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Glite Dictionary
indefinite article

indefinite article

1.0
A word like a or an used before one not specific thing
  • noun
  • /ˈɪndɪˌfɛnɪt ˈɑrtɪkl/
  • Specialized
translation icon : artículo indefinido
  • In English grammar, an indefinite article is used to refer to a non-specific item, such as in the sentence, 'I saw a dog in the park.'

Examples

  • When teaching English, it is important to explain that the indefinite article 'an' is used before words that start with vowel sounds.

  • Mia, as in modern Greek, is the indefinite article 'a'; kouri, or girl, evolves in modern Greek into kori, meaning daughter.

    Fiction book (2001)

  • Using an indefinite article in a sentence can indicate that you are talking about any one of a group, like in 'She wants a bike for her birthday.'

Antonyms

definite article
1.0

The word 'the' that you put before a noun shows people know which one

Surface Forms

indefinite article singular
indefinite articles plural

Morphology

indefinite + article

The meaning is compositionally derivable: 'indefinite' = not specific and 'article' = a grammatical determiner, so together they denote a determiner marking non-specific reference. This concept and the word-formation are cross-linguistically common and follow regular English compounding, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents will readily infer the meaning.

Etymology

The name indefinite article labels the small words a and an that point to one thing but not to a particular thing. For example, when you say 'I saw a dog' you mean any dog, so the name means 'a non-specific person or thing'.