Articles are an important part of the English language. But unfortunately, this topic is not always clear to Russian-speaking students. Because there is no such phenomenon in their native speech. Nevertheless, the rules for using articles must be studied by a person who wants to competently use various means of the English language. And in some situations, small and seemingly insignificant articles even help to correctly understand the interlocutors.
What are articles and what are they like
The article is a service part of speech, which is inextricably linked with the noun. It does not have its own meaning (translation into Russian), but only conveys a grammatical meaning.
In English, the article does not indicate the gender and case of nouns. It conveys in some cases the singular or plural, but basically it carries only the category of certainty-uncertainty. Based on this, there can be three situations with the article: its absence, indefinite and definite. Each of these three situations has its own specifics and its own rules.
The definite article was once derived from that, a demonstrative pronoun. Therefore, onIn Russian, you can often find the translation “this”, “these”, etc. Formally, this is not entirely true, because the official parts of speech do not have a translation, but in the case of the article, especially the definite one, this is often allowed. It's all about the special stylistic function that he can play in a sentence, pointing to objects and people in a special way.
The use of the article the will be the subject of this article. We will consider various situations, give examples. There will be quite a lot of cases of use, but do not be alarmed if you cannot understand everything at once and even more so remember. As you immerse yourself more and more in English through constant practice, you will understand this logic and soon you will be able to easily determine which article is needed in each case.
Definite article before nouns
The classic case when it is necessary to use the article the before the name of an object (person, animal) is the uniqueness of the latter.
1. The noun being called is the only one of its kind.
For example: the sun - the sun, the world - the world.
2. The noun is unique in this situation.
Do you like the pie? − Did you like the cake?
3. This subject (person, animal) has already been mentioned in this conversation and therefore the interlocutors understand what (whom) it is about.
I've got a cat. Her name is Lucy, she's very cute. May I take the cat with me? − I have a cat. Her name is Lucy, she is very sweet. Can I take my cat with me?
4. Is putsuch an article before proper names, when you need to designate a whole family. For example: the Smiths.
Definite article before other parts of speech
Of course, the article the and any others are used only with nouns. Articles are not needed before other parts of speech. But it often happens that between the article and the noun associated with it there is a numeral or adjective. We will consider such cases.
1. The definite article is always placed before ordinal numbers: the twentieth century − the twentieth century.
2. The article the is also invariably placed before the superlative degree of adjectives: the brightest star - the brightest star.
3. It is necessary to use the definite article when referring to a group of people united by a common feature: the young - youth.
Definite article with geographical names and concepts
With those concepts that somehow relate to geography, the article the is used especially often.
1. Cardinal directions: the East (East).
2. Individual country names: the Russian Federation.
3. Oceans, seas, rivers, waterfalls: the Indian Ocean.
4. Groups of islands, lakes, mountains: the Bahamas.
5. Deserts and Plains: the Great Plains.
There are also many exceptions to the use of the article (or lack of it) with geographical names, so the most reliable option is simple memorization. And in case of any doubt, it is always worthlook at the grammar guide and clarify the question on a specific occasion.
Definite article in special cases
There are also a number of words that can act as a definition before a noun. These words are given in the table below.
| previous | previous |
| last | past, last, last |
| only | the only one |
| next | next |
| following | next |
| coming | upcoming |
| right | correct, right side |
| left | left |
| central | central |
| very | exactly the same one |
| wrong | wrong, wrong |
| same | same |
| upper | upper, highest |
| main | main |
You should always use the English article the with them. For example:
This is the very book I need! − This is exactly the book I need!
The last time I saw him was Friday −The last time I saw him was Friday.
Also, the definite article is required before words:
Definite article to enhance meaning
Separately, there are situations when the article the has a stylistic function. In these cases, it can be used before proper names, which under normal conditions remain without an article. This is best seen with an example. Compare the two sentences: the first with the usual use of a proper name, and the second with a stylistic emphasis.
This is Jack, always cheerful and generous! - This is Jack, always cheerful and generous!
This is the Jack I love most − cheerful and generous! - This is the Jack I love the most - cheerful and generous!
As you can see, there is something common in all cases of using the definite article: it is usually placed before words that carry a certain, specific, narrow, unique meaning. Keep this in mind when you doubt the choice of a service word, and the reference book is not at hand.
