Articles / Nouns

Nouns
Refer to
People, animals, things, material,
situations, etc.

They can be countable or uncountable.

 Countable Nouns
Can be counted – one pen, two pens
 Countable Nouns
They have singular and plural forms – box / boxes
 Countable Nouns
They have singular and plural forms –
whale / whales
 Countable Nouns
They have singular and plural forms – man /
men
 Uncountable Nouns
 Cannot be counted.
 They only have singular form.
milk, water, butter, wood, glass, money, time
 Uncountable Nouns
To define the quantity of uncountable nouns we can use words such
as:
Bottle, piece, loaf, slice, carton, cup...
A carton of milk, a slice of bread, a cup of tea...
 Articles
The Indefinite article a/an

The Definite Article the

Articles – The Indefinite Article a/an

We use a/an:
1. Before singular countable nouns
A pen, an apple, a box, a milk
I have ______ bag of rice.
I have a bag of rice.
 Articles – The Indefinite Article a/an

We use a/an:
2. When we speak about something that is not
specific.
There is a man at the door.
I saw ____ boy running in the
street.
I saw a boy running in the street.
 Articles – The Indefinite Article a/an

We use a/an:
3. For professions.
He is a teacher.
She is _____ doctor.
She is a doctor.
 Articles – The Indefinite Article a/an

The indefinite article ‘an’ is used before

words beginning with a vowel sound (A,
E, I, O, U) – an umbrella
 Articles – The Definite Article the

We use the definite article the

1. Before uncountable nouns (the milk, the bread)
and before countable nouns, both in the singular
and in the plural (the pen, the pens, the box, the
boxes.)
Can you please bring me ____ red
plate?
Can you please bring me the red
plate?
 Articles – The Definite Article the

We use the definite article the before:

2. Something specific or unique.

The man at the door is my father.
____ topic we are discussing is
very interesting.
The topic we are discussing is very
interesting.
 Articles – The Definite
Article the
We use the definite article the before:
3. Names of seas, oceans, rivers, deserts.
The Mediterranean (Sea), the Atlantic (Ocean), The
Amazon (River), the Sahara (Desert)
The Nicobar Islands are an
archipelagic island chain in _____
Indian Ocean.
The Nicobar Islands are an
archipelagic island chain in the
Indian Ocean.
 Articles – The Definite
Article the
We use the definite article the before:
4. Groups of islands, mountain ranges, and
countries in the plural.
The Canary Islands, the Himalayas, the USA
_____ Netherlands, a country in
northwestern Europe, is known
for a flat landscape of canals, tulip
fields, windmills and cycling
routes.
The Netherlands, a country in
northwestern Europe, is known
for a flat landscape of canals, tulip
fields, windmills and cycling
routes.
 Articles – The Definite Article the

We use the definite article the before:

5. People’s surnames (when we refer to the
whole family).
The Smiths
Have you seen _____ Johnsons
recently?
Have you seen the Johnsons
recently?
 Articles – The Definite Article the
We use the definite article the before
6. Nationalities (when we refer to the whole
nation or a group of people of the same nation).
The Greeks, The British, The Taiwanese
I hope Jeff invited ____ Italians.
I hope Jeff invited the Italians.
 Articles – The Definite Article the

We use the definite article the before:

7. Musical instruments(with the verb play).
He plays the piano.
Joe plays _____ guitar really well.
Joe plays the guitar really well.
 Articles – The Definite Article the
We use the definite article the before:

8. Names of hotels, cinemas, newspapers

The Hilton Hotel, The Rex Cinema,
The Times
We went to ______ Great Plaza
Hotel.
We went to the Great Plaza Hotel.
Articles – The Definite Article the

We use the definite article the before:

9. The cardinal points.

In the east.
Seattle is to _____ north of San
Francisco.
Seattle is to the north of San
Francisco.
 Articles – The Definite Article the

We use the definite article the before:

10. The superlative form of adjectives and adverbs.

Tom is the tallest boy in this class.
He is _____ shortest player in the
team.
He is the shortest player in the
team.
 Articles – The Definite Article the
We don’t use the definite article the before:
Names of people, cities, islands, lakes, country, streets,
continents.
That’s Jerry. He comes from Taiwan.
That’s Melody. She comes from the Spain.
Articles – The Definite Article the
We don’t use the definite article the before:
School subjects or sports.
History is interesting.
We love the football.
Articles – The Definite Article the

We don’t use the definite article the before

The words breakfast, lunch, dinner.
We have lunch at 1:30
 Articles – The Definite Article the

We don’t use the definite article the before

Uncountable nouns and plural countable nouns,
when we talk about something in general.
I like coffee.
____ cats like milk.
Cats like milk.