Artikel a, an, the

Nama      : Putri Candra Indriyani
Kelas       : IEA19
NPM       :15216842

                                                                    ARTIKEL

A and AN are called indefinite articles. "Indefinite" means "not specific". Use A(AN) when you are talking about a thing in general, NOT a specific thing.

Examples:

• I need a phone. Not a specific phone, any phone
• Mark wants a bicycle. Not a particular bicycle, a bicycle in general
• Do you have a driver's license? In general

Use A(AN) when talking about a thing which is new, unknown, or introduced to a listener for the first time. Also use A(AN) when you are asking about the existence of something.

Examples:

• I have a car. The car is being introduced for the first time.
• Tom is a teacher. This is new information to the listener.
• Is there a dictionary in your backpack? Asking about the existence of the dictionary

Similarly, use A(AN) to introduce what type of thing we are talking about.

Examples:

• That is an excellent book. Describing the kind of book
• Do you live in a big house? Asking about the kind of house
• I ate a thick, juicy steak. Describing the kind of steak

REMEMBER: You cannot use A(AN) with plural nouns because A(AN) means "one" or "a single".

Examples:

• I saw a bears in Yellowstone National Park. Not Correct
• I saw bears in Yellowstone National Park. Correct

THE is called a definite article. "Definite" means "specific". Use THE when talking about something which is already known to the listener or which has been previously mentioned, introduced, or discussed.

Examples:

• I have a cat. The cat is black.
• There is a book in my backpack. The book is very heavy.
• Do you know where I left the car keys? The listener knows which specific car keys you are talking about.
• Do you own a car? Is the car blue? You assume they do have a car after asking about it in the first sentence.
• Nobody lives on the Moon. The Moon is known to everyone.

IMPORTANT: You can use THE with both singular nouns and plural nouns.

Examples:

• I saw the bear in Yellowstone National Park. Correct
• I saw the bears in Yellowstone National Park. Correct

http://www.englishpage.com/articles/a-an-vs-the.htm

EXERCISE:

1.      Do you know what ___ capital city of Indonesia is?

2.      Would you mind to wake me up in ___ morning?

3.      Please, don’t make ___ noise.

4.      I have told you ___ American joke just now.

5.      I don’t know anything about ___ track records of my new governor.

6.      Their mother is ___ tax consultant.

7.      Would you like to tell me ___ best moment of your life?

8.      There isn’t ___ lot of furniture in my room.

9.      ___ purpose of my life is living with you.

10.  What is ___ answer of my question?