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Include definite and indefinite articles in your documentation. For ease of comprehension and
translation, include a, an, and
the in your writing.
A and an are indefinite articles and are used before a singular
noun. They refer to any member of a group.
The is a definite article. It is used before singular and plural nouns
and refers to one or more particular members of a group.
Whether to use a or an depends on the pronunciation of the word that
follows it. Use a before any consonant sound; use an before any vowel
sound, as in the following examples:
An hour
An HTML file
A hand
A hotel
An umbrella
A union
To complicate matters further, some abbreviations can be both
acronyms and initialisms, requiring a in one instance and an in
the other. For example, FAQ, which some pronounce "fak" and others spell
out, requires an when spelled out and a when pronounced as a word.
In some cases, it can be best to use the article that aligns with how the
abbreviation is pronounced. The following list provides our recommendations for
which article to use:
A SQL (database)
An FAQ
External resources
Two pages with more detailed information about articles:
[[["Easy to understand","easyToUnderstand","thumb-up"],["Solved my problem","solvedMyProblem","thumb-up"],["Other","otherUp","thumb-up"]],[["Missing the information I need","missingTheInformationINeed","thumb-down"],["Too complicated / too many steps","tooComplicatedTooManySteps","thumb-down"],["Out of date","outOfDate","thumb-down"],["Samples / code issue","samplesCodeIssue","thumb-down"],["Other","otherDown","thumb-down"]],["Last updated 2024-10-29 UTC."],[[["Always include definite and indefinite articles (*a*, *an*, *the*) in your writing for clarity and easier translation."],["Use *a* before consonant sounds and *an* before vowel sounds, remembering that this depends on pronunciation, not spelling."],["*A* and *an* are indefinite articles used with singular nouns referring to any member of a group, while *the* is a definite article used with singular and plural nouns referring to specific members of a group."],["When using abbreviations, choose the article based on how the abbreviation is commonly pronounced (e.g., *a* SQL database, *an* FAQ when spelled out)."]]],[]]
