Articles

Articles are terms with at least two common meanings in language and literature: grammatical determiners that accompany nouns and written pieces published in newspapers, magazines, or online.

In English, the articles are the definite the and the indefinites a and an. They mark definiteness: indefinite articles precede singular count nouns ("a cat," "an apple"); the definite article "the" specifies a known referent ("the cat"). English also allows zero articles with generic plurals or uncountable nouns ("Cats are curious," "water is essential").

Many languages have articles with gender or case agreement; Romance languages typically have both definite and indefinite forms, while languages such as Russian or Finnish lack articles altogether or use demonstratives instead. Article use can affect syntax and meaning.

In publishing, an article is a written piece on a subject appearing in a periodical or online. Types include news articles, features, and opinion pieces. Typical structure includes a headline, byline, lead, and body.

The term derives from Latin articulus, and the two senses reflect different roles of language: marking reference in grammar versus conveying information in written prose.