Articles in English- A, An and The

Articles are words that modify nouns. In this sense, articles are also adjectives because like adjective they modify. Articles are used before nouns to show whether something is specific or not. 

Types of articles

There are basically two types of articles in English language. These are as follows:

Definite Article:  ‘The’

Definite article ‘the’ is used before singular or plural nouns when the noun that is being talked about is particular or specific. Definite means something that is exact or clear and for this reason we call the article ‘the’ definite because it specifies nouns. If a speaker uses the definite article before noun it means that s/he is talking about some particular thing. Look at the following examples to understand the usage of definite article ‘the’: 

·         I want to go to the school.

In the above sentence, the speaker is talking about a particular ‘school’ and not just any school that s/he wants to go to.

·         The dog bit me.

Here the speaker is talking about a specific dog that bit him or her. It could be a dog that must living in the street or a dog that she must knowing because she is talking not just about any dog but a particular one.

Indefinite Articles: ‘A’ and ‘An’

When indefinite articles ‘a’ and ‘an’ are placed before nouns it means that the noun are not something specific or particular. The noun could be any member of a group. The meaning of indefinite is something which is not clear or exact. For example:

·         I have a pen.

·         Do you have a car?

In the above sentences, speakers are talking about things like ‘pen’ and ‘car’ which are not specific. They are talking about just any ‘pen’ and ‘car’ respectively.