introduction

It is often difficult to decide whether an English noun needs an article before it, and, if so, which article (a/an/the) to use. The main things to consider when choosing an article are whether or not the noun is countable, and whether it is definite. Countability means that the noun can be made plural, e.g. book/books. This is something you can check in a learner’s dictionary of English. Whether a noun is definite or indefinite depends on whether you and your reader or listener both know what you are referring to.