but you’ll correctly use these rules unconsciously as you read and listen to more English so don’t be concerned if they seem difficult.
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In grammar terms, articles are ‘a’, ‘an’ and ‘the’. These are some of the most common words in English and in many Western European languages there are article systems that are similar to articles in English, but with some differences.
Use: We use articles to indicate if something we are talking about is known to the speaker and the listener (it’s definite) or if it’s something which is not known to both the speaker and listener (it’s indefinite). Let’s look at an example.
eg Before my flight I was in the lounge.
In this sentence the speaker is indicating to the listener (by saying ‘the lounge’) that he/she knows the lounge (perhaps it’s the lounge that the speaker usually goes to, or it’s the only lounge in the airport). Whatever the reason, the speaker is indicating that the listener already knows about the lounge (it’s definite).
Let’s look at a second example.
We punctured a tyre after landing.
In this sentence the speaker is indicating to the listener (by saying ‘a tyre’) that he/she doesn’t know about the burst tyre. A plane has many tyres so it’s impossible to know which one was punctured. Later in the conversation however, the speaker my say;
…we’ll have to replace the punctured tyre.
In this sentence, ‘punctured tyre’ has become definite (‘the punctured tyre’) because it was mentioned previously, even though you don’t know which specific tyre was punctured, you know that the punctured tyre exists, and that’s why it has become definite.
Tip: Information that begins as indefinite becomes definite. ie Something which you first describe as ‘a plane’ then becomes ‘the plane’ when you mention it again.
Check out the diagram below and our other posts on articles to find out more about definite and indefinite articles.
How to use a, an & the.
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