6 RULES OF ARTICLES A, AN, THE | How to use articles in English CORRECTLY

Hi there, this is Harry, welcome back  to advanced English lessons with Harry,  

where we try to help you to get a much better  understanding of the English language. Helping  

you with all your vocabulary problems.  When and how to use adjectives, nouns,  

verbs, adverbs, whatever it may be.  And also with conversational English,  

business style English, wherever you  have a problem, we're here to help.

And in this advanced English lesson, we're  actually looking at articles. The articles a or a,  

an and the. And this is as a direct result of  requests from some of you, the students and  

the viewers. Now, just a little warning here, I am  not going into every little detail about articles  

because it would make the lesson far too long.  I'm going to cover the key points where students  

do have regular problems. So I'll cover those in  a lot of detail. And if you want more information  

about articles, well, then I would recommend a  very good grammar book. One of the grammar books  

that I use with students is Murphy's grammar  book. And it's really, really good. But what  

I'd also say is that I'm actually going to be  launching a new grammar course. And it's an all  

inclusive grammar course. And that will be coming  out very shortly. And of course, you'll be able to  

purchase and access that as well. Which will cover  things like articles and many, many other aspects.

Okay, so as you know, there are three articles.  Two indefinite and one definite, the. Indefinite  

articles are a or a and an. And we use an when  it is in front of a vowel or a vowel sound  

like an apple or an orange, okay. And then the  definite article, only one, the definite article,  

the. The or the depending on the pronunciation and  the situation and position when you use it. So a,  

an indefinite articles, the definite article.  Now, the reason why they cause problems for a  

lot of people is that they don't exist in their  own native tongue, just they're not there. And  

therefore, when you come to learn English, and  people are telling you, Oh, you must use the  

article, oh, you must use the article, then it  becomes very complicated. Even though they are  

the smallest words that we have. I mean, how much  smaller can get them one letter and two letters,  

the three letters, but they cause mountains  and mountains of problems. So we'll try and  

dispel some of the myths and we try and sort out  some of the problems that you might come across.

So let's look at the difference between a, an  and the. So if we take a general situation. So  

usually, when we mention something for the very  first time, we usually use the indefinite article.  

Let me give you an example. A man was standing  outside my house or outside my window.  

Okay, so the first time we mentioned him,  or her, if it's a woman, then we just say,  

a man was standing outside my house or outside  my window. Okay. And then the second time that  

you mentioned that person that you can then  refer to the definite article because the  

people know who you're talking about. So a man  was standing outside my home (outside my house,  

outside my window). The man was dressed in a  black coat. The man was wearing a woolly hat.  

The man was carrying a bag. So the first  time a man or a woman. The second time,  

the man, the woman. And the reason being  is then we have introduced the person,  

the individual, so everybody will then  know what you're talking about. Okay.

Let me give you another example. I went for lunch.  So I went to the cafe to get some lunch. I bought  

an apple. So a-n, an apple, and a sandwich. So  here's the first time that I've mentioned to  

you what I bought for lunch. I went to the cafe,  and I bought an apple and a sandwich. Yeah. Now,  

an apple. We're using a-n because  apple began begins with a vowel. Okay,  

so I bought an apple and a sandwich. Okay, now I  can say the apple was green. The apple was green,  

because now I'm talking specifically  about the apple that I bought. Not the  

rest of the apples in the shop, but the  apple that I bought. The apple was green,  

and the sandwich was a tuna sandwich  with chicken. Yeah, okay, so the apple  

was green. The sandwich was a tuna sandwich with  chicken or lettuce, whatever it might be. Okay,  

so first time again, when we're talking and  introducing the noun, or the topic, then we  

use a. And then the second time, we can switch to  the definite article because people then are aware  

and they know exactly what we're talking about.  So that's our first rule for you to understand.

Now, we also use the, okay, when there is  something that exists that is very common  

knowledge, meaning we would only expect to have  one of them. For example, if I was talking about  

my house, and I mentioned, I've got a hole in  the roof. I don't say got a hole in a roof,  

even though it's just the first time  I've mentioned it, because, of course,  

I got a house, but there's only one roof on the  house, you expect only to be one roof. So I said,  

I have a hole in the roof, I have to  get a man to come and fix it. Okay,  

so and when that man comes to fix it,  he will fix the hole in the roof. Okay.

So for example, I put my clothes into the washing  machine, and I went out into the garden. Now here,  

it's just the first time that I've mentioned,  washing machine and garden, but I don't say I  

put my clothes into a washing machine because  you assume there's only one washing machine  

in the house. I put my clothes into the washing  machine, and I went... went out into the garden.  

Sat down and had a cup of coffee. Again, I don't  say a garden because you assume there's only one  

garden attached to the house where you're living.  Okay, so it's just to be very careful when you're  

talking about something where the existence of  something is very common knowledge like one roof,  

one garden, one washing machine, then we can  automatically use the article, the. Okay.

Now, let me give you another couple of  examples. If we're talking in general terms  

about something. Let's talk about animals.  And my favourite animal are elephants. Okay,  

so when I'm talking generally I can say elephants  are my favourite animal. Okay. I like the size,  

like the colour. I like the way they behave. So  elephants are my favourite animal. I don't say  

the elephants are my favourite animal because I'm  not being specific. I'm only being general. But  

if I want them to talk about specifically,  elephants in my zoo, or the zoo in my city,  

then I will say, The elephants in my zoo are very  old. Or the elephants in my zoo run around in a  

very large compound instead of cages because  they've expanded the zoo. So I can talk very,  

very specifically about the elephants that are  there in the zoo in my city. Okay, so initially,  

elephants - generally. Elephants are my favourite  animals. And then I can say specifically,  

the elephants in the zoo in my city  where I live have a lot of freedom,  

and they can run wander around a big prairie  because they've extended the zoo. Okay.

And then again, if we're talking about, let's  say, favourite flowers. I can say roses are my  

favourite flowers because they've got beautiful  colours. And you've got reds and pinks, and  

yellows, and lots and lots of things like that.  So roses are my favourite flower. But if I want  

to talk about flowers in my garden, I can say,  but the roses in my garden are mostly pink. So  

roses are my favourite flowers because they come  in many, many different colours. But the roses in  

my garden are only mainly pink. Okay, so you can  see the difference there. When I talk generally,  

I just say elephants. When I talk generally,  I talk roses. When I talk more specifically,  

the elephants in my zoo, the  roses in my garden. Alright.

Now, one of the problems that  students have a lot of the time  

and I'm constantly correcting them is  when we use certain words and then not  

quite sure whether it comes with or without  the article. And these are words like bed,  

church, school, university, hospital, prison,  college, all those type of words and when do  

I use the and when do I not use it? Okay,  so, normally no article is used before bed,  

church, court etc. when they are used for their  primary purpose. So let me give an example.

I go to bed every night at 10 o'clock.  I don't say I go to the bed every night  

at 10 o'clock. Where is Michael? He is  in bed. Yeah, yeah. Where is Jonathan?  

He just got out... out of bed. Okay, so we're  not saying got out of the bed, is in the bed,  

I don't go to the bed. So we don't use "the"  when we're using... referring to that noun "bed."

And when we're talking about specific words, as  I said, like court, church, university, school,  

hospital. When they are used for the primary  purpose, meaning the person who should be there  

is there, then we don't use the article. So let  me give you examples of those just so you'll  

understand fully. My children go to school  every day. So the children normally spend the  

time in school. So the children go to school  every day. We don't need to use the article.  

My friend isn't... is sick and  is in hospital. So sick people  

usually spend the time in hospital. So  my friend is sick and is in hospital.  

I go to church on Sundays. Religious people or  people who are following their religion tend to  

go to church on a Saturday or Sunday, depending  on their religion. So I go to church on Sundays.  

My son is 20 and is studying economics  in university. I don't say the university  

because students who study spend  the time in universities, okay.

Now, these are where people you'd expect to  see them. So expect to see churchgoers in  

church. You'd expect to see kids in school. You'd  expect to see university students in university.  

You'd expect to see prisoners in prison, etc.  Okay. But if people are not normally there,  

then we usually use the article the. So let me  give you a few examples of those. I went to the  

school to attend a parent teacher meeting. They  went to the school to attend the parent teachers  

meeting. I'm a parent, I'm not normally at that  school. So I went to the school for the meeting.  

I visited my friend in the hospital  because she was sick. I visited my  

friend in the hospital because she  was sick. I'm not usually there,  

because at the moment, I am well, but I went to  the hospital to visit my friend who was sick.  

When I go to new cities, I like to visit the  churches in that city. Okay, I like to see what  

they're how they're made, how they're designed,  in what architecture. So I'm not normally in that  

city, I'm not a priest, so I go to those churches.  So I visit the churches in that city, just to take  

photographs or just to see what they're like and  what the architect architecture is like. There  

was a ceremony in the university for the graduate.  So I attended the ceremony because I'm a parent of  

one of the graduates. So I don't normally go to  the university, but I went that particular day,  

because there was a ceremony to hand out the  parchments to graduates. Okay, so there was a  

ceremony at the university in the city, and I went  there, okay. So that's the difference. So when  

people who are normally expected to be in those  institutions, church, university, school, prison,  

hospital, then we don't usually use the article  the. But when people who go to these places or  

these institutions to visit or for business  purposes, then we use the article the. Okay,  

so that's a big difference and something  you really have to work on and understand.

Now, articles are not needed, when we're talking  about more abstract expressions, for example,  

sea or work or town. So we can say he is at sea,  not at the sea. He is at work or out of work, not  

the work. Or he or she is in town or out of town,  not in the town, or out of the town. So in those  

particular particular situations when we're using  talking about abstract expressions that we don't  

need to use the article the. But English wouldn't  be English without exceptions. And there's one  

exception I mention, it's about office. Okay.  So when you go to work, you go to the office.  

Where is Jonathan today? Ah, he's working in the  office today. He'll be working at home tomorrow.  

He went to the office at six o'clock this morning  because he has a lot of work to do. So when we're  

talking about office, a place where you work,  then we use the article the. Now, office also has  

a different meaning. So when there's an election  in your city or your country, and you will elect  

a new government, the government are in office  for a period of time, like four years or five  

years. Office here is a ceremonial position that  they have, it's not actually a place. So they are  

in office, because it's ceremonial. They have  been appointed or elected by the people. So we  

don't need to use an article there because it  has a very different meaning. But when we're  

talking about your place of employment, what is  the office like where you work? Is it modern? Is  

it old? Is it open plan? Is it cellular offices,  whatever it happens to be, then we can talk about  

the. The office where I work is full of glass. The  office where I work, is a old Victorian building,  

okay. So we can use the article "the"  in that situation. But when I'm talking  

about the government, the government has been in  office for four years, they have 12 months left,  

and then there will be another election or a new  election. Okay. So hopefully, you get a different  

the understanding of the difference there. And  the exception to those abstract expressions.

Now, when we're talking about nouns, in  particular, you've probably come across and you  

understand the difference between countable and  uncountable nouns. Okay, so just to remind you,  

countable nouns are those nouns that can be  used in the singular and the plural. Like,  

apple - apples. Car - cars. Orange  -oranges, okay? And uncountable nouns  

are usually those nouns that don't have  a plural form for example, information.,  

advice, salt, water, bread, okay? So they  don't usually have a plural forms. It's not  

informations. It's not advices. It's not salts,  bread... breads or waters. It's salt, bread,  

water, okay. Now, so when we're using countable  or uncountable nouns, it's important to understand  

the rules for articles, okay? A countable noun  always takes either a or the, okay. So, an apple.  

Like an apple a day keeps the doctor away. Or  the... the apple I bought in the shop was red.  

The apple I bought in the shop was bruised or  damaged. Okay, so we're using a or the depending,  

you know, the apples in the bag weighed two  kilos, so we want to use plural, then we use the.

If we're using uncountable nouns, they don't  take the indefinite article. We can't refer to  

a or an information or, a or an advice. Okay,  so we can talk about the information I gave  

you. Yeah, the advice that I gave you or the piece  of information or the piece of advice I gave you,  

but we don't use a. Okay, so they're examples  of the countable and uncountable nouns,  

how you use them and how you  differentiate between a, an and the.

And remember, I haven't given you a totally  inclusive definition of the article because  

there's a lot to go through. But you will find  much more information in a really good grammar  

book as I mentioned, Murphy's. And I am launching  and publishing a new grammar course in the very  

near future, so you'll get all the details  about other aspects of how to use a, an and the.

And if you have liked this particular lesson, then  please like the video and if you can subscribe  

to the channel, because it really really  helps. And if you need more information,  

more help more guidance and contact me on  www.englishlessonviaskype.com Really happy to  

help you really happy to include your suggestions,  as I've done today, in a future video. Okay, this  

is Harry, thank you for watching and listening,  and remember to join me for the next lesson.