Articles Examples

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Articles - Glossary of Terms

Articles

There are three articles: the adjectives a, an and the. The is called the definite article as it is used to indicate something specific; whereas, a and an are called the indefinite articles as they are used to indicate something unspecific.

Examples:

I fell over the chair again. (a specific chair, i.e., one known to the reader)

Can you pass me a chair. (an unspecific chair - i.e., any chair)

Interactive example:

I'm not a bitch. I'm the bitch! [show me the articles]

Use an (as opposed to a) only when the next word starts with a vowel sound.

It was an unicorn.

(Unicorn starts with a vowel but not a vowel sound.)

Associated pages:

Glossary of grammatical terms