The article

The Article is a word that serves as a noun determiner alongside with such determiners as demonstrative, possessive, and indefinite pronouns. The article is one of the main means of expressing the idea of definiteness and indefiniteness in English.

§ 1. The indefinite article

I. The indefinite article originated from the Old English numeral one: one > a (an). That's why it can be used only with a countable noun in the singular. The main meanings of the indefinite article are classifying, general, and numerical.

1. In its classifying meaning the article serves to refer an object to the class of objects of the same kind, just to classify it:

I am a school teacher. It is a teenager novel.

2. In its general meaning the indefinite article implies that the object denoted by the noun is spoken of as a representative of the class. The article in this meaning can be substituted by such words as «any», «every». It is often used in proverbs and sentences expressing a general truth:

A teacher should be patient. A dog is a good friend.

A burnt child dreads the fire. An Englishman makes a good husband.

Mind the absence of the article in the plural:

Dogs make good pets. Englishmen make good husbands.

3. In its numerical meaning the indefinite article retains its original meaning of the cardinal numeral «one» and expresses oneness. This meaning is evident with nouns denoting units of measure (time, distance, length, weight, etc.):

An apple a day keeps wrinkles away. A penny saved is a penny gained. A pound is a unit of weight in Britain. I waited for an hour.

II. A countable noun in the singular takes the indefinite article if it is used:

1. In the function of the subject in sentences with the construc­tion There is (comes, appears, etc.):

There comes a bus. There is a fax for you on the desk.

2. In the function of the predicative:

I am a teacher. But: I am the teacher here.

3. In the function of the direct object:

I wrote a letter. We got a Christmas card from London.

4. In some set-phrases expressing one-time (однократные) actions like:

to be a success, to have a rest, to have a lovely / good time, to have / to take a look, to give a smile / cry / look, to give a hint, to make a fuss, to make a mistake, to take a seat, etc.

The play was a success. I can't guess it, can you give me a hint?

5. After the exclamatory what:

What an idea! What a surprise! What a shame! What a man!

With plural nouns there is no article: What ideas! What surprises! What people!

If the noun is uncountable no article is used: What fine weather! What interesting news! What tasty jam!

6. After the words such, rather, quite:

It is such an interesting book.

The indefinite article can be used before or after rather:

Mrs.Todgers was a lady, a rather bony and hard-featured lady.

Also: She seemed to take rather a fancy to me.

§ 2. The definite article

The definite article originated from the Old English demonstra­tive pronoun that. The equivalents of the definite article are posses­sive and demonstrative pronouns this — these, that — those.

The definite article is used:

1. If the context or the situation makes the noun clear: Open the door. Go to the kitchen.

The flowers were splendid. I liked the present a lot.

2. if the noun has a restrictive (limiting) attribute. It may be expressed by a clause, a prepositional phrase, by the words all, whole, very, right, wrong, only, one, opposite, main, last, next (following), same, by ordinal numerals, by the superlative degree of adjectives.

You are the man we are looking for.

We got into the wrong train.

He is the only person for the position.

The second performance was a sensational success.

3. if the noun was already mentioned:

Three little kittens lost their mittens...

The three little kittens they found the mittens.

4. with unique objects or notions. They are: the sun, the moon, the earth, the world, the universe, the horizon, the equator, the south the north, the west, the east, the globe, the Milky Way, the Cosmos, the hemisphere.

The moon moves round the earth.

He sailed round the world.

But if these nouns are preceded by descriptive attributes the indefinite article may be used.

We all hope to see a better world.

The sun shone in an unclouded sky.

I was guided by a full moon.

5. with an adverbial modifier of place to identify the exact place: Jane is in the garden (at the cinema, on the beach, at the door, in the lift, in the South, in the country).

The indefinite article is also possible: He was born in a village in the North of Ireland. The train stopped at a small station.

6. in a number of idioms like:

to make the best of something, to be in the know, to read between the lines, in the light of something, to be on the safe side, if the worst comes to the worst.