{"id":7817,"date":"2013-09-06T23:09:30","date_gmt":"2013-09-06T23:09:30","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/?page_id=7817"},"modified":"2026-03-25T15:19:48","modified_gmt":"2026-03-25T20:19:48","slug":"function-of-articles","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/function-of-articles\/","title":{"rendered":"Function of Articles in a Sentence"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\t\t\t<div id=\"mmDeferVideoEncompass_Ayy-Bm0KotI\" style=\"position: relative;\">\n\t\t\t<picture>\n\t\t\t\t<source srcset=\"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/circle-play-duotone.webp\" type=\"image\/webp\">\n\t\t\t\t<source srcset=\"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/circle-play-duotone.png\" type=\"image\/jpeg\"> \n\t\t\t\t<img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"eager\" id=\"videoThumbnailImage_Ayy-Bm0KotI\" data-source-videoID=\"Ayy-Bm0KotI\" src=\"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/circle-play-duotone.png\" alt=\"Function of Articles in a Sentence Video\" height=\"464\" width=\"825\" class=\"size-full\" data-matomo-title = \"Function of Articles in a Sentence\">\n\t\t\t<\/picture>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<style>img#videoThumbnailImage_Ayy-Bm0KotI:hover {cursor:pointer;} img#videoThumbnailImage_Ayy-Bm0KotI {background-size:contain;background-image:url(\"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/updated-function-of-articles-in-a-sentence-64c3e29836238-2.webp\");}<\/style>\n\t\t\t<script defer>\n\t\t\t  jQuery(\"img#videoThumbnailImage_Ayy-Bm0KotI\").click(function() {\n\t\t\t\tlet videoId = jQuery(this).attr(\"data-source-videoID\");\n\t\t\t\tlet helpTag = '<div id=\"mmDeferVideoYTMessage_Ayy-Bm0KotI\" style=\"display: none;position: absolute;top: -24px;width: 100%;text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-style: italic;font-size: small;border-top: 1px solid #fc0;\">Having trouble? <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v='+videoId+'\" target=\"_blank\">Click here to watch on YouTube.<\/a><\/span><\/div>';\n\t\t\t\tlet tag = document.createElement(\"iframe\");\n\t\t\t\ttag.id = \"yt\" + videoId;\n\t\t\t\ttag.src = \"https:\/\/www.youtube-nocookie.com\/embed\/\" + videoId + \"?autoplay=1&controls=1&wmode=opaque&rel=0&egm=0&iv_load_policy=3&hd=0&enablejsapi=1\";\n\t\t\t\ttag.frameborder = 0;\n\t\t\t\ttag.allow = \"autoplay; fullscreen\";\n\t\t\t\ttag.width = this.width;\n\t\t\t\ttag.height = this.height;\n\t\t\t\ttag.setAttribute(\"data-matomo-title\",\"Function of Articles in a Sentence\");\n\t\t\t\tjQuery(\"div#mmDeferVideoEncompass_Ayy-Bm0KotI\").html(tag);\n\t\t\t\tjQuery(\"div#mmDeferVideoEncompass_Ayy-Bm0KotI\").prepend(helpTag);\n\t\t\t\tsetTimeout(function(){jQuery(\"div#mmDeferVideoYTMessage_Ayy-Bm0KotI\").css(\"display\", \"block\");}, 2000);\n\t\t\t  });\n\t\t\t  \n\t\t\t<\/script>\n\t\t\n<p><script>\nfunction BQl_Function() {\n  var x = document.getElementById(\"BQl\");\n  if (x.style.display === \"none\") {\n    x.style.display = \"block\";\n  } else {\n    x.style.display = \"none\";\n  }\n}\n<\/script><\/p>\n<div class=\"moc-toc hide-on-desktop hide-on-tablet\">\n<div><button onclick=\"BQl_Function()\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/toc2.svg\" width=\"16\" height=\"16\" alt=\"show or hide table of contents\"><\/button><\/p>\n<p>On this page<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<nav id=\"BQl\" style=\"display:none;\">\n<ul>\n<li class=\"toc-h2\"><a href=\"#What_is_an_Article\" class=\"smooth-scroll\">What is an Article?<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"toc-h2\"><a href=\"#Definite_Article\" class=\"smooth-scroll\">Definite Article<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"toc-h2\"><a href=\"#Indefinite_Articles\" class=\"smooth-scroll\">Indefinite Articles<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"toc-h2\"><a href=\"#Practice_Questions\" class=\"smooth-scroll\">Practice Questions<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/nav>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"accordion\"><input id=\"transcript\" type=\"checkbox\" class=\"spoiler_button\" \/><label for=\"transcript\">Transcript<\/label>\n<div class=\"spoiler\" id=\"transcript-spoiler\">\n<p>Hi, and welcome to this quick review of articles!<\/p>\n<p>Articles are some of the most commonly used words in the English language, which makes sense when you think about how incredibly useful they are. In this video, I want to quickly go over what articles are and what they\u2019re used for, and then give you a few practice problems to try on your own.<\/p>\n<p>Let\u2019s get started!<\/p>\n<h2><span id=\"What_is_an_Article\" class=\"m-toc-anchor\"><\/span>What is an Article?<\/h2>\n<p>\nSo what is an article? An article is a special type of adjective that\u2019s used to indicate if a noun is specific or non-specific. In English, we have three articles: <em>the<\/em>, <em>a<\/em>, and <em>an<\/em>.<\/p>\n<h2><span id=\"Definite_Article\" class=\"m-toc-anchor\"><\/span>Definite Article<\/h2>\n<p>\nThe article <em>the<\/em> is called a \u201c<strong>definite article<\/strong>,\u201d and it\u2019s the only definite article in the English language. This means that the is used to describe a specific or particular object.<\/p>\n<p>For instance, if you say, \u201cI\u2019m looking for the pen that I used earlier,\u201d you\u2019re talking about a very specific pen, not just any old pen.<\/p>\n<h2><span id=\"Indefinite_Articles\" class=\"m-toc-anchor\"><\/span>Indefinite Articles<\/h2>\n<p>\nBut what if you didn\u2019t really care which pen you used? This is where the indefinite articles come in. There are only two indefinite articles: a and an. <em>A<\/em> is used before words that start with a consonant sound, and <em>an<\/em> is used before words that start with a vowel sound.<\/p>\n<p>Let\u2019s go back to our pen example. \u201cDoes anybody have a pen I could borrow?\u201d In this sentence, you used the indefinite article a because you aren\u2019t looking for a specific pen; you\u2019re looking for any pen that might be available. The reason you didn\u2019t use the article an is because the word pen starts with a consonant sound, not a vowel sound. An example of a sentence that uses an would be, \u201cShe brought an orange to eat during class.\u201d<\/p>\n<hr>\n<h2><span id=\"Practice_Questions\" class=\"m-toc-anchor\"><\/span>Practice Questions<\/h2>\n<p>\nLet\u2019s try out a few example sentences and see if you can guess which article should be used.<\/p>\n<p>1. \u201cCould you bring me _______ that I left in my office?\u201d<\/p>\n<ol style=\"list-style: upper-alpha;\">\n<li> a blue notebook<\/li>\n<li>an blue notebook<\/li>\n<li>the blue notebook<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<div style=\"text-align: center; margin-bottom: 20px;\"><button class=\"buttontranscript\" onClick=\"toggle('Answer1')\">Show Answer<\/button><\/div>\n<div id=\"Answer1\" style=\"display:none; box-shadow: 1.5px 1.5px 5px grey; background-color:#E0E0E0; padding: 30px; padding-bottom:15px; width:60%; margin: auto; text-align: center;\">\n<strong>The correct answer is C!<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">The last phrase, \u201cthat I left in my office,\u201d provides a clue that this person is talking about a specific object that they left in a specific place. This means that the definite article the would be used here.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>\n&nbsp;<br \/>\n2. \u201cShe really wants _______ for Christmas.\u201d<\/p>\n<ol style=\"list-style: upper-alpha;\">\n<li>a puppy<\/li>\n<li>an puppy<\/li>\n<li>the puppy<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<div style=\"text-align: center; margin-bottom: 20px;\"><button class=\"buttontranscript\" onClick=\"toggle('Answer2')\">Show Answer<\/button><\/div>\n<div id=\"Answer2\" style=\"display:none; box-shadow: 1.5px 1.5px 5px grey; background-color:#E0E0E0; padding: 30px; padding-bottom:15px; width:60%; margin: auto; text-align: center;\">\n<strong>The correct answer is A!<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">The sentence doesn\u2019t give any clues that we\u2019re talking about a specific puppy, so an indefinite article should be used. Since the word puppy starts with a consonant sound, the article a is used instead of an.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>\n&nbsp;<br \/>\n3. \u201cIt takes me _______ to walk to the mall from my house.\u201d<\/p>\n<ol style=\"list-style: upper-alpha;\">\n<li>a hour<\/li>\n<li>an hour<\/li>\n<li>the hour<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<div style=\"text-align: center; margin-bottom: 20px;\"><button class=\"buttontranscript\" onClick=\"toggle('Answer3')\">Show Answer<\/button><\/div>\n<div id=\"Answer3\" style=\"display:none; box-shadow: 1.5px 1.5px 5px grey; background-color:#E0E0E0; padding: 30px; padding-bottom:15px; width:60%; margin: auto; text-align: center;\">\n<strong>The correct answer is B!<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">Saying the sentence out loud can help you determine the correct answer here. The word hour starts with a consonant letter, but it starts with a vowel sound because the h is silent. Remember, it\u2019s all about the sound, not the letter.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>\n&nbsp;<br \/>\n4. \u201cHe hasn\u2019t been to Florida in over _______.\u201d<\/p>\n<ol style=\"list-style: upper-alpha;\">\n<li>a year<\/li>\n<li>an year<\/li>\n<li>the year<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<div style=\"text-align: center; margin-bottom: 20px;\"><button class=\"buttontranscript\" onClick=\"toggle('Answer4')\">Show Answer<\/button><\/div>\n<div id=\"Answer4\" style=\"display:none; box-shadow: 1.5px 1.5px 5px grey; background-color:#E0E0E0; padding: 30px; padding-bottom:15px; width:60%; margin: auto; text-align: center;\">\n<strong>The correct answer is A!<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">The letter y can be a vowel or a consonant, so just looking at it isn\u2019t enough. In this case, the y makes a \u201cyuh\u201d sound, which is considered a consonant sound, so the indefinite article a should be used.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>\n&nbsp;<br \/>\nThat\u2019s all for this review! Thanks for watching, and happy studying!<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n<div class=\"home-buttons\">\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/parts-of-a-sentence\/\">Return to Parts of a Sentence Videos<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><script>\nfunction toggle(obj) {\n          var obj=document.getElementById(obj);\n          if (obj.style.display == \"block\") obj.style.display = \"none\";\n          else obj.style.display = \"block\";\n}\n<\/script><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Return to Parts of a Sentence Videos<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":187700,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":{"0":"post-7817","1":"page","2":"type-page","3":"status-publish","4":"has-post-thumbnail","6":"page_category-video-pages-for-study-course-sidebar-ad","7":"page_category-writing-videos","8":"page_type-video","9":"subject_matter-english"},"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/7817","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7817"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/7817\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":279499,"href":"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/7817\/revisions\/279499"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/187700"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7817"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}