Article (grammar)

An article is a word that combines with a noun to indicate the type of reference being made by the noun. The three main articles in the English language are the, an and a. They are described below. Another word for an article is call a "Noun marker" which is an archaic word for what we now call "articles" (in the context of grammar).

It is sometimes wondered which part of speech articles belong to. Since articles modify nouns, either alone or in combination with an adjective, they are sometimes classed as adjectives. However, some linguists place them in a different category, that of determiners.