Articles in English: A Comprehensive Guide

This page provides an in-depth explanation of how to use articles in English, focusing on the ćwiczenia of a/an and the. It covers the fundamental rules for using these articles and when to omit them.

Definition: Articles are words that define a noun as specific or unspecific. In English, there are three articles: a, an, and the.

Using A/AN

The article a/an is used before singular countable nouns in the following situations:

1. When mentioning something for the first time:

   Example: Have you got a cat?

2. When talking about someone's profession:

   Example: She's a journalist.

Highlight: The choice between 'a' and 'an' depends on the sound that follows. Use 'an' before vowel sounds and 'a' before consonant sounds.

Using THE

The article the is used in the following contexts:

1. When the listener is aware of what is being referred to:

   Example: I like the shape of this armchair.

2. When mentioning something for a subsequent time:

   Example: I'm wearing a silk tie. The silk tie looks incredible.

3. Before superlative adjectives:

   Example: The most modest.

4. Before ordinal numbers:

   Example: The third.

5. Before names of historical epochs:

   Example: The 1920s.

6. Before names of water bodies (except lakes):

   Example: The Pacific.

Vocabulary: Superlative adjectives are used to describe an object which is at the upper or lower limit of a quality (e.g., the tallest, the smallest).

Exceptions

There are some exceptions to the general rules:

• The is used with certain country names:

  Example: The United Kingdom, The USA, The Netherlands.

Highlight: These exceptions are important to memorize as they don't follow the general rules for country names.