A limiting adjective is used to define or restrict the meaning of a noun without expressing any of the nouns qualities.

For example

the house
five books
this pen
many women

Limiting adjectives are divided into three classes:

• Articles
• Pronominal adjectives
• Numeral adjectives

Articles

The particular limiting adjectives, the, a, and an are called articles.
The is called the definite article because it points out some particular thing.

For example

the desk
the sun
the future
the players
the years

A and an are called the indefinite articles because they do not point out any particular thing.

For example

a pen
an orchard
a hero

An is used before words that begin with a vowel sound, while a is used before a consonant sound. It is important that the choice of the use of a or an depends on the beginning sound that the following word and not the letter that is used as the beginning letter in the spelling of the word.

For example

an apple
a pin
an hour
(Note that while the word hour begins with the non-vowel h, it begins with a vowel sound.)
a union
(Note that while the word union begins with the vowel U, it does not begin with a vowel sound.)
an honor
(Note that while the word honor begins with the non-vowel h, it begins with a vowel sound.)

Although the article is intimately connected with the limitation of nouns, it is to be regarded rather as the sign of limitation than as itself a limiting word.

When one writes the man, the article the gives notice to the reader that some particular man is regarded in the mind of the writer. The writer then can point out by limiting or individualizing who that particular man is.

A and an are a sign that the writer is regarding a multitude of objects of the same kind. The writer is thinking of a single object but not of a specific or particular one.

The noun may be limited to show what class or description of objects is meant, but it does not to refer to any particular individual. A or an, however, can be said to limit because it prevents the noun from being used in its widest sense.

For example

Man denotes the whole human race.
A man denotes a single male human, but not a particular one.

The article the may extend the meaning of a noun in the singular when it is used in such sentences as the following:

• The horse is a noble animal.
  In this case, the horse denotes all horses.

Articles have the construction of the limiting adjective and are to be parsed as limiting adjectives. A and an are used only before nouns in the singular. The is used before nouns both in the singular and the plural. Usually, no article is needed before nouns used for the whole extent of their signification.

For example

Man is mortal.
Gold is precious.

At this point proceed to Exercise 7.