Using Articles 1

Articles - the and a - can be a nightmare in English. They are of course particularly difficult if your first language does not actually have articles (eg BCS, Russian, Korean). But they can also be a problem when translating from other European languages.

However, you need articles! In written English they play a very important role. If you need to write as part of your job you will have to make decisions about articles in almost every sentence.

How do you improve in this area?

Well, lots of practice and observation of course. It also helps to get your written English reviewed and corrected. But it also helpful to study examples to get a feeling for situations where articles are used or not used . There are some rules for the use of articles. There are also lots of exceptions, and situations where you can choose whether to use an article or not.

This term I will post a series of mini lessons on articles.

Specific or General?

If a singular noun is used to refer to a specific object or situation you usually need an article. If it is used to refer to an abstract idea you usually do not:

I love music.
I love the music of Africa.

The first sentence refers to 'music' in general so has no article. The second sentence qualifies 'music', referring to a specific type, so it has an article.

Compare these two sentences:

Music is widely studied throughout the world.
The music of my childhood still haunts me.

Again, a general reference with no article in the first sentence, a specfic reference with an article in the second.

Tip: Look out for 'of'. This is often a sign that you need an article. Think of phrases like 'the heart of the matter', 'the heart of the problem', 'the heart of the city'.

General and specific. Sounds simple. Actually it's more complicated.

Firstly, there is not always a clear difference between 'general' and 'specific' reference. It often depends on the situation:

Can you hear music?
Can you hear the music?

In the first example 'music' here is something specific (the speaker can hear it), but it is referred to as a general thing. In the second example, it is referred to as a specific thing: 'Can you hear the music (which I can also hear)'.

What music do you like?
Jazz. That's the music I like.

Again, the difference is between general and specific reference.

Secondly, not all nouns are like this. 'Music' is an uncountable noun in most situations. To make it countable you usually need to add something which then requires an article - 'a music collection', for example.

Some nouns, like 'heart', can be either countable or uncountable depending on how they are used. Compare these examples:

The wound came close to the heart.
The team played with great heart.

In the first sentence, 'heart' is a specific thing. In the second sentence, 'heart' is an abstract thing like 'spirit' or 'passion'.

But if we now add something to 'heart' in the secoond sentence, we may need an article:

The team played with the great heart that people always associate with this city.

The clause that is added using 'that' specifies 'great heart' and so makes an article necessary.

Look out also for situations where the noun is used to refer to a category of things and does have an article:

The heart is a fascinating part of the body.

Quiz

Decide if you need to add articles in the following sentences:

1. Financial issues are at heart of problem.
2. Heart is an area where medical science has made progress.
3. I love cinema.
4. Number of people learning Chinese in the UK has doubled in two years.
5. Tiger is an endangered animal.
6. Have you got response that you wanted?
7. Did you make progress?
8. Did you make progress that you hoped to make?
9. What is role of media in modern society?
10. Water is essential to our health.