The English definite article is the. It is used to identify a particular person or thing. If you are speaking about someone or something you are already familiar with, you use the with the noun. Look at these examples:
- I already know the man.
- She met the women who won the lottery.
- This is the book that I told you about.
The indefinite article is used to describe someone or something that is unfamiliar to you or about which you are speaking in general. There are two forms: a and an. Use a before a word beginning with a consonant. Use an before a word beginning with a vowel. Look at these examples:
- He sees a stranger on the corner.
- Did you buy an apple or an orange?
- Is the woman a good lawyer?
- She has an idea.
Compare the difference between the definite and indefinite article by using these sentences:
- I want an apple. (I do not see an apple. But I feel hungry for one.)
- I want the apple. (I am choosing between the apple and the orange that I see before me.)
The definite article for plural nouns is also the. But there is no indefinite article for plural nouns. The plural articles are used in the same way as the singular articles.
Singular Definite Singular Indefinite Plural Definite Plural Indefinite
the boy a boy the boys boys
the house a house the houses houses
the idea an idea the ideas ideas
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