A and an are indefinite
articles used to refer to a singular countable noun.
An indefinite article means that we don't know which one, or it is
not
important.
A is used before a
consonant
(b,c,d,f,g,etc.): acar An is used before a vowel (a,e,i,o,u)
: ananimal
*Tom lives in a town.
*Julie is reading an English book.
*We eat meat with a knife and a
fork.
the
The is a definite
article used to talk about something specific.
*The
town where Tom lives is very big.
*What book is
Julie reading? She is reading the book Tom gave her.
The is also used to
refer to:
*Rivers,
seas, oceans :
the Mississippi, the Mediterranean, the Atlantic.
*Nationalities :
the British, the Americans, the Japanese
no article
No
article is used in
generalisations :
*I like music.
*Caviar is expensive.
Exceptions :
*I watch television but I listen to the
radio and I go to the cinema.
*I don't play tennis but I play the piano,
the guitar, etc. No article is used for
place names (towns, countries, mountains):
*London, Spain, Mount Everest
except if plural :
*The Greek Islands, The United
States, The Alps