One of the first topics with which learning English begins is articles. Unfamiliar and, at first glance, having no analogues in Russian, they force beginning students to frantically abandon their textbooks, and with them their English studies. But are articles really that complicated? Let's focus on one of them and figure out when the article the is used in English.

The main purpose of articles is to provide additional information about the noun. This or that article can show whether the object or person in question is indefinite or definite. In simple words, the article indicates whether it is talking about an abstract (any) or concrete object or person. The article the is responsible for specificity.

The is the definite article in English, which is used for both singular and plural; with both countable and uncountable nouns. Some rules for using the article the have a logical explanation, others must be remembered and taken as an axiom. Let's consider each case separately.

When the article the is used in English:

The article the is used if in translation into Russian it can be replaced by a demonstrative pronoun. For example:

When talking about an object or person that has already been mentioned earlier. Let's compare:

When all interlocutors know what object or person we are talking about.

The article the in English is also used if a noun has a definition that distinguishes it from others.

When a sentence contains a definition that is expressed by a subordinate clause or phrase.

When the definition is expressed by an adjective in the superlative degree. Not to be confused with comparative degree.

When the definition is expressed as an ordinal number.

When the definition is expressed by a proper name.

The European quality of life is high enough.

The quality of life in Europe is quite high.

When definitions are used that themselves indicate a specific object or person. These include:

central - central / main	The central idea was hidden in the title of the book. (The main idea of the book was hidden in its title.)
main– main / main	The main rule you must follow is to keep silence. (The main rule you must follow is to remain silent.)
upcoming- upcoming	What is the location of the upcoming show? (Where will the upcoming show be held?)
same- the same / the same	She told me about the same thing over and over again. (She told me the same thing over and over again.)
previous- previous	The previous story was much more interesting. (The previous story was much more interesting.)
last- last	This Is It was supposed to be the last tour of Michael Jackson. (“This Is It” was to be Michael Jackson’s last tour.)

The use of the definite article is also necessary if one-of-a-kind items are mentioned.

In addition, the article the is used in classifying people and animals. It is worth noting that in the case of classifying people, the adjective becomes a role.

The is used in cases where a specific quantity of an uncountable item is spoken of:

Particular attention should be paid to the use of the definite article in English with. Articles are not always used when they are mentioned, therefore, in order to determine the need for their use, you need to know a number of rules.

The article is used if the name of the country (organization) contains the words:

The definite article is also used in the title:

Articles are used in titles groups islands and mountain chains. Comparison table:

The is also used with parts of the world:

The North	North
The South	South
The East	West
The West	East

As with any rule, there are exceptions that you just have to try to remember. Here are some of them: the Netherlands (Netherlands), the Crimea (Crimea), the Caucasus (Caucasus), the Congo (Congo).

The use of the article the is necessary when mentioning an entire nation or using a surname when talking about one specific family:

The article the is used in the names of newspapers, magazines, hotels, cinemas and theaters. The article is often used in the names of musical groups.

Don’t also forget about stable phrases with the article the:

in the morning/afternoon/evening (morning / afternoon / evening)	We came home at 7 o'clock in the evening. (We came home at 7 pm.)
play the guitar/violin/piano (play guitar/violin/piano)	She plays the piano every day. (She plays the piano every day.)
to the theater/cinema (to theater/cinema)	Let's go to the theater (Let's go to the theater.)
on the one / other hand	On the one hand, this offer is tempting, but on the other (hand), the risk is too great. (On the one hand, the offer is tempting, but on the other hand, the risk is too great.)
to tell the truth - in truth, to be honest	To tell the truth, I didn’t make the presentation. (To be honest, I didn't make a presentation.)

You may initially have some difficulty deciding when to use the article the and when it is not necessary in English. Despite the fact that in practice in most cases you will be understood without using the definite article, its use will not hurt the ears of a native speaker and will make your speech natural. You can also practice and complete exercises on articles offered on our website.

Particles in English

Particle- this is an auxiliary part of speech that does not carry any signs of action, nor characterizes the attribute of a noun, but only gives some shade to a word or group of words. Sometimes it is difficult to distinguish a particle from an adverb, so in the lessons they are treated as adverbs. Usually it comes before this word (group of words), but in some cases it can come after the word.

Particles can be divided according to their meaning:

Restrictive and excretory. As you can see from the name, the particles are highlighted and limited by a word: only(only), even(even), but(except), just(only), alone(only), simply(Just). Example:

Only his son wanted to help me.

only

We looked for just our shoes.

Amplifiers- enhance the meaning of the word: even(even), yet(for now) still(still), all(at all), just, simply(Just). Example:

Even I can't run this way.

The teacher still has hope.

Clarification- clarifies the meaning of the word: right(directly), exactly(exactly) just(only). Example:

He stood right in front of me.

It was exactly two kilograms.

Negative particle not. We have already encountered it many times, it gives a negative connotation to the proposal. Example:

The pupils do not know the right answer.

Complementary particle else- more. Example:

Can you give me something else?

As you can see, some particles can belong to several groups at once, depending on the context, while others coincide in spelling with other parts of speech. To determine whether a particle is in front of you, just look at the function of the word in the sentence, that is, it should not carry any sign of an action, nor a sign of a noun, nor indicate the place of the subject (not a pronoun), but simply distinguishes this word from others in the sentence.

Do you want to know what particles there are in the English language and learn how to use them correctly in speech? Then this material is for you: types of particles, examples of use and a few simple grammatical rules.

Particle (or Particle) is a representative of the auxiliary parts of speech. It does not change and does not have morphological forms, and is also not a member of the sentence; its main purpose is to emphasize a certain meaning of a word or statement as a whole, to impart an emotional and evaluative coloring.

It was just the cat I had been looking for since Sunday. – This is the cat I’ve been looking for since Sunday.

He didn’t know if they had won the game. “He didn’t know if they won the match.”

NB! It should be taken into account that some particles coincide in form and spelling with other parts of speech, for example, with adverbs (precisely - exactly, yet - yet, still - yet), adjectives (even - even, right - directly), pronouns (either – too, all – completely). To determine which part of speech a word belongs to, refer to the context: particles do not have their own lexical meaning!

You should stay right here. “You should stand right here.” Right – particle (stand where? – right here).

You are right saying this. - You are right in saying this. Right is a short adjective (what are you like? - right).

Types of particles in English: features of use

Grammar scholars do not identify clear boundaries for the classification of English particles; some words may belong to several groups at the same time. However, the following general semantic categories can be distinguished.

Clarifying particles

Used to specify meaning. The most prominent representatives:

Exactly - exactly
He came at 5 p.m. exactly. – He came exactly at 5 o’clock in the evening.
Precisely - exactly, exactly
My brother paid for the costume precisely 100 pounds. My brother paid exactly 100 pounds for the suit.
Right - straight, precise
Mary came home right at time. Mary came home exactly on time.
Just – exactly
Yes, I was talking just about this actress. – Yes, I was talking about this actress.

Enhancing Particles

They are emphatic in nature and enhance the meaning of words. Included in this group:

All - completely
The party was over all too soon. - The party ended very early.
Even - even
Even Michael decided to visit her new flat. – Even Michael decided to visit her new apartment.
Still - still
This child needs still better treatment. “This child requires even more thorough treatment.”
Only - only
I want to get only this car. – I only want to get this car.
But - just
Please, don’t feel offended by Annie, she is but a little girl. “Please don’t be offended by Annie, she’s just a little girl.”

Learning to distinguish adverbs from particles of the same name

Restrictive-excretory particles

They play the role of a kind of “limiter” of meaning or draw the attention of the listener/reader to a certain meaning. This includes some particles from the previous group. Representatives: alone - only, merely - just, even - even, only - only and others.

NB! When assigning similar words to one category or another, pay attention to their role in the sentence.

Examples of the use of restrictive-exclusive particles in English are reflected in the table:

Negative particles

They express negation, refer to a single word or to an entire sentence.

Kate wished to travel around the world, not Fox. – Kate wanted to travel the whole world, not Fox.

He had no chance of getting acquainted with Liza. – He had no chance to meet Lisa.

A clear example of denial

They do not belong to any group, but are of interest to foreign language learners: the particle whether in English (expressed using the words if or whether) and the complementary particle ELSE (yet).

I mean only his attractiveness nothing else. “I only mean his attractiveness, nothing more.”

Everybody wondered whether they were married or not. “Everyone was interested in the question whether they were married or not.”

As can be seen from numerous examples, particles mainly occupy a place before the word being defined and are only occasionally placed after it. With their help, we make speech more emotional and expressive, and isn’t this what we should strive for when learning any foreign language? Let this short article serve as a kind of compass in the grammatical sea of function words and allow you to learn more about particles and how to use them.

Rules for using the else particle (in English):

Brief material about particles in English with examples (in Russian):

At the moment, we will talk about the difficult, however, quite necessary rules for using articles.

Main types of articles

The article is the main determiner of a noun. Before using any phrase, you need to think about whether it is definite or indefinite, that is, you need to think about what kind of thing they mean: specific or any.

The article in English is considered an auxiliary word, a noun attribute; which does not have its own meaning and there is no translation into Russian. There is no such combination in the Russian language. The article in English indicates the category of definiteness or indefiniteness of nouns.

The following articles of the English language are distinguished:

The indefinite article of the English language “Indefinite”

is used in front of nouns that are spoken for the first time or used for the first time in the text.

It has two grammatical configurations "a" and "an". This form “a” is used at the beginning of nouns that begin with a consonant, and the form “an” is used at the beginning of nouns that begin with a vowel.

In the case of a determiner at the beginning of a noun, the grammatical expressions “a” and “an” are used in subordination to the 1st sound in the determiner phrase.

“Indefinite” came to us from the ancient language of the English, where the formation “an” acted as a numeral and denoted a unit. Actually, because of this, it is used only in combination with a noun. For example:

He is an engineer. - He is an engineer.

The definite particle “Definite” is used with a noun. This particle has the form “The” and is used at the beginning of phrases that begin with a vowel. The particle “The” was formed from the pronoun “That”, which in Russian means “that” or “those.” In addition to the singular, the article is also used in the plural.

Absence of the particle "the"(the meaningless particle “the”) in English. It happens that “the” is not used at all. Because of this, it is called zero.

Good morning! Good morning!

Using the particle “the” with first and last names of people and animal names

The particle “the” is not used in a sentence when:

there is no definition ahead of this sentence:

I like Marta. — I like Martha.

when an adjective is used in front of it“Little” - “small”, dear - not cheap, lazy - lazy, honest - honest, etc.: little Mark - small Mark

when the particle “the” is followed by phrases title, rank, military, scientific or honorary title, which serves as an established figure for conscription, that is, everything must be written in capital letters. But this does not apply to phrases that denote a specialty: teacher, painter, etc.

in the names of close relatives. The use of non-common nouns in the form of direct appeal to a given family. Therefore, they are used without the particle “the” and are indicated in capital letters.

Don't tell Father. - Don't tell dad.

The particle “the” is used in a sentence in the following cases:

Full name is indicated in the plural and means a single family:

The Sidorovs have moved. — The Sidorovs moved.

there is a special meaning expressed by an appendage that comes at the end of the person’s full name. Then the article can be transferred into the Russian language as the pronoun “that” or “that same”:

It is the Cameron who telephoned yesterday. - This is the Cameron who called yesterday.

at the beginning of the particle “the” there is a phrase that denotes a specialty:

The engineer Matveev - Engineer Matveev.

In sentences, the indefinite article is used when:

it is not in the plural at the beginning of the surname in order to depict this person as a member of exactly that family:

For after all was he not a Clinton? “After all, isn’t he Clintons?”

it is used with a name to determine the quality that coincides with it:

My husband is quite an Othello. - My husband is just Othello.

at the beginning of the full name in the meanings of the phrases “certain”, “someone”, “some”:

A Mr. Wolf called you. - Some Mr. Wolf called you.

Using the particle “The” with place names

The use of the particle “The” in geographical names, as well as in the names of objects in the city, is directly dependent on the traditions in the word, which are very difficult to explain.

The following are common properties of using "The" in geography names:

The definite article “the” is used in the names of the 4 sides of the world: the North-north, the South-south, the East-east, the West-west;

When a noun means direction, the particle “The” is not used:

We wish to head East. We wish to travel in an easterly direction.

You need to know that on a geography map, the name does not contain the “the” member.

— a certain particle “the” is not used with names of lakes if the expression “lake” is placed in front of it: Lake Michigan-o. Michigan, Lake Huron - o. Huron.

Exceptions

names of states and territories are considered, such as the Argentina; the Crimea-Crimea; the Ukraine-Ukraine; the Hague, etc. The exceptions are the following words and phrases:
particle "the" with actual names of states, including the following phrases: republic, union, kingdom, states, emirates;
particle “the” with the name of the geography of countries not in the singular: the Russian Federatio-RF; the United States; the United Arab Emirates-UAE.
particle “the” with the name of the continent, state, village, located separately: the Moscow of the 19th century - Moscow of the nineteenth century; the Europe of the Middle Ages - medieval Europe.

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Using the particle “The” with other proper names

The particle “The” cannot be used with street names and various monuments such as: Red Square, Wall Street; Trafalgar Square - Trafalgar Square in the capital of Great Britain, Campus Martius-Campus Martius,
Airport and sea ports, railway stations and subways: London Airport; Kennedy (Airport) - Kennedy Airport; Barcelona Port - port of Barcelona; Paddington Station;
adjacent bridges and nearby parks: Westminster Bridge Westminster Bridge; Hyde Park Hyde Park in London, Central Park Central Park in New York;
magazines and newspapers: Time Magazine, National Geograohic - magazines.

Exceptions

This is the Arbat Arbat (in the capital of the Russian Federation), the Garden Ring Garden Ring (in the capital of the Russian Federation), the Via Manzoni Manzoni Street (in Italy); the Gorki Park is a park named after Maxim Gorky (in the Russian Federation), and universities follow the example of universities, institutes, colleges, lyceums and others: Oxford - Oxford; Columbia University - Columbia University, Cambridge - Cambridge.

There is no need to use the word formation “The” with the names of printed publications in the area where it is not present in the real understandable language: Trud - printed publication “Trud”.

A certain particle “the” is used with the names of educational organizations:

theatrical institution;
movie;
concert halls;
club premises;
constructions and some universal structures: the Great Wall of China, the Toronto Television Tower, the Kremlin, the Tower, the White House, the Berlin wall, the Royal Palace.

These definitions have many features, if the name of a building or house has a table of contents, which is expressed in the use of common nouns, consisting of the name of the individual and the name of a village, government institution, association or party; galleries of paintings, museum institutions, or Maidan; ships or groups of musicians; hotel or cafe; various printed publications.

In addition, the particle “The” is not used with the phrase “NATO”; "Parliament"

Place of the particle “The” in a sentence

The particle "The" is usually considered the 1st word of a series of nouns:

the last few days - the last couple of days.

If a number of nouns contain the word forms all, both, much (in the phrase much the same), half, twice, then, as a rule, the particle “The” is placed at the end of these expressions:

all the time - all the time;

In phrases with “as”, “how”, “so” and “too” the particle “The” is placed at the end of the adjectives following these word formations:

It was so nice a day to stay inside. - It turned out to be a very good day to spend it in the building.

The use of the particle “The” in some phrases and sentences

The indefinite particle “The” fits into a number of constant phrases:

a few - several times;
a little

The specific particle “The” fits into several unchanged phrases:

by the way - by the way;
in the morning - sutra.

The particle "The" is not present in a series of constant expressions, such as a noun, which is inseparable from a verb, in a series of verb-type expressions:

to ask permission - ask permission;
to be in bed - to be in bed, to be sick;

The particle “The” is not present with nouns that are inseparable from a preposition.

at breakfast (dinner, lunch, supper) - at breakfast (lunch, lunch, dinner);
at hand-near;

The particle “The” is not present in combined phrases of 2 nouns with a preposition.

arm in arm - hand in hand;
day after day

Articles are objects used in front of nouns or expressions. Like adjectives, articles make it possible to clarify the meaning of a noun that is used in the text.

Results

There are two types of articles:

*certain 'the'

* not defined ‘a’, besides its form is ‘an’, used in front of a noun beginning with a vowel. The noun also has the ability to be used without auxiliary particles.

It will not be difficult for a native speaker to recognize which article needs to be used in a specific example, without even dwelling on it. Although if English is not your native language, there will be some difficulties in using speech particles. In order to learn to apply them correctly, you need to study certain simple and instructive rules and use them in life.

The particle "the" is placed at the beginning of all modifiers preceding the noun.

Many foreign languages have such a concept as an article. Starting to study grammar with this topic would be a good option for those who want to know English. The article (the rule of use will help you understand the question) is a functional part of speech in the English language. It shows certainty or uncertainty. Below in the text are the rules for its use when the article a (an), the is omitted.

Types of articles

There are two types of articles in English:

definite - the;
indefinite - a (an) (two forms).

The definite article shows that we are talking about some well-known or familiar object that is more individualized and stands out from others in some way. And indefinite indicates a more generalized meaning or an object that appears in the text for the first time. Examples:

The girl has a dog./The girl has a dog.

From this sentence it can be understood that we are talking about a specific girl who is already familiar to the reader and she was previously mentioned in the text, but the word “dog” is more general, what kind of dog is unknown.

Origin

We have already found out that in English there is such a part of speech as the article: a (an), the. They originally came from other words and to some extent retained their old meaning.

For example, the definite article is a shortened form of the word that (that, that), which is why it carries such a specific meaning.

Comes from the word one (someone, some).

Definite article

In English, the definite article has two functions: the first of them is specifying, and the other is generalizing. And this part of speech is used if a person knows exactly what object is being discussed, or if this object is unique.

The definite article in a specific meaning

It is used if one item stands out from the entire set, it has some excellent parameters, it stands out due to a unique case, context. Before adjectives in

He is the best player in our team./He is the best player in our team.

Placed before the words following, last, next, only and very. They make the noun more specific.

And not the next day./And not the next day.

Superlative adjectives are also preceded by a definite article.

It is the worst day in my life./This is the worst day in my life.

The definite article in its general meaning

Generalizing - when a noun can be attributed to a whole type of object.

Examples include the German Shepherd - the double coat is straight, and short length./For example, the German Shepherd. The coat has two characteristics: straight and short.

Here we are talking about all dogs belonging to a specific breed.

Omitted if replaced by a possessive pronoun.

She sure had some love for her German Shepards./She definitely loves her German Shepherds.

If you can put the word “this” in front of a noun.

The hotel also features easy access to the several subway stations./The hotel (this hotel) is also easily accessible from several subway stations.

When indicating the era, significant events.

The First World War./First World War.

Before uncountable nouns, only if we are talking about a certain volume of a substance.

And then the farmer has to find another way to deliver the juice./Then the farmer will have to find another way to produce juice.

Before the names of body parts.

The hand/hand.

Before social classes and strata of society.

The police./Police officers.

The definite article with proper names and some names

The table below will help you better understand how to use articles with proper names and some names. All the words below must be preceded by the definite article the.

Proper names	Examples
Rivers	the Nakdong
Newspaper names	the Washington Post
Geographical names	the North Pole
Objects from astronomy	the Moon
Mountain names	the Andes
Cardinal directions	in the East
Surnames in the plural (meaning all family members)	the Adamsons
Channels	the Nicaragua Canal
City districts	the West End
Nationalities	the Italian
Unique architectural structures	the Winter Palace
Deserts	the Bolivian
Names of reservoirs	the Black Sea
Vessel names	the Aurora
Some countries	the Argentina
Nicknames	the Tall Ben

Definite article. Plural

If the definite article is used before a word in the singular, then it is also placed before it in the plural.

You can bring the ball with, if you want./If you want, take the ball with you.

You can bring the balls with, if you want./If you want, take the balls with you.

Also, the article remains before the plural if we are talking about a group as a whole.

The members of Golf club can breathe fresh air./Members of the golf club can breathe fresh air. (Everyone can breathe fresh air).

Indefinite article a (an)

Use “a” if the first letter in the word is a consonant, “an” if it is a vowel:

a table, a carpet, a dog/table, carpet, dog;
an elephant, an eagle, an orange.

Exceptions to the rule:

the article "a" is always placed before words that begin with the letter "u" if it is pronounced as /ju:/ (English is a universal language);
before the words “one”, “ones” the article “a” is always used (a one-parent family);
If abbreviations begin with a consonant, but are read with a vowel (F is pronounced like /ef/), then the indefinite article “an” (an FBI agent) is always used before them.

Classifying, generalizing and numeral meaning of the indefinite article

In expressive sentences, in exclamatory sentences that begin with the word what, the indefinite article is used.

What a great!/How great!

With singular nouns preceded by words such as rather, quite, such and most.

In a rather prescient way./Very far-sighted.

If a noun is a generalizing meaning for an entire class, type, layer, etc., then an indefinite article is placed before it. Most often, such a noun appears at the beginning of a sentence and does not carry any important information. More significant details are described later in the text.

A newspaper text is a very laconic and relevant essay./Newspaper text is a laconic and relevant essay.

In its numerical value, the article denotes its original meaning - one.

I can stay in Paris for only a day./I could stay in Paris for just a day. (Here it is clear that the particle -a can be replaced by one, the word from which the article a (an) was formed (the - from that). In this sentence, the particle takes its usual place).

The indefinite article a (an). Plural

Articles that are used before nouns in the singular are not used in the plural.

She had a book of astrology./She had a book on astrology.

She had two books./She had two books. (As you can see, the article is omitted.)

Proper names and articles a (an)

The article a (an) is used before if they:

unknown

A Mr. Anderson has come to see you./A certain Mr. Anderson has come to see you.

used as common nouns

You think, I am a Leonardoda Vinci?/Do you think I am Leonardo da Vinci?

point to individual family members

It is no wonder; in fact, she is a Smith./No wonder, because she is Smith.

describe the position of a place or object

We saw a rebuild Rome./We saw Rome rebuilt.

In addition, there are stable expressions that, regardless of the context, never change and always remain in their place. You just need to learn these phrases:

a few/several, it is a pity/sorry, a little/a little, etc.

When the article is not needed

In English there is such a thing as when it is absent in sentences before nouns. Cases where the article is omitted have already been mentioned in the article. Let's look at a few more typical rules.

If the nouns are preceded by the adjectives old/old, little/small, poor/poor, lazy/lazy, honest/honest.

She is little girl./She is a little girl.

If there is no definition for the noun.

I do not like Peter./I don’t like Peter.

Before titles, titles.

Lord Green./Lord Green.

Exercises on articles

To consolidate the acquired knowledge, you need to do several exercises. Then check your answers with the keys and analyze the errors. For example, you can do the task below.

Fill in the missing article a (an), the:

Paris is…beautiful town./Paris is a beautiful city.

What's going on? I think it's … salute./What's going on? I think it's a fireworks.

Britney Spears is ... singer./Britney Spears is a singer.

This is Nick. He is... engineer./This is Nick. He is an engineer.

… spider has eight legs./Spiders have eight legs.

It is... tomato./This is a tomato.

I am...nurse./I am a nurse.

She is... best./She is the best.

To take... seat./Sit down.

In... country./In the country.

Answers to the exercise. How to correctly insert the article a (an), the:

1. a. 2. a. 3.a. 4. an. 5.a. 6. a. 7. a. 8. the. 9. a. 10. the.