What Is an Article? Explanation, Usage, and Examples

Updated August 8, 2022
definition of article in grammar with three examples
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    Article Definition and List of Examples
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    Created by Karina Goto for YourDictionary
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    Owned by YourDictionary, Copyright YourDictionary 

A, an, and the are three of the smallest words in the English language — but that doesn’t mean they’re the least important. Using these three articles correctly might feel like second nature, but there are specific rules for using indefinite and definite articles — and it all depends on the noun they accompany.

What Is an Article?

An article is one of three small words that comes before a noun: a, an, and the. You’ll find one (or more) in nearly every sentence.

  • I found a dollar.
  • Let’s buy an iguana.
  • Millie knows the answer.

Are Articles Adjectives?

Most people believe that there are eight main parts of speech: nouns, pronouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, conjunctions, prepositions, and interjections. Because articles modify nouns, we often group them as a type of adjective

Articles also fall into the category of determiners, like this or several, which introduce nouns.

What Do Articles Do?

Articles aren’t just sidekicks to the nouns in a sentence. There are two types of articles in English — indefinite articles (a and an) and definite articles (the) — and they each have important functions.

Indefinite Articles Introduce General Nouns

The indefinite articles a and an introduce general singular nouns, typically when the speaker doesn’t know or care which noun they’re talking about. 

Use a when the next word begins with a consonant sound, and use an when the next word begins with a vowel sound.

  • A man bought an apple. (Not a specific man or a specific apple)
  • An angry lion growled at a surprised zoo visitor. (Not a specific lion or a specific visitor)
  • A student visited a university. (Not a specific student or university — which begins with a “y” consonant sound)

When using plural or uncountable nouns (such as dogs or water), use plural determiners (many dogs, some water).

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Definite Articles Introduce Specific Nouns

We use the for specific singular, plural, and uncountable nouns.

  • The man bought the apple. (A specific man is buying a specific apple.)
  • The angry lion growled at the surprised zoo visitor. (A specific lion is growling at a specific person.)
  • The student visited the university. (A specific student is visiting a specific university)

You should also use the before:

  • ordinal numbers, such as first or tenth (the first grandchild, the last table)
  • unique nouns where there is only one in existence (the Sistine Chapel, the sun)
  • the adjective only (the only sister, the only student)

Choose the Right Articles Quiz