Grammar
Articles for general and specific meaning
Compare these two notices: Bikes are not allowed in the hall. The bikes outside the hall belong to the staff. The first sentence gives a rule about bikes as a class. The second points to one visible group.
Choose a, an, the, or no article by deciding whether a noun means one new example, an identified instance, or a class or substance in general.
Read and practice
Read the examples and try the written questions in this guide. Listening recordings are not available for this lesson yet.
Try the written questions
The rice in the blue bowl is still warm. /ə raɪs ɪn ə bluː boʊl ɪz stɪl wɔːrm/
The short answer
Use a or an for one non-specific countable example. Use the when the listener can identify the person, thing, group, or amount. Use no article when plural or uncountable nouns refer to a class or substance in general.
A customer asked for help. The customer was standing near the entrance. Customers often ask for help there.
Why it works: A customer introduces one person, the customer refers back to that person, and customers describes people of that kind generally.
5 more examples
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A child left a coat in the waiting room.
Both nouns introduce one non-specific countable example. The listener does not yet know which child or coat is meant.
Not this:
The coathas a name tag inside. What changes: The coat refers to the coat introduced in the previous sentence. -
Dogs need regular exercise.
The plural noun refers to dogs as a class, so it has no article.
Not this:
The dogsin this apartment need a walk. What changes: In this apartment identifies a particular group of dogs. -
Rice is easy to store.
Rice is an uncountable substance with a general meaning here, so it has no article.
Not this:
The ricein the blue bowl is still warm. What changes: In the blue bowl identifies a particular amount of rice. -
We need a meeting before Friday.
The speaker asks for one meeting but has not identified a particular meeting yet.
Not this:
The meetingat 10:00 is in Room 4. What changes: At 10:00 identifies the planned meeting. -
An orange contains vitamin C.
One orange is used as a representative example of the class. An is chosen because orange begins with a vowel sound.
Not this:
The orangein my bag is for lunch. What changes: In my bag identifies one particular orange.
Read the full guide
Do not choose an article from the noun alone. The same noun can take different articles as the situation changes. Tea can mean the drink in general, a tea can mean one serving, and the tea can mean the drink on a particular table. First decide what the listener should understand about the reference. Then choose the article that gives that signal.
Start with the listener's view
Before choosing an article, imagine what the listener knows. Are you introducing something for the first time? Can the listener identify it from the room, the conversation, or a phrase after the noun? Or are you making a broad statement about a class, substance, or idea? These questions are more useful than a list of isolated noun rules.
Please pass me the salt.
The salt is identifiable from the shared table situation. The speaker does not mean any salt anywhere.
In a restaurant, why can a speaker say 'the menu' even before mentioning a menu?
The restaurant situation makes one menu relevant and identifiable to both people.
Introduce one example with a or an
Use a or an when you introduce one singular countable member of a group and the exact member is not important yet. A job, an answer, and a neighbor all name one example. Choose a or an by sound after you have made the meaning decision.
I saw a useful notice by the elevator.
The notice is one new countable thing. Useful begins with a /j/ sound, so a is used.
She gave an honest answer.
Honest begins with a vowel sound because the h is silent. The answer is still one non-specific example.
Use the when the instance is identified
Use the when the listener can work out exactly which noun you mean. Identification can come from an earlier sentence, something both people can see, a shared plan, or a phrase that narrows the meaning. The noun does not need to be singular; the can identify a group or an amount too.
I downloaded a report. The report explains the new policy.
The second sentence points back to the report already introduced.
The water near the door is leaking through the roof.
Near the door identifies a particular amount of water, even though water is uncountable.
Use no article for a general class or substance
Plural countable nouns often have no article when they refer to a class in general. Uncountable nouns often have no article when they name a substance, activity, or idea generally. The sentence is about the kind of thing, not a limited set or amount.
Public libraries provide access to information.
Public libraries and information have broad meanings here. The sentence does not point to one known group of libraries or one particular set of facts.
Which sentence has a general meaning: 'Advice can be helpful' or 'The advice in her email was helpful'?
Advice can be helpful is general. The phrase in her email makes the advice particular, so the is needed in the second sentence.
Follow a noun through a short text
Articles often change as a text develops. A speaker may introduce one thing with a or an, refer to it again with the, and then make a general statement with a plural noun and no article. Follow the reference from sentence to sentence instead of choosing each article separately.
A cyclist stopped outside. The cyclist asked for directions. Cyclists often use this route.
A cyclist introduces one person. The cyclist refers back to that person. Cyclists widens the meaning to cyclists as a class.
We ordered soup. The soup arrived quickly.
Soup is a substance in the first sentence. The second sentence identifies the soup that the speakers ordered.
Check whether the meaning has changed
Some nouns can be general, particular, or countable in different situations. Do not assume one article always belongs to one noun. Ask what the noun means in this sentence. A food or drink word may refer to a substance, one serving, or a particular portion.
Tea is popular after dinner.
Tea means the drink generally, so it has no article.
Could I have a tea, please?
A tea means one serving. The noun is countable in this ordering context.
What does the mean in 'The tea on the tray is mine'?
The phrase on the tray identifies a particular serving or amount of tea.
Before you go
Remember this
Ask what reference you want to create. Use a or an to introduce one non-specific countable example. Use the for an identified person, thing, group, or amount. Use no article for many plural classes and uncountable substances or ideas in general. Check the surrounding sentence, because a noun can change article when its meaning or context changes.
Practice with the written examples
You can practice with the written questions in the Learn tab. Each answer includes an explanation.
Try the written questionsListening test not available yet
This lesson does not have the recordings needed for a listening test. Use the written questions in the guide to check your understanding.
Try the written questionsQuestions about "Articles for general and specific meaning"
How do I know whether a noun has a general meaning?
A noun has a general meaning when you mean the class, substance, activity, or idea as a whole, not one limited example. Cars need fuel refers to cars as a class. Milk contains calcium refers to the substance generally.
A child left a coat in the waiting room.
Can I use the with plural and uncountable nouns?
Yes. Use the when the listener can identify the particular group or amount. The students in my class is a known group, and the coffee in this cup is a particular amount.
The coat has a name tag inside.
Why can the same noun have different articles?
The article changes when the reference changes. I need a map means any suitable map. The map on the counter means one identified map. Maps are useful when traveling makes a general statement.
Dogs need regular exercise.
When does a drink word use a or an?
A drink word can become countable when it means one serving. Could I have a juice? asks for one serving. Juice is healthy refers to the drink generally, while the juice in the glass identifies a particular amount.
The dogs in this apartment need a walk.
Do I always use the when I mention a noun for the second time?
Often, because the listener can identify the noun from the earlier mention. However, choose from the meaning of the new sentence. If you move from one item to a whole class, use the form for a general meaning instead.
Rice is easy to store.