How to use "a/an"

One of the most frequently asked questions is about how to use a/an/the. I've previously written two posts about "the," so today I'm going to focus on "a/an"

Meriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (10th edition) says the following about "a/an":

• used as a function word before singular nouns when the referent is unspecified e.g. a man overboard
• before number collectives and some numbers e.g. a dozen
• the same e.g. swords all of a length
• used as a function word before a singular noun followed by a restrictive modifier e.g. a man who was here yesterday
• any e.g. a man who is sick can't work
• used as a function word before a mass noun to denote a particular type or instance e.g. a bronze made in ancient times
• used as a function word with nouns to form adverbial phrases of quantity, amount, or degree e.g. I felt a little tired
  

If this is too much to remember, the rule about "a/an" at a very very very basic level is that you need "a" before a singular countable noun or when you are defining/identifying something for the first time. For instance:

• But conditions have since deteriorated: the talks stopped in 2009, and that same year the United Nations imposed sanctions on Pyongyang after it conducted a second nuclear test and launched a long-range missile. North Korea also prohibited reunions between North and South Korean families (New York Times, September 16, 2010): Here, Jimmy Carter didn't say "the" second nuclear test, because this is the first time in the article he is referring to the test, i.e. he is talking about an unspecified event.
  
  

Make sense? :)

Part II in our never-ending battle with "the": proper nouns and articles

1) proper noun
Proper nouns (고유명사) are nouns that represent unique entities, such as names, places, and things. Generally, you need to capitalize the first letters, and should not put "the" before them.

• Seoul, Tokyo, Samsung, Hong Gil-dong .... (o)
• seoul, tokyo, the Samsung, hong gil-dong .... (x)

But common nouns (일반명사) also serve as proper nouns when paired with other words to create a name for an entity. For example, words like ministry, trade, and foreign affairs are all common nouns, but the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade is a proper noun. This kind of proper nouns are generally preceded by the.

• the Department of State, the Harvard School of Government, the White House ... (o)
  
• Department of State, Harvard school of government, the white house ... (x)
  

2) proper noun + description
You need to determine which article to use depending on whether the proper noun is preceded or followed by the description thereof. Take a look at the following examples:

• The American tire maker Goodyear did...
• Goodyear, an American tire maker, did...
• American tire maker Goodyear's action is.... (You are pairing "American tire maker" and "Goodyear" into one proper noun. So no "the". It is like you never say "the Tom's book." You should always say "Tom's book")

• The Korean car company KIA said...
• KIA, a Korean car company, said...
• Korean car company KIA's sales increased...
  

3) Acronyms
I have already tried to explain this in another post (April 3, 2010 "Frustrated with a/an/the? You are not alone!"), but a lot of people still seem to be very confused. Let me give it another try!

When common nouns are paired to form a proper noun, the end result is generally a very long proper noun. So people usually use acronyms. For example, instead of saying "the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade," people say MOFAT. A lot of Korean students are not sure about which article (a,an, the) to put before acronyms.

• The FBI, the CIA, the UN ... : For acronyms of organization names that you pronounce each letter separately, use "the."
• WIPO, UNICEF, UNESCO, NATO ... : For acronyms of organization names that are pronounced as one word, do not put "the" before them.
• BP, LG, KFC, AT&T ... : Even if you pronounce each letter in these acronyms, they are so commonly used that they became non-acronymous proper nouns. That is, no one really cares what each letters stand for any more. In this case, do not use "the."
  

Frustrated with "a/an/the"? You are not alone!

This is arguably the trickiest part of learning English for non-native speakers. Frankly, I am not convinced that even native English speakers know how to select the correct article (a, an, the). They just do it intuitively and often get it incorrect. So if you are frustrated with articles, don't be discouraged too much because there are millions of people out there struggling with the same issue.

In this post, I am going to focus on the correct use of "the." The basic rule is that "the" is for something specific. So what makes a noun specific? Here are some examples.

1) When you are referring to something you have already mentioned.

• I saw a guy lurking around my house. I told my mom and she asked the guy to leave.
  

2) Proper noun or well known entities

• The New York Times, the United Nations, the Supreme Court, the Cold War etc.

3) Acronyms: do NOT put "the" when they are pronounced as one word, but put "the" when each letter is pronounced (I have to warn you that there are so many exceptions to this rule)

• with "the": the FBI, the UN, the USA etc.
  
• without "the": NATO, AIDS (as in HIV/AIDS), UNICEF, UNESCO etc.
  
• exceptions: UCLA, MIT (as in Massachusetts Institute of Technology) etc.
  

4) Collective unit:

• The 1980s were characterized by the expansion of neo-liberalism.
  

5) Some nouns followed by a modifier (of, that, who etc.) that clearly limits the meaning of the noun

• I have the necessary skills that one needs for successful administrative coordination.
  
• The family of the victim filed a lawsuit.
  

Let me emphasize that these are not meant to be an exhaustive list of the rules behind "the". The only rule that holds in any context is that "the" is for something specific. Everything depends on the context!

The following is based on some of the most common mistakes I have seen among Korean students preparing for the Korean foreign service exam. Make sure you remember whether to put "the" or not with the following words!

WITHOUT the

• Congress (with capital C, meaning 미 의회): The Korea-US Free Trade Agreement is facing an uphill battle in Congress.
  
• society: Try to use your expertise to give back to society.
  

WITH the

• the AAAA industry: The newly enacted law is welcomed by the banking industry.
  
• the BBBB community: The international community is keenly concerned about human rights abuse in North Korea.
  
• the U.S. Congress: Members of the U.S. Congress are split on health care reform.
• the media: The media is a watchdog that ensures government transparency.
  
• the Internet (with capital I): The creation of the Internet changed our lives completely.
• the economy: "It's the economy, stupid!" (This is a phrase Bill Clinton used during his 1992 presidential campaign. When you are referring to 경제 as a general concept, i.e. everything related to the production and consumption of goods and services in an area, you need to put "the")
  

One last tip: when you are saying "AAAA's BBBB", make sure you do not modify BBBB with both "the" and possessives.

• The government's policy (o): "the" goes with "government", so it means "the policy of the government"
  
• the America's policy (x): here, "the" goes with "policy". So you are basically modifying "policy" redundantly with both "the" and "America's". The correct expression is "America's policy" or "the policy of America"