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Reading and Writing ESL
articles a, an, and the

ESL grammar and writing the easy way!

A, an, and the are articles. There are two kinds of articles, definite and indefinite.

Indefinite articles do not point out a specific person place or thing.

A and an are indefinite articles. There are four rules for using a and an:

  • Use a and an when you are referring to something that is not specific.
  • A and an can only be used before singular countable nouns.
  • Use a before a noun that begins with a consonant sound.
    • She ran to catch a bus.
  • Use an before a noun that begins with a vowel sound.
    • He ate an apple.

Definite articles point out a specific person, place, or thing. The is a definite article.

  • Use the when you are referring to a specific noun.
    • She ran to catch the last bus leaving the station.
      Here, we are referring to a specific bus, the last bus leaving the station.
  • There are two ways to pronounce the.
    • The can be pronounced with a long e sound at the end. When speaking, use this pronunciation before nouns that begin with a vowel sound.
    • The can be pronounced with an 'uh' sound at the end, like in the word, bus. Use this pronunciation before words that begin with a consonant sound.

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