Definite and

Indefinite
Articles
Jelgava State
Gymnasium
Agita Ozoliņa
 ARTICLE (ARTIKULS)
DEFINITE (noteiktais) INDEFINITE (nenoteiktais)
the A, an

• Use a/an with the singular noun, the- with singular or noun in plural.
A cat- some cats
The cat- the
cats

• Use 'a' with nouns starting with a

consonant (letters that are not vowels),
'an' with nouns starting with a vowel
(a,e,i,o,u) A boy
• An apple
• A car
• An orange
• A house
• An opera
NOTE:
An before an h mute - an hour, an
honour.
A before u and eu when they sound like
'you': a european, a university, a unit

A red rose- viena (kāda) sarkana roze

The red rose- sarkanā roze
 INDEFINITE ARTICLE
USE
(a/an) An elephant and a mouse Yesterday I met a boy near
To refer to something for
the first time
meaning 'one', referring to
a single object or person:
with names of jobs:
with nationalities
and religions:
EXAMPLE NOTES
fell in love.
Would you like a drink?
I've finally got a good job.
I'd like an orange and
two lemons please.
John is a doctor.
Mary is training to be
an engineer.
He wants to be a
dancer.
John is an
Englishman. Kate is a
Catholic.
my house. The boy
wanted to comunicate
with me.
Notice also that we usually say a
hundred, a thousand, a million.
NOTE: that we use 'one' to add
emphasis or to contrast with
other numbers:
I don't know one person who
likes eating elephant meat.
We've got six computers but only
one printer.
John is British.
 INDEFINITE ARTICLE
(a/an)
USE EXAMPLE
to refer to a kind of, or example the mouse had a tiny nose
of something the elephant had a long
trunk it was a very strange
car
with singular nouns, after the words 'what' What a shame!
and 'such' She's such a beautiful girl.
After ‘There is” There is a book on the table.
 DEFINITE ARTICLE
(the)
USE
to refer to something which has
EXAMPLE
An elephant and a mouse fell in
already been mentioned. love. The mouse loved the
elephant's long trunk,
and the elephant loved the mouse's
tiny
nose.
when both the speaker and listener know 'Where's the
what is being talked about, even if it has bathroom?' 'It's on the
not been mentioned before. first floor.'
in sentences or clauses where we define or The man who wrote this book is
identify a particular person or object famous. 'Which car did you scratch?'
'The red one.
My house is the one with a blue door.'
to refer to objects we regard as unique the sun, the moon, the world , the
Internet, the Earth, the Eiffel
Tower The equator, the North/
South Pole,
before superlatives and ordinal the highest building, the first page,
numbers (only, last, first, second) the last chapter
 DEFINITE ARTICLE
USE EXAMPLE
with adjectives, to(the)
refer to a the Japanese, the
whole group of people (as English, the Dutch,
plural nouns), families, the Greens, the old,
nationalities ending in – sh, the poor, the rich
-ch, -ese
With the words: beach, cinema, He laiks going to the
country (side), ground, jungle, theatre.
radio, sea, seaside, theatre, She went to the
world, station, shop, pub, station to meet Jim.
library
Before “ most” (as a superlative) She is the most
beautiful girl.
Morning, afternoon, evening I’ll be at home in
the evening.
Historical references/events The Renaissance, the
Middle Ages, the
First World War
NOTES
Other plural nationalities
are used with or without “
the” The Greeks, the
Italians, Latvians (the
Latvians)
We often say “ television”
without “ the” .
We often watch
television. But! Turn on
the television (set).
Don’t use “ the” if “ most” is
as a determiner followed by
a noun.
Most people believe he is
a liar.
But don’t use with: at
night, at noon, at
midnight, at 4
o’clock, by day/ night
But: World War I
 DEFINITE ARTICLE
(the)
USE EXAMPLE
With the manes of: rivers, seas, groups The Daugava, the Black Sea, The
of islands/ states, mountain ranges, Bahamas, the USA, the Alps, the
deserts, oceans, canals, directions sahara desert, the Atlantic, the
(debespuses) north/south, east/ west
The names or nouns with “ of” The Tower of London, the statue
of Liberty
Musical instruments, dances The piano, the tango
With the titles The Queen, the Prince, (but not with
Queen Victoria)
With the names of: The Rex, the Sheraton, the Prado, the
Cinemas, theatres, hotels, Guardian
museums, newspapers/magazines,
ships
with decades, or groups of years she grew up in the seventies
 There is no Article
USE EXAMPLE NOTES
(the)Germany is an
with names of countries But: I'm visiting the
(if singular) important economic United States next week.
power. The United Kingdom,
He's just returned the Europian Union
from Zimbabwe.
with the names of French is spoken in Tahiti. But: I’m studying the English
languages English uses many words language.
of Latin origin.
Indonesian is a relatively
new language.
with the names of meals. Lunch is at midday.
Breakfast is the first meal
of the day.
with people's names John's coming to the party. But: we're having lunch with
(if singular) George King is my uncle. the Morgans tomorrow.

After the 's possessive His brother's car.

case: Peter's house.
with professions: Engineering is a useful career.
He'll probably go into
medicine.
 There is no Article
USE EXAMPLE NOTES
with years: (the)1948 was a wonderful
year. Do you remember
1995?
With uncountable nouns: Rice is the main food in But: I don’t usually like rice,
Asia. Milk is often added to but the rice I ate yesterday
tea in England. was really tasty.

with the names of Mount McKinley is the But: The Alps

individual mountains, highest mountain in Alaska.
lakes and islands: She lives near
Lake
Windermere.
Have you visited
Long Island?
with most names of Victoria Station is in the
towns, streets, stations centre of London.
and airports: Can you direct me to
Bond Street?
She lives in Florence.
They're flying from
Heathrow.
Let’s
do!
1. Robert and Jessica went to the party last night.
2. Can you tell me how to get to _ the cinema from here?
3. The college is closed today.
4. Gregory is one of _the strangest people I know.
5. I recommend you try _x tomato soup at this restaurant.
6. Would you like to see _a film? The film I saw yesterday was
excellent.
7. An apple a day keeps the doctor away.
8. I can't believe I failed _the yesterday's test!
9. Do you have the dictionary that I can borrow?
10. x Magda is wearing _a blue dress with red shoes
11. Christmas comes once _a year.
12. Jane went to the shop to buy _x bread.
13. x Hania broke a_ glass when she was washing-up.
14. This is _an easy question. This is the easiest exercise I have ever
seen.
15. Stephen could you speak a_ little louder.
16. May I have your _x phone number?
17. May I ask you a_ question?
18. x Astrid is the_ best teacher in our school.
19. My girlfriend has x_ my car today.
20. I went to _the sea during my summer holiday.
21. This is Joanna. She's a doctor.
22. Is there a_ cash machine near here?
Let’s
do!!!
I am from x Winchester, _x Hampshire.
Winchester is a city in the United
Kingdom. I live in a town called Taunton
which is on
the River Tone. I live in a house in
a quiet street in the countryside.
The street is called x "Hudson Street"
and
the house is old - more than 100 years old! I
am
an English lecturer at a college near
the centre of the town. I like x
books, x music and taking
x photographs. I usually have x
lunch at the college. I usually
go x home by car.
We have all kinds of food in x England. I
like x Polish food very much. Sometimes, I go to
a Polish restaurant in x Bath.
The restaurant is called "Magda's".
 Exercise
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attention!