1. TDC 1 - Articles
Ana Lia Rea Moreira Salles Pinto e
Luciana Pereira Jardim Ceylão

2. Articles - Definitions
 Indefinite Article – the determiner a or an, which marks
an unspecified count noun.
 Give me a pen, please.
 I will be there in an hour.
 Definite Article - the determiner the, which refers to particular
nouns.
 The university is closed today.
 Zero Article - no article before a noun
 I like coffee.
 Dinner is served.

3. ELLs X Articles
 Languages that have no articles
 Chinese, Japanese, Malay, Polish, Russian,Thai,Vietnamese
 Languages that have only one definite article
 Arabic
 Languages that have the same articles as English but their
usage does not overlap exactly
 French, German, Spanish

4. Indefinite Articles - Rules
Use the indefinite articles a and an only before singular count
nouns. Use these articles with singular count nouns that are not
specific and are being mentioned for the first time.
Use a before a noun or an adjective (+noun) that begins with a
consonant sound
 a pen/ a blue pen
Use an before a noun or an adjective (+noun) that begins with a
vowel sound
 an idea/ an absurd idea
For words that begin with the letters H or U, the use of a and an
depends on the beginning sound of the word
 a hat / an hour
 a university / an umbrella

5. Definite Articles - Rules
 Use the to talk about something specific
 The umbrella next to the door is not mine.
 Use the when the speaker and listener are talking about the same
specific item
 William, don’t forget to close the refrigerator.
 Use the for the second and all other references to the same noun
 James and I bought a new computer last month. The computer let us access
the Internet really quickly.
 Use the with the superlative form of an adjective (most or –est)
 Diamonds are the most expensive jewelry.
 Use the for the names of countries that look plural or have the
words united, union, republic or kingdom
 the Philippines, the Netherlands, the United States, the Republic of Angola.

6. Definite Articles - Rules
 Use the for the parts of something (exception – body
parts)
 Her kitchen is beautiful. The refrigerator is silver and the stove is
black.
 Use the with most bodies of water except individuals
lakes
 the Mississippi River / the Pacific Ocean / the Great Lakes (but Lake
Michigan)
 Use the with geographic parts of the globe
 the equator / the Middle East / the Gobi Desert / the South

7. No Article - Rules
 When you want to talk about a category or group in
general, use no article.
 Cats can be great pets (general)
 The cats in the pet shop are expensive (specific)
 Use no article before abstract nouns such as feelings or ideas
 A person’s future success depends on education (not on the
education)
 Patience is a value (notThe patience)

8. Typical ELLs Errors
 Always use an article (a, an, the) before a singular count
noun
 A job, an apple, the reason, the best choice, a delicious
sandwich
 Always use the article an with a noun that begins with a
vowel sound.
 An hour, a heir, an honorable person
 Don’t use the with a plural count noun that refers to the
whole category
 *I don’t trust the politicians.

9. Typical ELLs Errors
 Overuse the when they want to refer to the whole category of
something
 *The basketball is my favorite sport.
 Use the with count nouns that refer to whole category
 *I can understand the nouns and the verbs much better.
 Use the with abstract nouns or ideas
 *People need the patience.
 *The education is the most important thing.
 Use a with non uncountable nouns
 *I will send you a feedback.
 Omit a before a count noun
 *Every family dreams about ___ comfortable and luxurious house.
 Omit an indefinite article before a profession
 *Mr. Mark is ___ teacher.

10. Ideas for Teaching
 Compare the use of articles in other languages with the
use of articles in the English language;
 Know that like prepositions, articles take great deal of
time to be acquired by ELLS;
 Know what to teach about articles according to the level
of your students – beginning, intermediate or advanced.