What Are Articles?

Three small words — a, an, the — are among the most-used in English. They appear in nearly every sentence: I saw a dog. The dog ran into the street. These are articles, and they tell the reader whether the noun that follows is specific or general, known or unknown, singular or plural.

Articles look easy because they are short. They are not. Sierra Leonean students often drop them or use them wrongly because Krio does not require articles in the same places English does. WAEC tests article use directly in nearly every paper.

This lesson opens the Articles topic. We define the three articles, give the basic distinction (definite vs indefinite vs no article), and explain why articles matter.

The basic distinction — definite vs indefinite

A / an — indefinite — non-specific or first mention

Use a or an when:

• The noun is non-specific or one of many.

• You are mentioning the noun for the first time (the reader does not know which one).

• You are talking about any example of a category.

• I saw a dog in the street. (any dog — first mention; the reader doesn't know which dog)

• Aminata is a student. (one of many students)

• Foday wants to be a doctor. (any doctor — a category)

• A child needs love. (any child — general)

The — definite — specific or known

Use the when:

• The noun is specific or known to both speaker and listener.

• You have already mentioned the noun.

• The noun is the only one of its kind (the sun, the moon).

• The context makes the noun clear.

• I saw a dog in the street. The dog was barking. (the same dog already mentioned)

• Pass me the salt. (the salt on the table — specific, known)

• Aminata lives near the school. (a specific school both speakers know)

• The sun rises in the east. (only one sun)

• The president of Sierra Leone (only one president)

No article (zero article)

Use no article when:

• The noun is plural and general.

• The noun is uncountable and general.

• The noun is a proper noun (a name).

• Certain fixed expressions (covered in Lesson 4).

• Dogs are loyal animals. (plural, general — no article)

• Rice is a staple food. (uncountable, general — no article)

• Aminata lives in Freetown. (proper noun — no article)

• Foday plays football every weekend. (general activity — no article)

A quick comparison

Look at how the same noun changes meaning based on the article:

• I bought a book. (one specific book, but any title — first mention)
• I bought the book. (the book we discussed — known)
• I bought books. (more than one, general — no article)
• I read books. (general activity — no article)
• I read the books on the shelf. (specific books — known)

The article changes the meaning. WAEC tests this distinction directly.

Why Sierra Leonean students struggle with articles

In Krio and in many West African languages, articles are not used the same way. Direct translation often leads to errors:

• ❌ Aminata is student. (Krio: Aminata na student)

• ✓ Aminata is a student. (English requires article)

• ❌ I am going to market. (Krio: A de go na market)

• ✓ I am going to the market. (English requires the)

• ✓ I am going to a market. (any market — also possible)

• ❌ He drives the car. (when referring to driving in general)

• ✓ He drives a car. (general — any car)

• ✓ He drives. (no object — possible)

The English article system has to be learned, not translated.

When to use a vs an

The choice between a and an depends on the sound of the next word, not the spelling.

• A before a consonant sound: a book, a tree, a university (sounds like yoo-)
• An before a vowel sound: an apple, an hour (the h is silent), an MP (sounds like em-pee)

The rule is about pronunciation, not spelling. We will cover this fully in Lesson 2.

Articles with countable and uncountable nouns

Articles also depend on whether the noun is countable or uncountable.

Countable singular — always needs an article (or some determiner)

• ✓ A book is on the table.
• ✓ The book is on the table.
• ❌ Book is on the table. (singular countable cannot stand alone)

Exception: when no article is grammatically possible (like Foday is (no article needed) student — wrong) but it is. In English, a singular countable noun always needs an article or determiner.

Countable plural — the or no article

• ✓ The books are on the table. (specific books)
• ✓ Books are on the table. (general)
• ❌ A books are on the table. (cannot use a with plural)

Uncountable — the or no article

• ✓ The rice is delicious. (specific rice)
• ✓ Rice is delicious. (rice in general)
• ❌ A rice is delicious. (cannot use a with uncountable)

We will revisit these rules in Lessons 2, 3, and 4.

How to identify an article

Three tests:

Test 1 — Word check

Is the word a, an, or the? Then it is an article.

Test 2 — Position

Articles come before nouns (with or without adjectives between):

• the book (article + noun)
• the big book (article + adjective + noun)
• the honest doctor (article + adjective + noun)

Test 3 — Function

Articles do not modify (the way an adjective does). They identify the noun as specific or non-specific.

Quick self-check

Fill in the correct article (a, an, the, or — for no article). Answers below.

1. Aminata bought ___ new book.
2. ___ book was about Sierra Leone.
3. Foday is ___ honest student.
4. ___ sun rises in ___ east.
5. We had ___ rice for lunch.
6. ___ children love stories.
7. Mariama is ___ doctor.

Answers

1. a — first mention, any new book
2. The — already mentioned
3. an — vowel sound (honest has silent h)
4. The, the — both unique
5. — (no article) — uncountable, general
6. — (no article) — plural general
7. a — one of many doctors

What's next

In the next lesson we cover the indefinite article (a / an) in detail — the a vs an sound rule, when to use indefinite articles, and the common errors. After that, the definite article (the) and the zero-article rules.