That is, the absence of an article. Let's consider when the article the is used, which, by the way, is, according to linguists, the most frequently occurring word in the English language, although, of course, it is difficult to call it a word.

How to use the definite article THE - the basic rule

Most of the rules for using the definite article the come down to the fact that the is placed before a noun that means something specific. The article the itself comes from the word that (this, that) - knowing this, it is easier to understand how it is used.

This is the place that we were talking about. - This is the place we were talking about.

You have the file that I need. – You have (the) document that I need.

The article here does not define, of course, but the noun defined by this adjective. The article the is needed because the superlative degree of a feature or person distinguishes it as unique:

This is the most delicious ice-cream in the world. – This is the most delicious ice cream in the world.

He is the smartest student in the university. – He is the smartest student at the university.

5. Before a series of adjectives implying the uniqueness of the subject.

These are words like same(same), only(the only one), left\right(left\right). Like adjectives in superlatives, they indicate the specificity of what is being discussed.

This is the only way out. - This is the only way out.

Turn the left valve, please. – Turn the right valve, please.

My sister had the same problem. – My sister had the same problem.

6. Before ordinal numbers.

Ordinal – denoting number, not quantity. If an item is “first” or “twentieth,” this implies its relative uniqueness (in the context of the conversation). This also applies to words like the last(last), the previous(previous), which are similar in meaning to ordinal numbers.

Who was the first human in the space? – Who was the first man in space?

I am reading the third chapter now. – I’m reading the third chapter now.

Let's invite the previous candidate again. - Let's invite the previous candidate again.

This is the last warning. - This is the last warning.

7. Before people's names, when we're talking about about the family as a whole.

The surname is used in the plural, as in Russian.

I don't know the Allens, but they seem to be nice people. “I don’t know the Allens, but they seem like nice people.”

The Petrovs moved out on Monday. – The Petrovs moved out on Monday.

8. Before wordspast, present, future, winter, spring, summer, autumn (fall).

These words are worth highlighting separately because many tense expressions use the indefinite or zero article, for example: a week ago(a week ago) on Monday- on Monday. When talking about the past, future, present, we use the:

That is my plan for the future. - This is my plan for the future.

Whatever happened in the past, stays in the past. – Whatever happened in the past will remain in the past.

When we talk about seasons, we use the when we mean, say, the autumn of a particular year. When talking about the time of year in general, we use the zero or definite article:

• I moved to London in the autumn of 2010. – I moved to London in the fall of 2010.
• Poets love (the) autumn. – Poets love autumn.

Note: words autumn And fall means “autumn”, but autumn- this is the British version, fall– American.

9. Before some place names

– a rather confusing topic, I’ll highlight the main cases:

• The article the is not needed before names of countries consisting of one word (Russia, Spain), but is needed before names that include words like federation, kingdom, states: the Russian Federation, the Kingdom of Spain, the United Stated of America.
• The is also placed before place names used in the plural: the Netherlands(Netherlands), the Virgin Islands (Virgin Islands), the Urals(Ural Mountains).

The article THE before an adjective and pronoun

Any article, both the and a\an, can be used before an adjective. The article defines the noun, the attribute of which denotes this adjective:

This is the new guy I told you about. - This is the new guy I told you about.

Have a nice day. - Have a nice day.

Neither the article the nor a\an is used before a possessive (my, his, your, etc.) or demonstrative (this, these, that, those) pronoun that defines a noun - it in itself speaks of ownership, and therefore specificity of the subject.

• Wrong: Where is the my car?
• Right: Where is my car?

In this article we will touch on the topic "Articles"- one of the most “unloved” topics of our students.

Many admit that, although they have gone through this topic many times, they continue to put articles at random and cannot systematize their knowledge in any way. The article THE is particularly difficult. Perhaps you have this problem too.

In preparing this article, we asked our students and subscribers to formulate questions related to the use of the article THE, which they find it difficult to answer on their own. I would like to note that the questions were very similar, so we have summarized them. And here are the questions that interest students:

• Which article should I choose: A or THE?
• How to determine whether the article THE is needed with plural and uncountable nouns?

If you are also not completely confident in the depth of your knowledge about the use of the definite article THE and your previous experience of studying “from a textbook” turned out to be useless, then this material will help you systematize your existing knowledge and, perhaps, learn something new.

Which article should I choose, A or THE?

Let's remember a little from the theory. A(an)- this, he points to an indefinite object, and emphasizes that there is only one object. THE- definite article (definite article), it is used when something is mentioned that is already known to the speakers.

Let's look at an example:

My father bought me a dog.
- Great! What color is the dog?
- The dog is black. And my mother bought me a book.

The first sentence uses article A, since the dog is mentioned for the first time and the interlocutor still knows nothing about it. Further used article THE, since it became clear to both speakers what kind of dog they were talking about. In the last sentence the word book also used with the indefinite article, since it is mentioned for the first time, the interlocutor has not yet determined what kind of book it is.

A few more examples:

Yesterday I got a letter. The letter was from my friend. - Yesterday I received a letter. The letter was from my friend.

I am reading a newspaper. I bought the newspaper from the newsagent. - I am reading a newspaper. I bought a newspaper from a periodical dealer.

Remember the rule: If you have a singular countable noun in front of you, then use A if this item is mentioned for the first time or it is vague, unimportant. THE is used if the subject has already been mentioned before and is known to the interlocutors.

Sometimes, despite the fact that something is mentioned for the first time, we can understand from the context what is being said: when additional information about the subject is given, an explanation, or when it is clear from the situation itself. Let's look at examples with explanations:

I was at a party yesterday. - I was at a party yesterday.
(Referring to some kind of party that we don’t know anything about yet)

I was at theparty organized by my friend. - I was at a party organized by my friend.
(We understand what kind of party we are talking about)

He saw a woman in the corridor. - He saw (some) woman in the corridor.
(No additional information is given about the woman)

He saw the woman who lived next door to him. - He saw a woman who lived next door.
(We understand what kind of woman this is)

He entered a door. - He came through the door.
(He entered one of the doors, we do not know which one).

He entered the door nearest to the stairs. - He entered the door closest to the stairs.
(Specify which door exactly)

In what cases is the article THE always used?

Remember a number of cases in which the article THE is always used:

• when something is mentioned that exists in one copy, something unique of its kind: the sun, the moon, the world, the earth, the capital, the ground, the environment, the universe
• with names of groups of people expressed by adjectives: the elderly, the young, the old, the rich, the poor, the unemployed, the disabled and others
• with names that end in -ese And -sh (-ch): the British, the Scottish, the Spanish, the Chinese, the Japanese. With other nationalities, the article THE may not be used: (the) Russians, (the) Americans
• in combinations related to space: the end, the beginning, the middle, the center
• in combinations related to time: in the morning, in the afternoon, in the evening; the next, the last, the present, the future, the past
• with names of titles and positions: the King, the president, the Prime Minister, the Queen
• with and superlative adverbs: the best, the worst, the fastest, the most interesting, the most beautiful
• s, including dates: the first (of May), the third (of November), the twentieth, the thirty-first
• in combinations like: THE something OF: the legs of the table, the topic of our lesson
• with titles musical instruments: the guitar, the piano, the cello
• with the word same: the same
• in many set phrases and idiomatic expressions.

When is THE used with place nouns?

Nouns meaning various places(not to be confused with geographical names!), can be used both with and without the article THE. The use of the article directly depends on the context in which the noun is mentioned.

Let's look at an example. If someone is sick, he is in the hospital:

He is at hospital.

When we say this, we do not mean a specific hospital, but we are talking about the hospital in general, as an institution where patients are treated.

If a friend of our patient decided to visit him and came to the hospital, then about him we need to say:

He is at the hospital.

He is not sick and should not be in the hospital (in general meaning this word), he came to a certain hospital (the one in which his friend lies), which is why the article THE appears.

One more example:

My little sister goes to school. Today it is a school concert so all our family will go to the school.

Children generally go to school to learn, so when talking about students, the article is not used. Other family members are not students. They will go to a certain school where their child studies to watch a concert, respectively, before the word school Let's put an article.

The same miracles happen with the words prison, church, university.

Remember the rule: if you mean some place All in all(emphasizes his special purpose), article THE not used. When it means specific establishment or building, article THE used.

As for other nouns denoting places, THE is most often used with them: the beach, the station, the coast, the seaside, the city, the countryside.

With cinema and theater, the article THE is used even when the speaker does not mean a specific place:

We go to the cinema every weekend.
They have never been to the theater.

Why is the article used with these words? The explanation is that when we use them, it is clear from the context what we mean, and the interlocutor understands what we are talking about. Let's look at examples of situations where it is clear from the situation itself what place we are talking about:

1. When, being in a room or apartment, we talk about its parts:

Switch on the light! - Turn on the lights! (In this room, in the room where you are)

I closed the door and opened the window. - I closed the door and opened the window. (In the room where I was at that moment, in my room)

The floor was clean. - The floor was clean. (The floor in the room I was in.)

2. When we talk about city buildings, if it is clear which city we are talking about:

Where is the railway station? - Where is the railway station? (The station of this city. If there are several stations in the city, you will have to clarify which one you need. If you are located near the station, then the interlocutor will understand that you are asking about the nearest station)

The city hall is very old. - The city hall building is very old. (There is only one city hall in the city, so your interlocutor will understand what we are talking about)

The market was crowded in the morning. - The market was crowded in the morning. (The market of this city; the nearest market; the market where the speaker goes)

3. When mentioning organizations that provide services, if it is clear from the context what exactly the speaker means:

I need to go to the bank tomorrow. - I need to go to the bank tomorrow. (The bank where I have an account; the nearest bank; the bank whose services I use)

Tom went to the post office to send a letter. - Tom went to the post office to send a letter. (This refers to the nearest post office; the only one in a given city)

You should go to the doctor. - You should go to the doctor. (To your doctor)

She is seeing the dentist on Friday. She is going to see the dentist on Friday. (To your dentist).

Be careful, in some situations, of course, article A can be used. Most often, when a speaker means: “any”, “one of many”, “no matter which”, “any”:

How to determine whether the article THE is needed with uncountable nouns and plural nouns?

Don't forget about our communities in

Despite the fact that initially the category of articles is absent in the consciousness of a Russian-speaking person, for the vast majority of modern European languages ​​it is extremely significant and is absorbed literally with mother’s milk. Therefore, today we will look at how to use the article a/an, the in English correctly so that you never make mistakes in the future.

Rules for using the article a

This article is called an indefinite article and always accompanies countable nouns in the singular, that is, those that can be counted or listed. The very essence of the article is expressed in the fact that it, together with an, is a remainder of the Old English word meaning "one". That's why the article a used exclusively with words in the singular. In addition, cases of using this particular article include the following:

• First mention of the item. For example, if the speaker is telling a friend about his new notebook, he will say: Yesterday I bought a nice notebook. The notebook is green and pink. As you can see, the indefinite article was used for the first time a, in the second already definite article - everything is in accordance with the established rules.
• When naming a profession or type of activity, for example: She’s a doctor. I am a teacher.
• After the constructions there is, it is, that is, this is, for example: This is a beautiful dress. There is a computer on the table.
• If a noun is preceded by an adjective describing it, then the article will not destroy their connection, but will come before the adjective, for example: I’m a young boy. In that vase there was a beautiful red rose.
• After the words quite, such: Such a smart woman!
• In expressions denoting quantity, namely: a lot of, a couple, a dozen, a way too, a great many, a great deal of.
• In structures where a replaces the preposition per(in, for): 7 Euros a kilo, twice a day, etc.
• In exclamatory sentences the following type: What a nasty weather! What a good puppy! What a tasty pancake!
• Sometimes accompanied by proper names, namely: Two days ago I met a Mrs. Black, which translates to “Yesterday I met some Mrs. Black."

Article an

It should be noted right away that this article is not independent and is only a form of the article described above a. Therefore for an The same rules of use are characteristic, but the main condition for its use is the presence of a situation in which the countable word in the singular begins with a vowel. Example: I’ve bought an apple. In his bag there is an orange. An umbrella is what I really need now!

Combinations you need to learn

For each article ( a/an, the) there is a set of certain stable combinations, by remembering which you can be sure that you will not fall flat on your face. Often it is on them that the compilers of all kinds of exams like to catch people learning the language.

For articles a/an You need to remember the following basic stable phrases:

• To be in a hurry - to be in a hurry, to hurry.
• To be at a loss - to be in difficulty, perplexed.
• To be in a rage - to be furious, furious.
• To have a headache - to have a headache.
• To have a toothache - to have a toothache.
• In a loud voice - in a loud voice.
• In a low voice - in a quiet, low voice.
• In a whisper - in a whisper.
• It’s a pity - what a pity; It's a pity that...
• It’s a shame - shame.
• It’s a pleasure - it’s a pleasure (to do something).

Definite article

The definite article is identical to the demonstrative pronoun “this” and “that” and is used with nouns in both singular and plural in the following situations:

• If we are talking about an object that has already been mentioned in the conversation, or the context allows us to understand which specific object from the set is being spoken about, for example: Yesterday I went in the cinema and saw a film. The film was absolutely not interesting.
• With words that serve as a nomination for unique objects, things or phenomena, one of a kind, namely: sun, sky, Earth, moon.
• After prepositions indicating a place, for example: There is a dog in front of the door.
• With adjectives in the superlative form.
• If one object implies a whole category, for example: The dog is a mammal (a dog is a mammal; this means not just one dog, but their total set).
• With ordinal numbers, namely: the second grade, etc. However, it is important to note here: if the numeral denotes a number, the article is not used at all, for example: Lesson 3, Section 6, page 172, etc.
• When mentioning cardinal directions: in the south.
• With a surname, if the whole family is meant, and not an individual member: the Petrovs (Petrovs).
• In sustainable designs that need to be remembered: in the morning/evening/afternoon, to the theater/cinema, to the market/shop.
• Always with the words: same, next, only, very, previous, last, left, right, upper, very, central, following, main.
• Together with adjectives that have passed into another part of speech, to nouns (such words are called substantivized), namely: The rich (rich people) and others.

Definite article also used with geographical names of all:

• rivers (the Neva);
• oceans (the Pacific Ocean);
• seas (the Red Sea);
• lakes (the Baikal; however, if there is the word lake, for example Lake Superior and etc., the use of the article is not required at all);
• channels;
• straits and bays;
• mountain ranges (the Alps);
• deserts (the Victoria Desert);
• archipelagos and islands (the British Isles);
• states, if their name contains the words Kingdom, Federation, Republic (for example, the Dominican Republic), if the name is in the plural (the Netherlands) or is an abbreviation (the USA);
• in two cases of exceptions: the Gambia and the Bahamas;
• with the names of cinemas, theaters, newspapers (The New York Times), magazines, hotels.

And again idioms

Another portion of stable phrases, actively used in everyday speech by the British and everyone who can speak their language, but with an article the, as follows:

• To tell (or speak) the truth - to tell the truth. You can remember with the help of association: there is only one truth, there are many lies (that’s why they say a lie).
• To play the piano - play the piano.
• In the day-time - in daytime, during the day.
• To read in the original - read in the original (i.e. not in translation).
• On the one hand… on the other hand… - on the one hand (one opinion)…, on the other hand (another opinion).
• It’s out of the question - there can be no question of this.

So, when the basic rules for how the article is used a/an, the, considered, it’s time to deal with the zero article and find out why these categories were formed in the English language, but not in Russian. In addition, it is also necessary to develop the theoretical basis through practical exercises.

Without article

There is a certain set of situations when the use of an article is not required (zero article, or “zero”). This includes the following cases:

• If the word is used in the plural and in a general sense, for example: Children like bonbons (in general, all children (any) love candy).
• With uncountable nouns, if no determiners or descriptive units are given: My father likes music.
• With proper names (countries, cities, human names).
• With nominations for days of the week and months, for example: September, monday.
• With the words breakfast, lunch, dinner.
• When a word already has determiners in the form of possessive and demonstrative pronouns, as well as the words any, every, some.
• Along with the names of the means of transport: I prefer traveling by plane.
• With words denoting sports.
• With nouns denoting parents, family, educational establishments(if there is no specification and clarification): Are you at college?
• With words expressing insufficiency: few, little.
• With names of holidays (Easter, Christmas).
• With nominations of diseases (flu, cancer).
• And also in a number of stable combinations.

How English developed. Articles a/the: history of appearance

It must be said that articles did not exist in languages ​​immediately. In addition, even foreigners who have a system of articles in their native languages ​​cannot always understand the system of this functional part of speech in another language. For example, the article system of the German language is considered the most sophisticated and complex, but many German residents admit that they absolutely cannot understand the pattern of using English articles, and vice versa.

Article a/an, the, as well as zero - all this is natural for a native English speaker today, and it’s clear why. The fact is that the history of the English language as a whole is the history of a grammatical revolution. At a certain period of its development, this representative of the Indo-European language family took and changed the “pronoun + noun” connective, so characteristic, for example, of Slavic languages, with the “noun + article” connective.

Resources that can help you practice the material

Today articles a/the, the rules of use of which were discussed above, sometimes become a stumbling block at the very beginning of the journey of learning English. Therefore, this article has collected resources and materials that will help solve the difficulties that have arisen:

1. Duolingo is a site where all topics, including articles a/the, the use and examples of which have already been covered in detail in the article, are provided with visual tables and explanations.
2. Njnj is a seemingly unremarkable service, but useful at least for a one-time visit. Here anyone can practice articles a/the; the exercises contain the keys.
3. Lim-english - site for the final stage. Here you can fix articles a/the; The tests, among other rules, cover this section and ask you to test yourself by answering 20 questions.

Afterword

As you can see, there is nothing wrong with articles. Yes, it is extremely unusual for a Russian-speaking person just starting to get acquainted with foreign languages ​​to use them, but here, as you know, the main thing is experience and practice. Regular practice, watching films and listening to original music will quickly help you accept and understand the category of articles.

, Chinese, Japanese, Tamil, Thai, do not have articles at all (if necessary, words such as “one” or “this” are used to indicate the uncertainty or definiteness of a word). There are also languages, such as Welsh, Arabic, Icelandic, Hebrew, Armenian (as well as artificial languages ​​like Esperanto or Ido), which have only a definite article, but no indefinite article. In some languages, such as Turkish, there is only an indefinite article, and its absence indicates that the object is definite.

In most languages, the definite article developed from a demonstrative pronoun or adjective. For example, from the demonstrative pronoun ille in Latin (which itself did not have articles), articles developed in the Romance languages ​​that descended from it le(French), el(Spanish), il(Italian). The indefinite article occurs or even coincides with the numeral “one” (German. ein(e), French un(e), Spanish un(a) port. um(a)).

Grammatical functions of articles

• First The grammatical function of the article is “the grammatical designation of its accompanying person,” that is, a sign of a name. This is the unambiguous article in Arabic. Because of this, in many languages, adding an article to non-nominal words and forms converts them into a noun. This is how conversion occurs when given word moves into another category and falls into a different paradigm without changing its morphological composition. Yes, in German schreiben- “to write”, and das Schreiben- “letter” (that is, “writing”); in French diner, souper- “lunch”, “dinner”, and le diner, le soup- “lunch”, “dinner”.
• Second The grammatical function of the article is the distinction between the grammatical categories of definiteness and indeterminacy, when there are paired articles: the - a(an)- in English; der - ein, die - eine, das - ein- in German; le - un, la - une- in French, etc. A category accompanied by a definite article, as a rule, expresses grammatically what is already known to the interlocutors, or what the interlocutors have before their eyes during a conversation, or something that is particularly individually highlighted.
• Third The grammatical function of the article is to differentiate gender in its pure form, that is, with the same word in the same form, which is rare, more often with the names of some peoples whose language does not recognize gender distinctions, for example, in German der Hausa- “a man from the Hausa tribe” and die Hausa- "a woman from the Hausa tribe."

Noun agreement

In many European languages, the article agrees with nouns in number, gender and case (if the above categories are present in the language). In some cases, it is the article that makes it possible to distinguish the gender, number or case of a given word.

Yes, in French, where plural nouns are often pronounced in the same way as singular ones, it is the article that serves to distinguish the number.

Some languages ​​have homonyms that differ only in gender, expressed by the article, for example. German die Steuer(tax), das Steuer(steering wheel, rudder), sw. en plan(plan), ett plan(airplane).

Also in some languages, particularly German, the article is used to distinguish the case of a noun, e.g. Wir gehen in die Schule(we are going to school, vin. p.), Wir lernen in der Schule(we study at school, date)

Differences in use

Use of articles in various languages not the same. For example, French uses the definite article where English does not, such as with uncountable nouns.

In both ancient and modern Greek, the article is used with proper names: ὁ Ἰησοῦς (Jesus), and can also be used before a noun and each of its adjectives ( ὁ πατὴρ ὁ ἀγαθός , good father). In Portuguese, proper names are also used with an article, unless it is an official language and there is no title before the name. Similarly, the article before names can be used in colloquial German, eg. Ich habe mit der Claudia gesprochen(“I talked to (this) Claudia”), the same forms are found in colloquial Italian and Catalan (cf. in Russian: “Yes, you Petru- That Tell").

Article location

In most languages, the article is placed before the noun that refers to it (the prepositive article). In Scandinavian languages, the article can be placed at the end of a word (postpositive article). Yes, in Swedish plans- plan, planet- airplane, the case of a double definite article is also possible, when both a separate article and an article at the end of the word are used ( det stora huset, big house). Several Balkan languages ​​also use the postpositive article, for example in Romanian consulul- consul, similarly in Macedonian and Bulgarian, e.g. shit, shit(tree).

Unlike the case forms of the Russian language, in the Bulgarian and Macedonian languages, if nouns have adjectives or numerals, then the definite article is placed only at the end of the first word and the rest agree only by gender and number. Examples: in Bulgarian firebox(ball) → back firebox that (behind the ball) firebox → km byala that firebox(to the white ball), golyama byala firebox → for golyam that firebox(about a big white ball); similar in Macedonian prvi movie → on prvi from film(first film). The indefinite article in these languages ​​is the words one/one/one(one/one/one), which are placed before a group of words: one wife(a certain woman), although a noun without an article is also indefinite. If necessary, emphasize uncertainty, use indefinite pronouns nothing(somebody), no way(some kind) nobody(someone's) whoa(anyone).

Pronominal adjectives

In some languages ​​derived from the hypothetical Baltoslavic language, e.g. Lithuanian, Old Church Slavonic, there is such a thing as pronominal adjectives (definite, member adjectives). Such adjectives are formed by adding to ordinary, simple adjectives, personal pronouns of the 3rd person, which form a single word with these adjectives; Moreover, when declining, usually both parts are declined, both the adjective itself and the pronoun. Such adjectives are used to distinguish an object from its peers, to emphasize the definiteness of this object, thus their use is approximately similar to the use of the definite article. Wed. Lithuanian:

• geras mokytojas- a good teacher, gerasis (geras+jis) mokytojas- the good teacher;
• aukšta mokykla(high school, i.e. school building), aukštoji (aukšta+ji) mokykla(higher school, i.e. university).

Pronominal adjectives are formed according to a similar principle in the Old and Church Slavonic languages:

• high house - high(high+i) home
• the river is deep - deep(deep+me) river

(In these examples, “and” and “ya” are ancient Slavic pronouns, corresponding to the modern “he”, “she”.)

The use of adjectives was similar. In particular, when translating to Slavic language from the Greek Bible and liturgical books, Greek phrases where an adjective is used with a member (i.e., an article) were usually conveyed by pronominal adjectives. However, in Church Slavonic this ratio is not always maintained. In modern Russian, although these forms have been preserved (short and full adjectives), however, they have largely lost the meaning of certainty-uncertainty and differ more from a stylistic point of view.

In addition to pronominal adjectives, pronominal pronouns are also found, although less frequently. Eg. in Lithuanian: jų(their), jųjų(also “theirs”, but with the meaning of certainty). In Russian, this corresponds to words such as “ikhniy”, “ikhnikh”, although they are considered colloquial.

Definite articles in Russian dialects

There have never been articles in literary Russian (except for the above-mentioned pronominal forms of adjectives). In some dialects and colloquial usage, however, such elements still occur. As a typical example, we can cite a fragment of one of the letters of Archpriest Avvakum:

“...And then, as you prayed in truth, close your eyes, and let your mind go through the air and the firmament and the ether to that Hope and His throne, and you yourself hit the ground, and lie down and don’t get up, crying: already “You will drag your mind from Christ out of heaven, as you will greatly offend your heart.”

It is easy to notice that a particle that agrees in gender and case with a noun "-That" acts here precisely as a definite postpositive article, completely analogous to the article in the Bulgarian language. However, the use of such an article did not go beyond colloquial speech and was optional; the same Avvakum uses it only sporadically in his texts. The particle “-to” in modern Russian is a trace of this article, which has ceased to change by gender, case and number.

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Articles are an important part of the English language. But unfortunately, this topic is not always clear to Russian-speaking students. Because such a phenomenon is absent in their native speech. The rules for using articles must be studied by a person who wants to competently use various means of the English language. And in some situations, small and seemingly insignificant articles even help to correctly understand the interlocutors.

What are articles and what are they?

An article is one that is inextricably linked with a noun. Your eigenvalue(translation into Russian) it does not have, but conveys only a grammatical meaning.

In English, the article does not indicate gender or case of nouns. In some cases it conveys the only thing, or, in general, it carries only the category of certainty-uncertainty. Based on this, there can be three situations with the article: its absence, indefinite and definite. Each of these three situations has its own specifics and its own rules.

The definite article was once formed from that. Therefore, in Russian you can often find the translation “this”, “these”, etc. Formally, this is not entirely true, because the function parts of speech have no translation, but in the case of the article, especially certain, this is often allowed. It's all about the special stylistic function that it can play in a sentence, pointing in a special way to objects and people.

The use of the article the will be the topic of this article. We'll consider various situations, let's give examples. There will be quite a lot of cases of use, but don’t be alarmed if you can’t understand everything at once, much less remember. As you become more and more immersed in the English language through constant study, you will understand this logic and will soon be able to easily determine which article is needed in each case.

The definite article before nouns

The classic case when it is necessary to use the article the before the name of an object (person, animal) is the latter.

1. The called noun is unique.

For example: the sun - the sun, the world - the world.

2. The noun is unique in a given situation.

Do you like the pie? − Did you like the pie?

3. This subject (person, animal) has already been mentioned in this conversation and therefore the interlocutors understand what (whom) we are talking about.

I've got a cat. Her name is Lucy, she’s very cute. May I take the cat with me? − I have a cat. Her name is Lucy, she is very sweet. Can I take my cat with me?

4. This article is also placed before proper names when you need to designate a whole family. For example: the Smiths.

The definite article before other parts of speech

Of course, the article the and any others are used only with nouns. Articles are not needed before other parts of speech. But it often happens that between the article and the associated noun there is a numeral or an adjective. We will consider such cases.

1. The definite article is always placed before ordinal numbers: the twentieth century − twentieth century.

2. The article the is also invariably placed before adjectives: the brightest star - the brightest star.

3. It is necessary to use the definite article when denoting a group of people united common feature: the young − youth.

Definite article with geographical names and concepts

With those concepts that in one way or another relate to geography, the article the is used especially often.

1. Cardinal directions: the East (East).

2. Names of individual countries: the Russian Federation.

3. Oceans, seas, rivers, waterfalls: the Indian Ocean.

4. Groups of islands, lakes, mountains: the Bahamas.

5. Deserts and plains: the Great Plains.

When using the article (or lack thereof) with geographical names, there are also many exceptions, so the most reliable option is simple memorization. And if you have any doubts, you should always look at the grammar reference book and clarify the question for a specific case.

The definite article in special cases

There are also a number of words that can serve as a modifier before a noun. These words are given in the table below.

You should always use the English article the with them. For example:

This is the very book I need! - This is exactly the book I need!

The last time I saw him was Friday − Last time I saw him on Friday.

The definite article is also required before words:

Definite article to enhance meaning

Separately, situations are highlighted when the article the carries a stylistic function. In these cases, it can be used before proper names, which under normal conditions remain without an article. This is best seen with an example. Compare two sentences: the first with the usual use of a proper name, and the second with a stylistic reinforcement of meaning.

This is Jack, always cheerful and generous! - This is Jack, always cheerful and generous!

This is the Jack I love most − cheerful and generous! - This is the same Jack whom I love most - cheerful and generous!

As is easy to see, there is something common in all cases of using the definite article: it is usually placed before words that carry a certain, specific, narrow, unique meaning. Remember this when you doubt the choice of a function word, and the reference book is not at hand.