Introduction to the use of articles
 
What is an article?

In the English language, there are two types of articles, the definite article (the) and the indefinite article (a/an). Some languages, e.g. Russian, don't use articles. So, for speakers of some languages, the use of articles is a problem.

Like pronouns (my, her, this, those, etc.), the function of the articles is to make your language (what you say or write) more precise. Here is an example:

bullet My bicycle is blue (John's bicycle is green, so the blue bicycle is mine)
bullet I want an apple (not a pear)
bullet I want the big apple, not the small one
 
What's the difference between the definite and the indefinite articles?

The has a particular, "definite", meaning, and refers to something already mentioned (or known), or something you want to distinguish from something else:
 
bullet Give me the book (the book your sister is holding in her hand)
bullet Give me a book (any book)
bullet The lions are fantastic! (The lions you are now watching at the zoo)
bullet Lions are fantastric animals ( Lions in general - NO article)

"Indefinite" articles, a/an, are used in a particular but indefinite way:

bullet Give me a book
bullet I have a dream
bullet That's a joke

Compare:

bullet The book I read yesterday was very interesting
bullet The dream I had was beautiful
bullet The joke that Henry told us was not funny
 
A practical learning approach?
 
bullet Learn to understand the difference between what is "definite" and what is "general". When you talk about something in a general sense, e.g. "lions are beautiful", there is no article and the noun is generally used in the plural.
bullet Learn what is countable and what is uncountable (not possible to count). Indefinite articles (a/an) are generally necessary with countables.
bullet Train your awareness so that you start learning special phrases and exceptions.