2. What is an article?
Article can be taken as one of the (determiners) or a subclass of the determiners which
determines nouns. There are two articles in English, the definite article (the) e.g. the
book, and the indefinite articles (a, an) e.g. a book, an eye.
Determiners are words placed before nouns to clarify what the noun refers to. They specify
the range of reference of a noun e.g. by making it definite (the book) or indefinite (a book).
Sometimes nouns require no article at all when we talk about things in general. This is
called the ‘zero article’ e.g. Petrol is expensive, Cats are beautiful animals.
4. 1. Zero Article
Kinds of Articles
ZERO Article is used with:
Names of People: Mary, Bill, Josef
Known Places: Jupiter, Russia, Bangkok, Heathrow Airport, Cambridge University, Waterloo
Station.
Streets: Oxford Street, Wall Street
Languages: English, Russian, Arabic
Academic subjects: History, Law, Physics
Days, months: Monday, November
5. 1. Zero Article
Kinds of Articles
Games and Sports
football, chess
Meals
breakfast, lunch, dinner
Noun + Number
platform 3, room 7, page 44
Routine Places
in bed, at home, to school, to work
Movement or Transport
on foot, by car, by bus, by air
Newspaper Headlines, Notices, User Guides
Plane Crashes on House, Keep Area
Clean, Insert battery
6. 2. Definite Article (The)
Kinds of Articles
The definite article (The) is used to refer to any A. particular person, place or thing. B. It
is used before a noun to indicate that the identity of the noun is known to the reader. C. It
appears before singular or plural nouns and before countable and uncountable nouns.
For example:
The book
The books
The water, the sugar
7. 2. Definite Article (The)
For instance, your friend asks you, “Are you ready for the party?”
The definite article here is referring to a particular event that you and your friend
are talking about. You both know about that specific party, that’s why you need to
use THE.
8. D. It is also used to refer to objects that are matchless.
For example: The sun, The moon, The sky, The earth.
E. It is used before nouns that are mentioned for the second time.
e.g. I live in a small town. The town is near a large city.
2. Definite Article (The)
9. F. It is used with decades, centuries and historic periods as they are a form of
matchless reference.
For example: The 1960s, The 1970s, The middle ages, The 19th century.
G. It is used with ordinal numbers (first, second, third, etc.) and sequence words
(such as next and last) that precede a noun. It is also used before (same).
e.g. This is the third time you have been late.
e.g. The same problem.
2. Definite Article (The)
10. We do not use the definite article (The) before proper nouns, like names of
people, months, countries, cities or days of the week.
The Ali
The May
The Iraq
The Mosul
The Friday
2. Definite Article (The)
11. 3. Indefinite Articles (A, An)
A. The indefinite articles (A, An) are used to refer to one singular countable
noun when it is mentioned for the first time. They are not used with plural and
uncountable nouns.
e.g. I live in a small town. E.g. a towns
e.g. I saw an elephant. E.g. a sugar
12. Please note that it is the pronunciation, not the spelling of the words, that
determines the choice of the indefinite articles (A or An).
Use A before nouns that begin with a consonant sound.
A book, A uniform, A European country, A union
Use An before nouns that begin with a vowel sound.
An elephant, An apple, An umbrella, An hour, An honest man.
3. Indefinite Articles (A, An)
13. B. The indefinite article (An) is used with abbreviations that begin with consonant letter
but their pronunciation begins with a vowel.
For example:
An M.A. student
An M.Sc.
But
A Ph.D.
However, if the abbreviation is known and matchless, the definite article (The) should be
used.
For example: The FBI, The UNESCO, The BBC, The UN.
3. Indefinite Articles (A, An)
14. C. The indefinite articles (A, An) are used with a noun complement.
e.g. she is an anesthesiologist.
e.g. It was an earthquake.
D. Indefinite articles are used with expressions of price, speed, time, and ratio.
e.g. 1000 dinars a kilo
e.g. 60 kilometers an hour
e.g. once a week
e.g. 2000 a month
e.g. 5 times a year
3. Indefinite Articles (A, An)
15. E. The indefinite articles (A, An) are used in an exclamatory sentence before a noun or
an adjective.
e.g. What a nice day!
e.g. What a beautiful flower!
e.g. What an idea!
F. The indefinite articles (A, An) are used with certain expressions of quantity.
For example: A lot of, A dozen, A million, A great deal of, A quarter, A couple of.
3. Indefinite Articles (A, An)
16. Word
part of speech
Meaning / Definition Example
Blood pressure
noun
the rate at which blood flows through
the body (high/low)
High blood pressure puts you at risk
of having a heart attack.
Brace
noun
a device that holds injured body parts
in place
You will probably always have to
wear a brace on your ankle when you
jog.
Caesarean section,
C-section
noun
It is the surgical delivery of a baby
through a cut (incision) made in the
mother's abdomen.
The baby was so large that we had to
perform a Caesarean section.
Chickenpox
noun
a virus commonly contracted by
children, characterized by itchy spots
all over the body
It is best to get chickenpox as a child
so that you don't get it worse as an
adult.
Coroner
noun
a person who determines the cause
of death after a person dies
We only call the coroner if we think a
death is suspicious.
Terminology
17. Word
part of speech
Meaning / Definition Example
Critical condition
noun
A condition that requires immediate
and constant medical attention
You can't see her right now; she's
in critical condition.
Crutches
noun
objects that people with injured legs
or feet use to help them walk
I'd rather hop on one foot than
use crutches.
Deficiency
noun
a lack of something necessary for
one's health
The tests show that you have an
iron deficiency.
Dehydrated
adj
having lost a large amount of water
from the body.
It is easy for the elderly to
become dehydrated in this heat.
Dementia
noun
loss of cognitive functioning —
thinking, remembering, and
reasoning — to such an extent that it
interferes with a person's daily life
and activities.
It is hard to watch a loved one
suffering with dementia.
Terminology
