Articles: A, An & The

Form

English has three articles: a, an and the. Use a or an when the noun is one of many and the listener does not yet know which one you mean (I need a pen); use the when the listener can pin it down exactly (Please close the door). Whether you write a or an depends on the sound the next word starts with, not the letter (a university, an hour). A singular countable noun almost always needs an article or another determiner in front of it, so "It was busy time" is missing one — but plural and uncountable nouns meant in general take no article at all (Dogs are loyal; Honesty matters).

When to Use It

• Use a or an to introduce something for the first time, or to say what kind of thing it is, as in 'I read an article about composting.'
• Use a or an before a job or role, because it sorts the person into a group rather than pointing at one particular person, as in 'She works as a nurse.'
• Switch to the once the listener knows which one you mean — usually on the second mention, as in 'I bought a shirt, but the shirt was too small.'
• Use the when only one thing can fit, which is why superlatives and phrases like 'the first' or 'the next' pull it in, as in 'Bringing your own bag is the easiest change you can make.'
• Use no article for plural and uncountable nouns meant in general, and for languages, sports and meals, as in 'She speaks Italian and plays tennis.'
• Drop the article from go to school, go to work, go to bed and in prison when you mean the routine rather than the building, as in 'My son goes to school every morning.'

Signal Words

Common Mistakes

• Leaving a singular countable noun bare: write 'It was a busy time', not 'It was busy time' — a singular countable noun needs an article or another determiner.
• Choosing a or an by the letter instead of the sound: write 'an hour' and 'a university', because the h in hour is silent and university starts with a y sound.
• Adding the to a general plural or uncountable noun: write 'Dogs are loyal' and 'Honesty matters', not 'The dogs are loyal', when you mean them in general.
• Adding the to a city or country name that does not take one: write 'I work in Madrid' and 'She lives in Canada' — only a few names such as the United States and the Netherlands keep it.
• Treating hospital like school in American English: a patient is 'in the hospital', even though 'in school' and 'in prison' still take no article.