Page 39 - New Grammar with a Smile 5

A and an are called indefinite articles because they do not refer to any particular
person, place, animal or thing. The is called the definite article because it refers to
a particular person, place, animal or thing.

Indefinite Articles

We use indefinite articles

1. before singular countable nouns when we speak about them in a general way.
For example,
y He is reading a book.

y Inuits live in an igloo.

2. before words that begin with a vowel but have a
consonant sound, we use a. For example,
y Jake is a European.

y He studies at a university.

3. before words that begin with a consonant but have a vowel sound, we use an.
For example,

y She is an MLA.

y My father has an MA degree.
4. before words that begin with a silent h. For example,

y He is an honest boy.

y It’s an honour for me.

5. when we refer to something for the first time. For example,

y Would you like to have a drink?
y My father has bought a new car.

6. to say that a person belongs to a particular religion; before nationalities.
For example,

y Kuria is a Jew.

y Dave is an Englishman.

7. while referring to an example of something. For example,
y An elephant has a long nose.

y A bear has a tiny tail.

8. with names of jobs. For example,
y He is a waiter.

y Malathi is an engineer.

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