THE OPEN

UNIVERSITY
The first lecture
The Article

By : Wisal Assadiq
Lecture contents
1 What is the article ?

2 Why we use the article ?

3 Types of the article

4 How can use the article ?

5 Examples

6 Practice

7 Quis

8 Home work

Ms. Wisal
What is the article ?
Articles identify whether a noun is definite (specific or particular) or
indefinite (general or unspecific). For this reason, articles are divided
into two categories: the definite article, the, and the indefinite articles, a
and an.

Why we use the article?

We use articles to differentiate between definite and
indefinite things
Types of articles

We use two types of articles :

1- Definite articl ( THE )

The definite article the is used to identify a specific person, place, or

thing.

2- Indefinite article ( A/AN )

A and an, on the other hand, are used to identify a person or thing that
is unspecific or generic—the speaker is not referring to someone or
something in particular, or the person or thing may not be specifically
known to the speaker.
How can use the article ?
Section
Using a and an : Section
1- use with singular words .
2- use with indefinite things .
3- use with countable words .

NOTE :
A and AN come before nouns or adjectives

You can You

describe the topicthe
can describe of topic of
the section
thehere You can describe the topic of
section here
A and AN
How to use the indefinite articles a vs. an ?
The two indefinite articles in English are a and an. The indefinite article an is
used to make pronunciation easier when reading a text aloud. The general rule is
to use a when the indefinite article precedes a word beginning with a consonant
sound and an when it precedes a word starting with a vowel sound.

1 Use a when the indefinite article comes before a word beginning with a
consonant sound:
a toy
a book
a house

2 Use an when the indefinite article comes before a word beginning with a
vowel sound:
an operation
an idea
an apple
Use ( THE )

We use the definite article "the" in English when we are referring to a

specific noun that has already been mentioned or is known to both the
speaker and the listener. It is used to indicate that there is only one
particular thing or person being referred to.
like
1- Something mentioned above
2- Something that is famous among people (such as famous landmarks)
3- Something to be referred to
Use "the" in those specific situations:

1- Something mentioned above: When we mention a certain noun earlier in conversation or in a written
text, we can refer back to it using "the." For example, "I have a dog. The dog is brown." Here, "the" is
used because we are referring back to the specific dog mentioned earlier.

2- Something that is famous among people: When we talk about famous landmarks, monuments, or
unique structures that are well-known to a majority of people, we use "the." For instance, "I visited the
Eiffel Tower in Paris." Since the Eiffel Tower is a famous and well-known landmark, we use "the" before
its name.

3- Something to be referred to: When we use "the" in this context, it is often to refer to a specific group
or category, rather than a particular object. For example, "The environment is important for our
survival." Here, "the" is used because we are talking about the general concept of the environment, not
any specific environment.

Remember, it's important to consider context and whether the noun is specific, known, or general
when deciding whether to use "the." I hope that clarifies it for you! Let me know if you have any more
questions.
Do not use the before:
• names of most countries/territories: Italy,
Mexico, Bolivia; Do use the before:
however, the Netherlands, the Dominican • names of rivers, oceans and
Republic, the Philippines, the United States seas: the Nile, the Pacific
• names of cities, towns, or states: Seoul, • points on the globe: the Equator, the North
Manitoba, Miami Pole
• names of streets: Washington Blvd., Main St. • geographical areas: the Middle East, the West
• names of lakes and bays: Lake Titicaca, Lake • deserts, forests, gulfs, and
Erie except with a group of lakes like the Great peninsulas: the Sahara, the Persian
Lakes Gulf, the Black Forest, the Iberian Peninsula
• names of mountains: Mount Everest, Mount
Fuji except with ranges of mountains
like the Andes or the Rockies or unusual names
like the Matterhorn
• names of continents (Asia, Europe)
• names of islands (Easter Island, Maui, Key
West) except with island chains
like the Aleutians, the Hebrides, or the Canary
Islands
Text
A man from California was spending a month in Britain.
One day he booked into a hotel in Cheltenham, a nice
old town in the West of England. Then he went out to
look around the place. But the man didn't return to the
hotel. He disappeared, leaving a suitcase full of clothes
behind. The police were called in, but they were unable
to find out what had happened to the missing tourist. It
was a mystery. But two weeks later the man walked into
the police station in Cheltenham. He explained that he
was very sorry, but while walking around the town, he
had got lost. He had also forgotten the name of the
hotel he had booked into. So he had decided to
continue with his tour of the country and had gone to
visit a friend in Scotland before returning to pick up the
case he had left behind
The explanation
 Examples :
•
1. I'm a good boy.
She's having an umbrella.
2. He's a topper. •She's an introvert.
3. He was really a genius guy. •He's not an extrovert.
4. He wasn't a mad. •I'm eating an apple.
5. She is a painter. •She's eating an egg daily.
6. She is baking a cake. •She's going to fly an aeroplane.
7. She's preparing a speech. •An elephant is such a huge animal.
8. They are going to buy a bugatti. •She's not eating an orange.
9. He's owning a BMW car. •She's an elegant girl.
10.She's a princess. •She's an intelligent girl.
Examples :

1. The Ganges is such a big river.

2. The United States is a big country.
3. I could tell you to meet me at the top of the Empire State Building.
4. The Rashtrapati Bhawan is situated in New Delhi.
5. The Sasan Gir is situated in Gujarat.
6. The Nile is the longest river.
7. I read the Times of India.
8. I am eating the apple that you have brought.
9. I am eating the pear that you have brought.
10. Jawaharlal Nehru was the first prime minister of India.
Practice :
Activity 1
Accurately introduce the following nouns using a, an, or no article.
1. I have __ pet beetle. His name is Bubba.
2. I am really craving __ milk right now.
3. I made __ new friend today.
4. __ San José State University is great!

Activity 2
Accurately introduce the following nouns with a, an, the, or no article.
1. I could really use __ sandwich right now.
2. I always add __ sugar and __ milk.
3. If I add __ sugar and __ milk, then I have __ best cup of coffee I could
ask for.
4. I have __ pencil in my hand, and __ pencil is blue.
5. I go to __ school in San José. __ school is San José State University.
6. I am taking __ exam right now. __ exam is quizzing me on articles.
7. There are three articles in English. __ articles are a, an, and the.
Answer Key
Answer Key for Activity 1
1. I have a pet beetle. His name is Bubba.
2. I am really craving milk right now.
3. I made a new friend today.
4. San José State University is great!

Answer Key for Activity 2

1. I could really use a sandwich right now.
2. I always add sugar and milk.
3. If I add sugar and milk, then I have the best cup of coffee I could ask for.
4. I have a pencil in my hand, and the pencil is blue.
5. I go to a school in San José. The school is called San José State University.
6. I am taking an exam right now. The exam is quizzing me on articles.
7. There are three articles in English. The articles are a, an, and the.
 Quiz

Put ( the ) or (a/an ) .

1- I want -------- cheeseburger. (It could be any cheeseburger.)

2- I could use ------- apple. (It could be any apple.)
3- I need --------- notes that I wrote in class! (The speaker is talking
about specific notes.)
4- This is ---------- best photo
5- My sister is ---------- secretary.
6- I have ------- pen in my hand.
Home Work

1- She is ----- actor

2- My friend is ------- Muslim
3- A dozen people attended Prices It is $5 --------- kilo
4- 45km --------- hour
5- He is ---------- Australian citizen
6- I was happy to see ------- policeman who saved my cat
7- Today , ------- sun is too hot
THE OPEN
UNIVERSITY
The first lecture
By : Wisal Assadiq

I wish you good luck