Remember that only Countable (or unit) nouns take a or an.
Examples :
- A cigarette is made of a tobacco and a paper.
- A milk comes from a cow.
- We make a butter and a cheese from a milk.
- A window is made of a glass.
- A handkerchief is made of a piece of cloth.
- A grass has always grows in an English field.
- A chair is made of a wood.
- A cat has a tail.
- A man eats a meat.
- A ring is made of a gold or a silver.
- A coffee is a drink.
- A coat is made of a wool.
Uncountable Nouns and Countable Nouns in the plural, are preceded by some when 'a certain quantity, or number' is implied.
Bread is good for us. (All bread, in general)
Give me some bread. (A certain quantity)
Examples :
- A table has four legs.
- Some fruit is very good to eat.
Remember that some nouns are Countable or Uncountable according to context.
Exclamations with :
- What a ... ! (Countables singular)
- What ... ! (plural, and uncountables)
Examples :
What a good idea!
What fun your friend Maisie is!
A(n) is used for any one example of a countable noun. The plural of this is some. It means 'an unknown number of' the things named by the noun. We prefer to use There is (are, was, etc.) to introduce this idea instead of the simple verb to be.
There is a broken chair in the corner of the room.
There were some books on this table yesterday.
There'll be a picnic in the forest next Friday.
The Definite Article the is used whenever the noun is identified for us as 'one special, known example' (or 'certain known examples' in the plural).
A man and a boy were going along a dusty road. The man was pushing the boy along the road on a toy bicycle. The bicycle belonged to the boy's sister.
Where there can be only 'one certain' example that is meant, we normally use the. (The sun, sky, ceiling, station, etc.)
An important group of common nouns (mostly names of places) are used without an article in phrases closely associated with their special purpose or function, but with an article in a more general sense.
| He went to bed (to sleep). | He went to the bed (approached it). |
| He's at school (learning). | We walked round the dock(s). |
| The ship's in (dry) dock. | We walked round the dock(s). |
| Put it on paper (= write it). | There's a mark on the paper. |
And similarly with : prison, college, hospital, market, church, harbour (port), barracks, deck, (under) canvas, (at) sea, by train, and a few others. Compare the following :
- There's a horse in the garden. (any single horse)
- Horses are animals. (all)
- Perhaps we'll see some horses there. (a certain number)
- The horses are ready. (definite horses we know about)