1. What Are Articles?

• Articles are words that tell you if a noun is specific or general.
• There are three articles in English:
• “a” (general)
• “an” (general)
• “the” (specific)

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2. Identifying “a”

• “a” is used before words that start with a consonant sound.
• It refers to any one of something, not something specific.

Examples:

• a dog
• a ball
• a book

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3. Identifying “an”

• “an” is used before words that start with a vowel sound (a, e, i, o, u).
• It is also used to refer to any one of something, but only if the word begins with a vowel sound.

Examples:

• an apple
• an orange
• an igloo

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4. Identifying “the”

• “the” is used to talk about a specific thing that both the speaker and listener know about.
• It is used for both singular and plural nouns.

Examples:

• The cat is sleeping. (Talking about a specific cat)
• The books on the shelf are mine. (Referring to specific books)

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5. Special Cases to Remember

• If a word starts with a silent “h”, use “an”:
  Example: an hour (the “h” is silent, so it sounds like a vowel)
• If a word starts with a “u” that sounds like “you,” use “a”:
  Example: a unicorn (because it sounds like “yoo-nicorn”)

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6. Practice Identifying Articles

1. Fill in the blank:
   “He has _ bicycle.”
   Answer: a bicycle
2. Choose the correct article:
   “We saw _ eagle in the sky.”
   Answer: an eagle
3. Fill in the blank:
   “I found _ book on the table.”
   Answer: the book (specific book)
4. Choose the correct article:
   “Can you give me _ pencil?”
   Answer: a pencil

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7. Why Are Articles Important?

• “a” and “an” are used when talking about any general thing.
• “the” is used when talking about a specific thing.
• Identifying articles correctly helps students write clearer and more accurate sentences.