Articles

ARTICLES

There are two kinds of articles:

   A. Indefinite Articles

   B. Definite Articles

A. INDEFINITE ARTICLES :
a, an, and some, are used for

		EXAMPLES
1	-          a + singular noun with  cont  to make generalization	a boy, a girl, a book , a user, a European
2	-          an + singular noun with  vowel	an apple, an umbrella, an assignment
3	-          some + plural count  noun	some students, some umbrellas
4	- some + non-count noun	some fruit, some sugar, some rice
5	- before modified noun	a new taxi, an unfinished task, a dirty ticket
6	- to indicate membership	a professor, a trainer , a student

B. DEFINITE ARTICLES

·         is used before singular and plural nouns if the noun is specific.

• it is used in the situation which thing or person we mean: the light, the floor, the door, the window,  the bank, the post office, the police, the airport.

   - Please close the window. ( the window near the speaker)

  - The newspaper courier was late this morning.

  - We got to the airport just in time for our flight.

1. Article THE is not used before:

-   names of country (Indonesia, Singapore, Japan) except the Netherlands and the US

-   names of cities, town or states (Surabaya, Malang, Texas)

-   names of streets (A. Yani street, Pemuda street)

-   names of lake and bays ( Lake Toba, Lake Poso) except with a group of lakes like the Great Lakes.

-   names of mountains ( Mount Merapi, Mount Krakatau) except with ranges of mountains  like the Jayawijaya, the Andes

-   names of continents ( Europe, Australia)

-   names of islands (Easter Islands, Seribu Islands) except with island chains like the Canary  Islands.

2. Article THE  is used before:

-names  of rivers, oceans and seas: the Mississippi, the Batanghari.

- points on the globe: the Equator

- geographical areas : the Middle East, the West, the ASEAN

- deserts, forest, gulfs, and peninsulas; the Sahara, the Goby,

  both singular and plural count nouns and with non-count nouns:  Thank you for  the fruit.

- nouns when you know or assume that your listener is familiar with and thinking about the same specific thing or person you are talking about:

  The sun is bright today; Please open the door;  Wen is in the kitchen.

-          the second mention of an indefinite noun: She drove a car.àShe drove the car.

-          Adjective.  The meaning is always plural; the rich, the poor, the blind

-          Nationality words; the British, the Indonesian, the Irish

The uses of articles:

1. A and AN are used if the noun can be counted.
2. THE must be used when the noun cannot be counted.
3. A or AN  is used to introduce a noun when it is mentioned for the first time in a piece of writing.
4. THE is used afterward each time you state the same noun.
5. Always use an article for a singular count noun (a, an, the, that, this, or a possessive pronoun)

Article (the, a, an) is not used :

•         names of languages and nationalities: Japanese, Indonesian, American.

•         names of sports: badminton, soccer, hockey, cricket.

•         names of academic subjects: history, calculus, English.

•         terms in general.