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SAI INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL
ENGLISH – CLASS VII
LESSON NOTES – Module 39
Topic: Articles
Learning Objectives
Students will be able to identify articles and use them correctly in a sentence.
Introduction
Ask students to define a noun (a person, place, object, or idea), and then ask them to define adjectives (words
that describe nouns). Give a few examples such as "big (adjective) dog (noun)" and "red (adjective) house
(noun)."
Ask students to consider the words a, an, and the. Ask them what part of speech these words belong to, and
listen to their responses.
Tell students that these three little words are a type of adjective, called articles or determiners, because they
help us describe nouns. They tell us whether we are speaking of a specific noun or a noun in general.
Definition of Articles
An article is a word used to modify a noun, which is a person, place, object, or idea. Technically, an
article is an adjective, which is any word that modifies a noun. Usually adjectives modify nouns
through description, but articles are used instead to point out or refer to nouns. There are two
different types of articles that we use in writing and conversation to point out or refer to a noun or
group of nouns: definite and indefinite articles.
Definite Article
Let's begin by looking at the definite article. This article is the word 'the,' and it refers directly to
a specific noun or groups of nouns. For example:
the freckles on my face
the alligator in the pond
the breakfast burrito on my plate
Each noun or group of nouns being referred to - in these cases freckles, alligator, and breakfast
burrito - is direct and specific.
Indefinite Articles
Indefinite articles are the words 'a' and 'an.' Each of these articles is used to refer to a noun, but
the noun being referred to is not a specific person, place, object, or idea. It can be any noun
from a group of nouns. For example:
a Mercedes from the car lot
an event in history
In each case, the noun is not specific. The Mercedes could be any Mercedes car available for
purchase, and the event could be any event in the history of the world.
Article Usage with Examples
Properly using a definite article is fairly straightforward, but it can be tricky when you are trying
to figure out which indefinite article to use. The article choice depends on the sound at the
beginning of the noun that is being modified. There is a quick and easy way to remember this.
