Articles are modifiers that appear before nouns or noun phrases to clarify their meaning. There are definite and indefinite articles. The definite article is "the" and is used with singular and plural countable nouns that are specific or defined. The indefinite articles are "a" or "an" and are used with singular countable nouns that are nonspecific or undefined. Uncountable nouns take the definite article "the" when definite and no article when indefinite. Remembering the simple rule that definite nouns always take "the" and indefinite nouns never take "the" can help you choose the correct article.