Article

Usually the grammatical errors I made in my writings are about the "a", "an" and "the". It was confusing to me when or when not to use them. Therefore, I did some study on article and summarized some notes.

First, I would like to talk about the definition of article. It is a word that combines with a noun to indicate the type of reference being made by the noun.

There are generally 2 types of articles.

definite article: The

The definite article is used before singular and plural nouns when the noun is particular or specific. The signals that the noun is definite, that it refers to a particular member of a group.

Indefinite Articles: a and an

A and an signal that the noun modified is indefinite, referring to any member of a group. These indefinite articles are used with singular nouns when the noun is general; the corresponding indefinite quantity word some is used for plural general nouns.

For me, the indefinite articles I can use correctly. However, sometimes I am confused about the usage of the.

Thus, I list down when and when not to use the:

not used with noncountable nouns referring to something in a general sense:

[no article] Coffee is a popular drink.
[no article] Japanese was his native language.
[no article] Intelligence is difficult to quantify.

is used when a noun refers to something unique:

the White House
the theory of relativity
the 1999 federal budget

Do not use the before:

• names of countries (Italy, Mexico, Bolivia) except the Netherlands and the US
• names of cities, towns, or states (Seoul, Manitoba, Miami)
• names of streets (Washington Blvd., Main St.)
• names of lakes and bays (Lake Titicaca, Lake Erie) except with a group of lakes like the Great Lakes
• 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

Do use the before:

• names of rivers, oceans and seas (the Nile, the Pacific)
• points on the globe (the Equator, the North Pole)
• geographical areas (the Middle East, the West)
• deserts, forests, gulfs, and peninsulas (the Sahara, the Persian Gulf, the Black Forest, the Iberian Peninsula)

The following is an exercise that i have done.

1. I want __an__ apple from that basket.

2. __The__ church on the corner is progressive.

3. Miss Lin speaks ____ Chinese.

4. I borrowed __a__ pencil from your pile of pencils and pens.

5. One of the students said, "__The__ professor is late today."

6 Eli likes to play ____ volleyball.

7. I bought __an__ umbrella to go out in the rain.

8. My daughter is learning to play __the__ violin at her school.

9. Please give me __the__ cake that is on the counter.

10. I lived on ____ Main Street when I first came to town.

11. Albany is the capital of ____ New York State.

12. My husband's family speaks ____ Polish.

13. __An__ apple a day keeps the doctor away.

14. __The__ ink in my pen is red.

15. Our neighbors have __a__ cat and __a__ dog.