Correct Usage of Articles

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Engrd

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Many a time, I get confused in using articles, "The", "A", and "An." Can anyone tell me the correct and simple usage of articles.

Thanks in advance. :)
 

5jj

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]One of the most difficult and enduring problems in English is articles usage. We could not hope to cover the topic in one thread. Have a look at 'Similar Threads' at the bottom of this page, then come back with specific questions.
 

Alamshar

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It's not that confusing:

"an" and "a" are the same except "an" is used when the noun begins with a vowel. e.g an accident, an eclipse, an institute.

Note: We say an hour, an hotel but we write it with an "a" - a "h" followed by a vowel.

So how do we know when to use a/an or the?
Well we use "the" when we know specifically which item (noun) were are talking about.
Imagine you are eating with some friends or family and you can't reach something on the table. You say:
"Can you pass me the water". Now there is only one jug of water on the table so you can only be referring to that one therefore you use "the".
However, now you need a napkin and there is a pile of them on the table so you say "Can you pass me a napkin".

It all depends on the situtation:)
 

emsr2d2

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Note: We say an hour, an hotel but we write it with an "a" - a "h" followed by a vowel.

Very few people still say "an hotel" - the BBC have dropped the usage!

Just in case the OP was confused by the second half of your advice - we don't write "a" before "hour".

It's "an hour" and "a hotel". The "h" in "hour" is not sounded so we use "an" but (nowadays) the "h" in hotel is definitely sounded so we use "a" when speaking and writing.
 

Tdol

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"an" and "a" are the same except "an" is used when the noun begins with a vowel. e.g an accident, an eclipse, an institute.

This is not correct- it's about whether the word after it begins with a vowel sound:

An egg
but
A European

An umbrella
but
A university

Also note:
An MA
A URL

And it's triggered by the word coming after it, so it doesn't have to be a noun:

A student (noun)
but
An average student (adjective + noun)
An extremely good student (adverb + adjective + noun)


And this "rule":
We say an hour, an hotel but we write it with an "a"

According to you, we would write[strike] a hour[/strike], which is wrong. We write an hour. Some people use an historic..., and plenty of those who do pronounce the /h/. There are various possibilities with h, but teaching people to write [strike]a hour[/strike] is not one of them in my book- this would be marked wrong in an English language exam.

And how about humorous? According to you, we'd say an humorous and write a humorous. If you did try to make the h silent, you'd have /j/ at the beginning rather than /hj/, so even dropping the h, your theory on the pronunciation still breaks down.
 
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Tdol

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I
Well we use "the" when we know specifically which item (noun) were are talking about.

How do these fit in with this view?

A: I went to the cinema last night.
B: Which one?
A: The Odeon

And

A: I saw a movie last night.
B: Which one?
A: Spiderman VII.

I agree with Fivejedjon that article usage is a tricky area of the language. My edition of Practical English Usage dedicates 15 pages to the articles, and they crop up on many other pages.
 

cubezero3

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How do these fit in with this view?



And



I agree with Fivejedjon that article usage is a tricky area of the language. My edition of Practical English Usage dedicates 15 pages to the articles, and they crop up on many other pages.

Hello, Tdol.

Could you please further expand on this one?

I have always believed that "the cinema" is used when there's only one cinema in the city or both the speaker and listener have a habit of going to a specific one. Otherwise, "a cinema" should be used.

Then, after reading your comments, it suddenly occurred to me that I can't remember reading "a cinema" in such a context.

Maybe it's just that I haven't read enough or have a bad memory. Or perhaps this usage has already been set, as in the case of "all of a sudden"?

Many thanks
 

5jj

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In BrE we have a number of expressions with places, where we often have the activity. in mind.

Shall we go to the cinema? = Shall we go to see a film?
I went to the pub last night = I went out for a drink

Similarly, go to the theatre = go to see a play.

We can, of course, speak of the buildings in the normal way.

There used to be a theatre at the end of our road.
The cinema in our town was next to the swimming pool.

I met my future wife outside a cinema in Bolton. We were both queuing to see Lawrence of Arabia.
 
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