Chapter 3 Noun Accomplices: Articles, Pronouns, and Adjectives Articles Articles are everywhere but few in number: just "the," "a," and "an." They're so quick and easy to use, almost everyone's an expert. Still, some questions do arise, so here's a quick article Q&A. Another Quick Q&P Q&A...This Time About Articles Q. When do you use "a" and when do you use "the"? A. Use "a"--aka the "indefinite" article--when you mean a person or thing in general. For example, after dinner someone might say: "I am dying for a piece of cake." They don't mean a specific cake--