How to use the article in English

One of the topics most challenging for language learners is the article in English. The complexity of understanding this topic for a Russian-speaking person is that in our language there are neither articles, nor analogous parts of speech. Sometimes it happens that a person who begins to learn English is almost impossible to explain from the standpoint of logic, what is an article, and when it should be used. Therefore, those who want to learn English, have to remember many cases of use of articles. However, this is not as difficult as it seems.

Consider the vague articles in English. This is a and an, before the vowels and consonant letters. According to one version, indefinite articles in English originated from the word "one", which means "one". It is not known exactly how this version is close to the truth. However, with its help it is enough to simply remember the main cases of using indefinite articles. The most general rule, in fact, there is one: an indefinite article can be safely put where it is easy to write the word "one", "any", "some", that is, with all nouns that are in the sentence in the singular. For example, a donkey is a donkey, a telephone is a phone, and dream is a dream. Or an armchair is an armchair, an hour is an hour. But this is not all that you need to know in order to properly use this insidious part of speech, which causes so many difficulties.

So, let's consider in more detail how to correctly use articles in English. The rules are as follows:

1) Uncertain articles should be used if the subject appears in the conversation for the first time and the interlocutor still does not know anything about the subject:

A book is so interesting - The book is so interesting (Some kind of book that a person has not read yet).

2) If something is considered as one of a number of similar ones, for example, if we mean that a person works in one of many small shops, on One of many plants or lives in one of the small towns:

I do not like living in the city (In one of the small towns).

3) If we speak of the subject as a representative of the whole class, for example:

A squirrel is a sweet animal - Squirrel - a sweet animal (As one of the cute animals).

4) After the words quite, such, rather, what (but only in exclamation sentences), and also after the turnover there + to be, which stand before the countable nouns (uncountable nouns are those that can be counted individually. , A window, a notebook, and uncountable ones that can not be counted, for example, water, milk, sugar:

He was such a severe man! "He was such a strict man!"

There is a pond near our house. - There is a lake near our house.

5) In such phrases as once a week, once a month, once a year, and also when the indefinite article is equal in meaning to the numeral one, the only one.

She'll be your wife in a year. "She will be your wife in a year."

And also in combinations a number (of), a few, a great deal (of), a little, a great many at a loss, etc.

Sorry, I can not explain, I am in a hurry. "I'm sorry, I can not explain." I'm in a hurry.

From the examples given, it can be seen that the articles in English make up that layer of grammar, to study which is not only necessary, but vital. As can be seen from the examples, articles in the English language bear a significant semantic load. That is why it is impossible to miss them, than many of our compatriots sin. Do not forget that in addition to the articles a, an in English there is a definite article the, which also has its nuances of use.