Articles in English: How to use ‘a’, ‘an’, and ‘the’ properly

i need to learn english

Hi,
Can I use articles before werb or adjective?
Thanks

Hi James, nice to see you & your teaching.

Iam sorry to inform u that, iam not able to speak fluent english properly. Your Articles teaching video was very fine. Iam eager to know, if u can teach me, Quick methods of learning English Grammer. I thank u very much for you & your teaching video. now i got some idea about articles.

Thanking you,

Vinod

i love all your teachngs. really english is gift for from God. thank you

Hi James
Thanks too much for your helpful lesson. I really appreciate your effort
thanks again

Sorry for disturbing you, James. I’ve come up with the question concerning the use of articles here.

Could you assist me with this:

E.g. the situation: I’ve just talked to a person. I said good-bye to him and then say:

Thanks for a talk.
Thanks for the talk.

Thanks for a good talk.
Thanks for the good talk.

Which example in each of the pairs is the most suitable? Could you also explain it, if you please.

Sorry for burdening you again.
Thanks in advance.

Bluse screen dowsnot show any thing sir

I have a question. What answer is correct in this sentence “(The) cinema is a good way to relax” or “(-)Cinema is a good way to relax”? ( means non articles), and why?

thank you

Hi James,

I also have a question about the usage of articles that is not mentioned in the vid.
What about articles with enumerations. Is it common to use definite and undefinite articles with count nouns in long lists like for example:

On the table there is a pen, a book, a magazine, a piece of paper, a stapler, a notebook, and a key.

Thanks for your answer!

HI everybody, could anyone help me to understand when “the” is avoid? thanks

i have some douts…which sentence is right(1) i wud lyk to learn the piano.(2)i wud lyk to learn a piano.one more thing what r the cases when the articles has not been used.

hi james!
wow!great!it really helped me a lot. i know now when/how to use these articles. great job…thanks..

Video is great, but it would be great to get more explanation where exactly use it. I am from Czech, we are not using articles. I understood everything from the video but in the quiz is correct answer: A pen is on the table. So why is not there A pen is on a table… We are speaking first time about pen and first time about table aswell…its weird sometimes

Please correct me if I am wrong:I’ll see you THE next Monday(ungrammatical sentence) and THE next Monday is a holiday.(grammatical sentence)

JAMES You are really doing a fine job.
I am a student and preparing for my exams, your English videos are really helping. I am trying to follow most of your lectures . Its only that I have some problems with phrasal verbs, how to memorize all their meanings.
For Now YOU ARE MY HERO…! PLS REPLY..!

I am very happy with your lesson thanks.

Hi James!I wanna say that your lessons is very usefull not only for me but also enoyher people who learn English.Thank you very much!!Ta ta for now

and buy the way the avatar don’t look like me)however it’s funny:)

How do you say/write it: a RN or an RN?

I’m confused when I use a or an…with a vowel and consonants that sounds like the opposite. Which one is grammatically correct: a RN or an RN?

Hello James, your lesson is really understandable. Thanks. :)

By the way, I have a question about Articles. The other day, I was reading news paper and I found out one sentence, television, the Internet, the telephone. Why is there no the for television??? Why two of them got the while the other does not?? Please, let me know.

Thanks,

Anece.

hi James’
what article do i use before the word Ear. i’m confused as the word starts with a vowel but does it take the vowel sound.
please answer this quickly. i’ve my exams following.
sorry to burden you.

thanks,

shilpa

I was nice lesson to me JAMES. can i have the more examples on it.
is it right.
Thanks to you with all my heart.

JAMES I LOVE YOU!!…

ADD PRACTICE EXERCISE

how exactly is “the” used? for example, what is the diferrence between these two sentences….1.doubt is the key to knowledge.AND
2.doubt is a key to knowledge?

thanks james i realy understand

I really like the way you explained on this topic.You are a great teacher James.

I am hoping you will continue sharing of all the knowledge you gained because this is very helpful not only to me but to all viewers of your website..Thank you to all teachers shared their ideas especially to you teacher James.

thannks alot for these perfect video , and your way of teaching was very good an i like it

i like this lesson butbi donot find the quize

I like your vedios. it helps me lot in my exams and in conversation.I have problems with SUBORDINATORS AND TRANSITION WORDS.If possible for u please give me some idia about that. I will be very thankfull for that my exam is on next monday.

You made a mistake with your sentence: “everyone knows what your talking about.” It should be “everyone knows what YOU’RE talking about. I think you are a good teacher but you have to be careful next time. :).. no offense meant. I like your teaching method by the way.. :)

hi James, I just signed up. Appreciate your time helping people to improve their language. I kind of speak very good english but I still need help :(. I always use find it difficult using articles although I understand the basic rule how and when to use them. However, I found it difficult in a bigger sentence such as “.. its impact on sanitation, the spread of diseases, the distraction of infrastructure…”. Do you the THE used in this sentence in two places is correct? Please could you explain. Thank you so much. Look forward to hearing from you.

I appreciate all your lectures. very informative..
Please explain there is and there are in relation to countable and uncountable nouns..

i need to learn good english

Hi James,

I would greatly appreciate if you help me with the following:
‘In history’ – We use zero article, because noun is uncountable and non-specific.
‘In United states history’ – In this case noun is specific for me and i don’t understand why i can’t use ‘the’ article.
Thanks in advance.

Hello sir why we are not using an in the word university. Need a clear explanation if possible.keep up the good work.

Hello sir why we are not using an in the word university. Need a clear explanation if possible.keep up the good work. sir also you did not said about what is an article

Hi James thanks a lot for your lessons, could you please tell me when to use article the and when to do not do it, I will appreciate your help as soon as possible,

Thanks : )

hi james could help me about modal futuer and modal conclusions thanks:I will appreciay you !

Thank you very much,, This very useful to me^^

which article will be used

Kashmir is a/the beautiful place.

It was a very nice lesson, but how can we use them in writing?

To Magda
I am not expert in English but I saw some mistakes on your sentences.
This is just my opinion: After ‘my’ you should not use ‘the’ article and also ‘whole’ should come front of ‘my family’

Hi Jame you are so great!thankyou for your wonderful lessons!

Oh, I’d like to have a test after the lesson about articles!!!

Hi, why we use plural verb form after “A number of” and singular verb form after “The number of”. explain please

sometimes, we don’t use articles at all. When we do that?
It was a great lesson, by the way!!!

i need to learn excellent english, could u help me?

The constrast on the board was too bad. I did not get rady what you wrote on the board. I sugest you do the class again uing better pen or reducing the light

thank you,
these lessons really helps me! :)
THANK YOU

In my language, Khmer, we don’t use article. Thanks for this article lesson, James.

Hi James,
can I ask you
how to know whether the sentence refers to what is the first time shows?
Tnx

Hi James,

I likeed your lesson!
Thanks

Jeff (from recife city in Brazil)

hi James
why we do not use ‘the’ before Asia
when we say
I am living in Asia
Asia is specific n known all over the world
and why do we use the when we say
I am living in the continent of Asia
thanks

Thanks a lot Teacher James. I love your accent, you are very clear and I really appreciate your help. Thanks since Guatemala

please try to use a fresh marker next time
other wise it was fantastic

Thank you for your teaching….

I was reading an English book and I have a question, can I say “AN MP3 PLAYER?”…why? ..the other question, is correct to say ” These are an umbrella and a dictionary?…

GREAT VIDEO MR JAMES

i dont know hoe to use these articles,i mean where a will com,and AN,the…could you explain it

thanks

As usual greet.

I just want to learn more English, but I’m a bit more concerned about learning IELTS. Please get me know everything regarding this. THANK YOU

hay james Is it possible to say an european?

Hi i learned a lot after watching your videos. This is really a big help for me… can i ask your skype.. :)

Thank you very much ..:)

hi james first of all i would like to thank you i am 16 years old
mmm my english is verrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrry very very bad i have problems in present past future simple… and also i have problems in conversation with others soooooo i need help please;(

Hi James,
first I wanna thank you for all your valuable video lessons. These articles have been haunting me and I thought it was time that I needed an expert’s help. When it comes to articles, it seems like everyone talks about general and specific things. I no longer have problems with them. But it seems like they are pretty often used regardless of those rules.
For example
1)the water vs water

2) get in line!! vs hold the line!

I assume that the best thing I can do with them
is to just memorize them but I am wondering if
you have any other idea to make it any easier.
thank you

Hi James.May i have your skype id plz if possible.Realy i like your teaching techniques and style

its such a nice artical i really appreciate your effort thanx ….

He makes a mistake on his reference to the Flyers as a baseball team, but as teaching it is 9.5 out of 10. He explains it better than I can, and I have been teaching this or trying to for 30+ yrs!

thanks james

Hi James,
I teach English in a secondary school in Toulouse, France.
I like the way you explain the present simple. Do you do the same thing with the present be-ing and the present perfect ?
About “the article”, could you tell me, how do you explain “what a beautiful day”. Thanks.
Best regards

also want o learn english

Hi James,

My teacher told me that I can use “the” for plural. Is it correct?
I’m not sure. When do I use “an”?
I use “an” when the words begin with the “vowel”.
Why do we use “a” for European or University? When do I use “a” instead “an” for the words begin with the vowels sound?
Thank you so much :)

Hi James, this website and the lessons presented by you and other teachers have helped me to improve my grammar. I would like to request you to explain the use of ‘THE’ where required and not required with some examples that would help remember. Thanks!

I noticed you wrote in one sentence “Everybody knows what YOUR talking about” and in other “Everbody knows what you are talking about”.What is the difference between YOUR and YOU ARE here ? :S

i am not able to understand a, an , hte

I recently read somewhere that we can’t use an article before an adjective if the adjective is followed by a abstract noun…how far is this correct…any exceptions to this rule…?
e.g. A great misrey resented upon them.
OR Great misery resented upon them.

Can i say?

Where is the pen?
if i want to find MY pen.
or
Where is a pen?
if i want to find ANY pen.

Thanks James you this lesson Really Help Me :D

What kind of article do I have to use before the plural nouns?Thanks in advance!

hi James,
I still confuse when to use ‘a’ and ‘the’. if i said that past tense more prefer to use ‘a’, is it correct ? example ; He ate a bowl of rice yesterday. My mother gave me a doll yesterday. And what about L-license ? why must to use an L-license ?

Hi everyone,

Our teacher gave us this site and I am very happy to listen and learn from James’s vidio. Thank to you! Articles a bit confusing and I am trying to understand them well :)

We are a student.
We are students.
Which one is the correct sentence.

How to use “The” or “a” When we are talking about Group, Company or Team. Can we consider them as a singular noun and use them?

Hi,
ı really,ı want to learn English.But how??
please help me…

how con i use a ,an ,on,inthe,and with

i need learning English please help me

I used to be recommended this website through my cousin. I am not certain whether this put up is written via him as nobody else realize such distinct about my difficulty. You’re wonderful! Thank you!

THANK U VERY MUCH JAMES

a cat is an animal: indefinite, non-specific
I was bitten by a big cat last night: Indefinite article, specific (not any cat)
The cat that bit me last night was big: Definite article, specific object.
The rule that says first time you should say ‘a’, and second time ‘the’ is not correct, as you can use the indefinite article for specific things. ‘I saw a great guitar last night’ indefinite. specific.
‘the guitar I saw last night was great’ definite and specific. Get it? we can use ‘a’ for specific objects. Understand that and you have come a long way to cracking the articles.

hi james ,could you please explain report speech .
thank you

Hi, could You explain me please “what seems to be THE or A problem?” Which is grammatically correct, because we can use “A” as, for example, i do not know what kind of problem it is. And we can use “THE” as it can be specific thing. Google says that only “THE” will be correct in any case. Is it so? Thank You!

hi,in my essay written about the cons and pros of an iPad,my professor said that I don’t need any article before “iPad”, why?

Hello James,

My name is Milos and am a Serbian. I’ve been in the States for three years. I like watching your videos, you guys are really doing a great job! I have a question about this video. At some point you wrote: “Everyone knows what your talking about”. The keyword is “your”. I know that contraction for “you are” is “you’re” but till now I thought that “your” as a contraction for “you are” is a grammar mistake. I guess this is just another acceptable contraction in a written English. How about official written English and business English?

Thank you,
Milos

Hello James,

My name is Milos and am a Serbian. I’ve been in the States for three years. I like watching your videos. You guys are doing a really good job!

I have a question about this video. At some point you wrote: “Everyone knows what your talking about”. Can you please tell me why you used “your” instead of “you are” or the contraction “you’re”.

Thank you,
I look forward to your response
Milos

HI, I have question about gender nouns. Is there any grammatical explanation for identifying neuter, masculine or feminine nouns? I know some nouns which are easy to know what types of nouns they are related to. For example, actor and actress ( masculine; feminine). But how to identify the type of other nouns? Thanks in advance!!

Hi James,

I appreciate you taking time out of your day, to assist those who are diving into English.

I do have a quick question, and it cold have been a slight oversight on your behalf.

You mentioned at the beginning of the lesson that a, and the are used in the case of singular items/object. However, the can be used with singular & plural.

Besides that, good lesson. Take care!

James!!!
please help me with the usageof “the” and “thee”(the)…

hi! can you tell me what’s proper, “may we ask for an immediate repair or may we ask for immediate repair

im are a student.
thanks for your

hi i need the article elephant management in spanish

hi James thank you v much this is great way to teach

it was nice watching this session :)Thank u Jame for your teaching.

Where is quiz for this lession? I really like this lecture~

please help me how to speak and write good english

i am having a exam tomorrow and the exam is an ‘o’ level exam, how can i improve my English to at least pass my composition writing?

thanks for you all

Thank you James,I had a wonderful time listening to your video….it was really awesome and informative….Thank you so much once again….

the water temperature in the tank or water temperature in the tank? (I mentions the tank before)

I leave my mail if I want to know

Hi James,

Thanks for your teaching. My question is when we use without a/an or the. For example, when I’m talking about education system, I’m hesitated to use the or without ‘the’ education system.

Thanks,

thank you

Hello sir,
Please tell me where article “The” should not be used.

Thanks!

That’s how teacher’s should teach….awesome sir….
please tell me the exceptional cases where ‘the’ should not be used.
Thank you!!!

sir,i have to learn about would,how to use it,

Please! Help me to fix this grammar.
In connection with this, the computer technology is free from hassle and a manual system is becoming automated system that correspond the need of the people.

that’s very useful,thank you too much :-)

hi james i want 2 ask a doubt on the usage of ‘the’ word ( ‘the’ is not used in front of words like school,office etc but we use sentence like ‘she went to the office’ like that hear we using ‘the’ in front of words like office why we using ‘the’ in front of the ward like office why

I am still having problems using “an”. Can your explanation focus more in using “an” in a sentence. Thank you. :)

thanks that was a good lesson about articles

Hi James, thank you for all your lessons:) They really helped me, but I have a question, why did you say “That was A good lesson”, instead of that was The good lesson? All people know what you were talking about and lesson is specific. Thank you.

Hey, could you please help me to check this following sentence.

My heart had told me to re-check what I have learned about math, but I hadn’t listened so I fault in my examination.

“you’re”

Hi James,
First of all, thank you for creating this video.
No one, I repeat no one has ever simplified the usage of “the”.
My query: Financial analyst roles in ‘the’ market or Financial analyst roles in market?

Hope you’ll resolve my query at the earliest.

Let’s go to Dhaka for lunch on Friday.
Let’s go to Dhaka for lunch at Friday.
which one is correct

what is article?
use of article?

Quiz please!!! hugs!

Hi james, do we say a exercise book or an exercise book?