Articles: A, An, The

Articles are small but important words that come before nouns. **"A" and "An"** = used for **any one** thing (not specific) - **A** → before consonant sounds: a book, a car, a university - **An** → before vowel sounds: an apple, an egg, an hour **"The"** = used for a **specific** thing that both speaker and listener know about - The Taj Mahal (there's only one) - The book on the table (we know which book) **No article** needed for general plural or uncountable nouns: - I like rice. (rice in general) - Dogs are loyal. (dogs in general)