This document provides information on the different types of articles in English - indefinite articles (a/an), definite articles (the), and zero articles (no article). It discusses the rules for using each type of article and provides examples. Key points include how a/an is used with singular countable nouns, the is used when the identity of the noun is clear from the context, and the zero article is used with plural and uncountable nouns. Exercises are included for the reader to practice applying the article rules.

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Articles
(Članovi)

2. Types of Articles
-There are 2 types of -Postoje 2 vrste člana:
articles: indefinite neodređeni (a/an) i
(a/an) and definite određeni (the).
(the). -Takođe, kada ne
-Also, when we do not koristimo nijedan član,
use any articles at all, odnosićemo se prema
we will refer to it as a tome kao prema nultom
zero article (Ø) . članu (Ø).

3. The indefinite article ( a/an )
 A/an is a short
form of one or a dog Ø dogs
any, which
suggests that we
can use it only
with countable
singular nouns.
 For example: a
dog, a car, NOT:
a dogs!

4. The indefinite article ( a/an )
 Golden rule
number 1: Never use a kangaroo Ø kangaroos
a countable
singular noun
without an article!
(NOT: I saw Ø
kangaroo in the zoo.
CORRECT: a
kangaroo)
 Golden rule
number 2: Never use
plural nouns with
indefinite articles!
(NOT: I saw a
kangaroos in the
zoo(?!?). CORRECT:
Ø kangaroos).
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5. Golden rule number 3!
 Use a before nouns a book
beginning with
consonants (for
example: a book, a a cup
cup, a picture)
 Use an before nouns
beginning with vowels an apple
(for example: an
apple, an orange, an
egg). an orange
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6. Golden rule number 4!
 We use the an architect
indefinite article
when we
describe people’s
professions.
 For example: My
brother is an an engineer
architect; his
sister is an
engineer.

7. First/ second mention
 We use the indefinite article when we
do not know which one. For
example: Give me a chair! (I need any
chair, or one chair, I’m not interested in
any particular chair.) If we say, for
example, Give me the chair!, it means
that I know exactly which chair I need.
 We use the indefinite article when we
introduce a noun into a context for the
first time, that is, that noun is not
mentioned before. (for example: A
man came to my office.) If we continue
talking about the man, we will use the:
The man was looking for you.)
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8. 1) The zero article (Ø)
• We do not use indefinite articles
with uncountable nouns (examples
of uncountable nouns: water, sand,
money, rice etc.) So, we do NOT
say: I eat a rice every day (?!?).
CORRECT: I eat rice every day.
• We do not use any articles when
we talk about things in general.
For example: People like Ø music.
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9. 2)The zero article (Ø)
•We do not use articles when we
talk about languages. For example:
I like English and French. BUT we
say: the English language, the
French language.
•We do not need articles when we
talk about magazines. For example:
My sister likes reading Ø
Cosmopolitan. BUT newspapers
take the. For example: My uncle
reads the Times every morning.
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10. 3)The zero article (Ø)
 When we talk about meals we do not
use articles: What did you have for Ø
lunch?
 We do NOT use articles with the names
of countries, continents, cities ,
states, mountains and lakes ! For
example: Serbia (NOT: the Serbia),
Asia (NOT: the Asia), Berlin (NOT: the
Berlin), Idaho (NOT: the Idaho), Everest
(NOT: the Everest), Michigan (NOT: the
Michigan).
 We do NOT use articles with names
of people and places/regions ! For
example: Catherine (NOT: the
Catherine), Central Europe (NOT: the
Central Europe)

11. 4)The zero article (Ø)
 We do not use articles with names
of streets, roads, squares and
parks . For example: Oxford Street
(NOT: the Oxford Street), Victoria
Road (NOT: the Victoria Road),
Trafalgar Square (NOT: the
Trafalgar Square), Hyde Park
(NOT: the Hyde Park).
 We do not use articles with the
names of shops and
restaurants . For example:
Harrods (NOT: the Harrods),
McDonalds (NOT: the McDonalds)

12. The definite article (the)
 To begin with, the is the Answer the
short form of this/that or phone
these/those.
 We use the with both
countable and uncountable
nouns, both singular and
plural forms, when
everybody knows which
noun we are referring to!
(For example: Will you,
please, answer the phone?)
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13. The definite article (the)
 We use the when Can I take the bag in the
the noun is defined middle?
by a phrase that
follows. For
example: Can I take
the sports bag in
the middle?
 We use the with OF The roof of the house is
phrases. For double-slope.
example: The
beginning of the
month was very
difficult. Or: the
roof of the house

14. The definite article (the)
 We use the when we talk the guitar
about inventions and
musical instruments:
Who invented the
telephone? The guitar is
my favorite instrument.
 We use the with
theatres, cinemas,
hotels, galleries, the Odeon cinema
museums: the Palace
theatre; the Odeon
Cinema; the Hilton hotel;
the Tate gallery; the
British museum, etc.

15. The definite article (the)
 We use the when we The map of the Czech Republic
talk about republics
and kingdoms. For
example: the
Dominican Republic,
the United Kingdom,
etc.
The Simpsons
 We use the when we
use plural names: I
like to watch the
Simpsons. She lives in
the States.

16. The definite article (the)
 We use the with The Alps
mountain ranges (BUT: we
do not use the in front of
mountains!), for example:
the Alps, BUT: Ø Old
mountain.
 We use the with the
names of oceans, seas,
rivers and canals (all
water areas except The Moscow river
lakes!). For example: the
Atlantic Ocean, the Black
Sea, the Danube, the
Suez Canal, BUT: Ø Lake
Ohrid.

17. Let’s exercise!
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18. Put in a/an, the or Ø where necessary:
 1. I want ____ apple from that basket.
 2. ____ church on the corner is progressive.
 3. Miss Lin speaks ____ Chinese.
 4. I borrowed ____ pencil from your pile of pencils and
pens.
 5. One of the students said, "____ professor is late
today."
 6. I bought ____ umbrella to go out in the rain.
 7. My daughter is learning to play ____ violin at her
school.
 8. Please give me ____ cake that is on the table.
 9. I lived on ____ Main Street when I first came to town.
 10. Belgrade is ____ capital of ____ Serbia.
 11. Our neighbors have ____ cat and ____ dog. ____ dog
is very friendly but ____ cat doesn't like company.

19. Put in a/an, the or Ø where necessary:
1. ___ pasta we had for dinner last night was
excellent.
2. Jack is wearing ___ pullover today.
3. Maria likes ____ music.
4. ___ brown cap over there belongs to Mark.
5. My grandfather had ___ long life.
6. That book is about ___ life of ___ Helen Keller.
7. Tommy wants to be ___ tourist guide when he
grows up.
8. ___ people wear ___ jewelry to make themselves
more attractive.
9. ___ telegraph was a very important invention.
10. Do you know ___ people in ___ next house?

20. Put in a/an, the or Ø where necessary:
 1. Albert Einstein was __ famous scientist.
 2. Einstein was born in __ Germany in 1879.
 3. Einstein won __ Nobel Prize in Physics in 1921.
 4. Einstein left his country and lived in __ States until he died in 1955.
 5. Einstein is known for his theory of __ relativity.
 6. __ German physicist, who discovered X-rays in 1895, was named
Wilhelm Roentgen.
 7. Roentgen won __ 1901 Nobel Prize.
 8. Mandela was born in __ South Africa.
 9. Mandela was __ first President elected in South Africa after
Apartheid was abolished.
 10. Mandela was imprisoned for __ nearly 30 years for his anti-
apartheid activities.
 11. Mother Teresa was __ Roman Catholic nun.
 12. Mother Teresa became famous for her hard work with __ poor.
 13. She was __ founder of order of nuns called the Missionaries of
Charity.
 14. Mother Teresa lived in __ Calcutta, India.
*apartheid –n. = segregated political system in South Africa (aparthejd)
–

21. Put in a/an, the or Ø where necessary:
 1) My grandmother likes ____ flowers very much.
 2) I love ____ flowers in your garden.
 3) Emily needs ____ new desk in her room.
 4) Peter has ____ aunt in Berlin.
 5) I always listen to _____ radio in the morning.
 6) Alex goes to work by _____ bus.
 7) Don't be late for _____ school.
 8) Listen! Dennis is playing _____ trumpet.
 9) She has never been to _____ Alps before.
 10) What about going to ____ Australia in February?
 11) The speed of this car was 160 miles ____ hour.
 12) There was ____ man this morning looking for you.
____ man was very polite.

22. Put in a/an, the or Ø where necessary:
 1) This is ____ expensive bike.
 2) ____ Mount Everest is ____ highest mountain on
earth.
 3) She's reading ____ old comic.
 4) We are listening to ____ English CD.
 5) ____ most children like ____ sweets.
 6) _____ summer of 1996 was hot and dry.
 7) She has ____ exercise book in her school bag.
 8) Our friends, ___ Millers, moved to _____Florida last
August.
 9) ____ smog is ____ problem in _____ big cities.
 10) My brother is ____ honest person.

23. Put in a/an, the or Ø where necessary:
Hi John,
I arrived in ___ USA last Monday. We left ___ Rome,
flew over ___ Alps and made a quick stop in ___ London.
There we went shopping in ___ Harrods, visited ___
Tower and enjoyed a sunny afternoon in ___ Hyde Park.
On the following day we left for ___ New York. ___ time
on board wasn't boring as there were two films to watch
on ____ monitor. ___ people on ___ plane were all
Italian. Before we landed at JFK airport, we saw ____
Statue of Liberty and ___ Empire State Building. ____
hotel I stayed in was on ____ corner of ____ 42nd
Street. I don't like ____ hotels very much, but I didn't
have time to rent ___ apartment.
Please say hello to Peter and Mandy.
Yours,
Peter
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