Provided by the Academic Center for Excellence 1 ESL: Use of Articles
Summer 2014
English as a Second Language (ESL): Use of Articles
One of the most confusing parts of English grammar for many non-native speakers is the use of
articles. In English, articles are used to modify nouns in certain situations; they are not used before
every noun. There are two types of articles: indefinite (a, an) and definite (the). Indefinite articles
are used when the speaker or writer is talking about a non-specific member of a group, while a
definite article is used for a specific member(s) of a group.
Note. The following rules for choosing articles apply to both speaking and writing, so any mention
of a speaker could also apply to a writer.
You can navigate to specific sections of this handout by clicking the links below.
Indefinite Articles (A/An): pg. 1
Definite Articles (The): pg. 2
No Article: pg. 3
When to Use Articles Flowchart: pg. 4
Practice Exercise: pg. 5
Additional Resources: pg. 7
Indefinite Articles (A/An)
Indefinite articles are used when a speaker is talking about a non-specific noun that could be any
member of a group. An indefinite article can only modify a singular count noun. A count noun is
any noun that can be counted, such as the noun “table” (How many tables are there?) or “baby” (How
many babies are there?). Noncount nouns are nouns that cannot be counted, such as “rice” or
“courage.” (How many rices/courages are there? are nonsensical questions.)
A: Use a to modify a non-specific, singular count noun that begins with a consonant sound. In
addition to consonants, this includes words that begin with the following sounds: “yoo” (IPA: [ju:])
as in the words “user” or “European” and “wo” (IPA: [wʌ]) as in the word “one.” A couple of
examples are given below: