Articles in English - Learn What It Is, Definition, Types, Uses and Examples

1. I have finished reading _____ book you lent me.

2. Hari is planning to buy ____ new car.

3. He has been waiting for ___ hour.

Check your answers.

1. Have you watched the new movie?

2. I have never used a computer.

3. Do you know the multiplication tables?

4. Sandra brought an apple.

5. Madhu has a teddy bear.

6. The chairs are all broken.

7. The janitor asked the students to walk carefully as the floor was wet.

8. I have finished reading the book you lent me.

9. Hari is planning to buy a new car.

10. He has been waiting for an hour.

Frequently Asked Questions on Articles in English Grammar
Q1
What is an article?
An article is a short monosyllabic word that is used to define if the noun is specific or not. Articles are normally used before nouns and since they are used to speak about the noun, they can be considered as adjectives.

Q2
What is the definition of an article?
An article, according to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, is defined as “any of a small set of words or affixes (such as a, an, and the) used with nouns to limit or give definiteness to the application.” According to the Collins Dictionary, “an article is a kind of determiner. In English, ‘a’ and ‘an’ are called the indefinite article, and ‘the’ is called the definite article.” The Macmillan Dictionary defines an article as “a type of determiner (=word used before a noun) that shows whether you are referring to a particular thing or to a general example of something. The indefinite article is ‘a’ or ‘an’ and the definite article is ‘the’.”

Q3
What are the types of articles?
There are two types of articles in English and they are:

Definite Article
Indefinite Article
Q4
What is a definite article?
A definite article is used to determine something that is specific or particular. It is also used before plural nouns and to indicate the superlative degree of comparison. The article ‘the’ is the only definite article.

Q5
What is an indefinite article?
An indefinite article, as the name suggests, is used to indicate something that is not definite or specific. It can also be used before singular nouns. The articles ‘an’ and ‘an’ are termed as indefinite articles.

Q6
Give some examples of articles.
Here are a few examples to show you how articles can be used in sentences.

Keren found a puppy on the road.
The parents have been asked to attend a meeting tomorrow.
The committee has decided to bring down the fuel rates.
The English teacher is absent today.
I saw a bird sitting on the tree in front of my house.
Q7
Why is it ‘a university’ and not ‘an university’?
The article ‘a’ is used before university because it does not have a vowel sound but a consonant sound ‘yu’ in the beginning.

Q8
Why is it ‘an MBA’ and not ‘a MBA’?
This is because the word ‘MBA’ starts with ‘m’ which is pronounced with a vowel sound
(em) in the beginning