Definition: Articles are special adjectives, which
can be used to put before the nouns and modify the nouns that stand after them.
The article is divided into two kinds—the indefinite article (a/an) and
the definite article (the).
I.THE INDEFINITE ARTICLE (A/AN):
Definition:
A/An can be used to put before the singular countable noun. “An”
can be used before the singular nouns which begin with vowels such as: “a, e, i,
o & u” or the letters which begin with the vowel sound, while “a” can be
used to put before the singular nouns which begin with the consonant or the
consonant sounds.
THE INDEFINITE ARTICLE “A/AN” CAN BE USED AS THE
FOLLOWING:
A. Before singular count nouns to mean “one”:
For Examples:
-I have an umbrella.
-She has a house.
-We have got a daughter.
-You have a leather bag.
-He has a plastic belt.
-My dog has a long tail.
-They have an inkpot.
B. In a general statement:
For Examples:
-A lion is a wild animal.
-A parrot is a bird.
-A cow is a domestic animal.
-A computer is an electronic machine.
-A bike is a transport.
C. To
introduce a subject that has not been mentioned before:
For Examples:
-She bought a new car.
-I have two children—a girl and a boy.
-They have a cat and a dog.
-He has found a better job.
D. With a complement including names of professions:
For Examples:
-My father is a farmer.
-Our daughter is an engineer.
-Her mother is a housewife.
-My aunt is a shop assistant.
-Your brother is a doctor.
-My uncle is a nurse.
-Their son is a soldier.
-John is an English teacher.
-Mary is an accountant.
-Pheakdey is a postman.
-Mike is a computer programmer.
-Meanub is a fire brigade.
E. With certain numerical expressions:
For Examples:
-A couple of weeks
-A dozen of eggs
-A hundred of people
-A great many students
-A thousand of problems
-A lot of protesters
THE INDEFINITE ARTICLE “A/AN” CANNOT BE USED AS THE
FOLLOWING:
A. Before plural and non-count nouns when talking about
things in general:
For Examples:
-I like potatoes.
-We don’t like hamburgers.
-She hates bananas.
-He doesn’t like fish.
-You love apples.
-Milk is good for you.
-Palm juice is sweet.
-Mead contains alcohol.
B. Before names of countries, towns, streets, languages,
magazines, meals, airports, stations, and mountains:
For Examples:
-I always have lunch at one o’clock.
-We come from Cambodia.
-Most people go to Phnom Penh to find jobs.
-My house is a long National Route 7.
-I like studying English.
-They like reading Cosmopolitans and Pops.
-When we want to travel abroad, we have to take a taxi
to Phnom Penh International Airport.
-Paddington Station is in England.
-Santuk Mountain is in Kampong Thom Province.
C. Before some places and some forms of transports:
For Examples:
-At home
-At school
-To school
-To University
-At work
-To work
-In bed
-To bed
-By bus
-By train
-By car
-By plane
-On foot
-By bicycle
D. In an exclamation with what + non-count noun:
For example:
-What beautiful weather!
-What loud music!
II. THE DEFINITE ARTICLE “THE”:
Definition: “The” can be used to put the plural
nouns, singular nouns and the non-countable nouns.
THE DEFINITE ARTICLE “THE” CAN BE USED AS THE FOLLOWING:
A. When both the speaker and the listener have a
specific thing or person in mind:
For Examples:
-Could you shut the window? - Yes, of course.
(Both the speaker and listener know which window)
-Could you open the door? - No, of course not.
(Both the speaker and the listener know which door)
-Where is Jack? - He
is in the kitchen.
(Both the speaker and listener know which kitchen)
B. When there is something only one in the world:
For Examples:
-The earth is round.
-The moon shines at night.
-The sun shines in the day time.
-The sky is blue when the weather is wonderful.
-The world is wonderful if people love each other.
C. When we mention the nouns for the second time:
For Examples:
-I saw a woman waiting at the hall an hour ago.
+The woman looked like your mother.
-We have a horse and a cow.
+The horse is five years old and the cow is very old.
-She has a pig and a parrot.
+The pig is still a piglet and the parrot is three
months old.
-He has a bike and a motorcycle.
+The bike is new, but the motorcycle is very old.
-They have a new car and a big house.
+The car is very expensive and the house is a present
from my uncle.
D. With the names of musical instruments:
For Examples:
-He plays the piano.
-She plays the drum.
-They play the keyboard.
-You play the guitar.
-We play the violin.
-I play the bass.
-Mary plays the flute.
-John plays the trumpet.
E. With the superlative of adjectives:
For Examples:
-The Mississippi is the longest river in the U.S.A.
-Mike is the most handsome boy in the class.
-Sophea is the most beautiful girl of all.
-John is the cleverest boy in our class.
-Phanith is the best student of all.
-Your straight ruler is the shortest.
F. when speaking about the specific nouns:
For Examples:
-Coffee is a popular beverage. (General)
+The coffee we had this morning was Colombian. (Specific)
-Ice-cream is sweet. (General)
+The ice-cream we ate last night was not sweet enough. (Specific)
-Apples are good for us. (General)
+The apples in the basket are for sales. (Specific)
-Milk is good for our health. (General)
+The milk we bought last week was very far from cheap. (Specific)
G. With words like “office, center, movie, cinema,
concert, theatre, …etc.
For Examples:
-We are going the theater tonight.
-I like going to the concert.
-John loves going the cinema.
H. With the name of the “oceans, rivers, gulfs, plural lakes,
seas, and mountain ranges:
For Examples:
-The Pacific Oceans
-the Black Sea
-the Great Lake
-the Rockies.
I. With countries that have a plural name or that have
an adjective in the name except Great Britain:
For example:
-The United States
-The Netherlands
J. With groups of island with a plural name:
For example:
-The Philippines
-The Virgin Islands
K. With the names of geographic areas:
For example:
-The Middle East
-The Far East
-The Orient
L. With Universities, colleges, and schools when the
name begins with school:
For example:
-The University of Texas
-The College of engineering
-The school of Sreng Kim
-The University of Oxford
M. With the name of war (excluding World Wars):
For example:
-The Civil War
-The War of Independent
N. With the names of historical documents:
For example:
-The Treaty of Geneva
-The Magna Carta
O. With the names of ships, trains, airplanes:
For example:
-The Queen Mary
-The Orient Express
THE DEFINITE ARTICLE “THE” IS NOT USED AS THE FOLLOWING:
1. With names of singular lakes, mountains, and islands:
For example:
-Lake Superior
-Mount Everest
-Haiti
2. With countries with a singular name:
-Spain; Canada; Cambodia; Thailand; Brunei; Myanmar;
Malaysia; Indonesia; Singapore; Laos; Vietnam; China; Japan; North Korea; South
Korea; India; Russia; …etc.
3. With the names of the continents:
For example:
-Asia
-Africa
-Europe
4. With the names of states, towns, streets:
For example:
-Florida
-Los Angeles
-Broadway
-Highway
5. With names of general subjects:
For example:
-Geography
-English
-Chinese
-Mathematics
-Physics
-Politics
-Earth Science
-Home Economics
-History
-Biology
-Chemistry
Agriculture
-Physical Education
-Moral civics
6. With the names of people, magazines:
For example:
-Time Magazines
-Charlie Brown
-Chhum Sokuntheary
7. With University, college, and schools beginning with a
proper noun:
For example:
-Los Angeles City College
-Harvard University
-Oxford University
-Cambridge University
-Prem Prei Lower Secondary School
-Srange Elementary School
-Lovea High School
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