Help with english grammar

[lelask]

As a non native english speaker I am sure I am doing many, many grammar mistakes so I tought maybe there is someone who wouldn't mind explaining some grammar rules which me / we are not sure about.
It is very important for me to offer grammaticaly correct english language.

Could someone explain the use of " a, an, the" please ??????  Mainly "the" is confusing.
 Many thanks.

[TracyR4]

A is used in sentences when you have a word that starts with a consonant. Such as : a dog ( d is a consonant) , a cat, a plant.
Consonants : B, C, D , F , G , H, J , K , L , M , N , P , Q, R , S, T , V, W, X, Y, Z

Sentence: A dog ,and a cat went for a walk.

An is used when you have a word that starts with a Vowel.
Vowels : A, E, I , O , U 

Examples,  An Apple, An Egg, An Igloo, An Umbrella

There really isn't a true rule for the word  The. Its a common word usually used before nouns(Nouns are persons, places, things or ideas).

The children went for a walk.

The cat chased the rat.
 
The family went to the store.

The car sped out of control.

The book fell off the shelf.

Hope some of that makes some sense, and is helpful.

[lelask]

thank you Tracy.
A dog ,and a cat went for a walk.  How about this sentence : Dogs and cats went for a walk or The dogs and the cats went for a walk?
thank you

[tlyoung]

I am a native English speaker and I still have grammer problems. I wish I could speak and write a second language as well as you do.  I have noticed English changing, this would be incorrect in the past:

I went to hospital today.
 instead of   
 I went to the hospital today. I have heard the noun hospital used on US news staions without the before hospital.
I like that this site does not have grammer police like another site I go to.

[carpe vestri vita]

"The" is used for a specific item. So I want the book from the top shelf, but if any book will do, I would like a book from the top shelf.

Dogs and cats went for a walk is technically accurate, but most people would say "Some dogs and cats" (if it were any dogs and cats) or "The dogs and cats" for specific dogs/cats. Also acceptable is "The dogs and some cats" or "Some dogs and the cats"

A/An is like saying "one."
There is an apple in the fruit bowl. So in a specific fruit bowl, there is one apple. The apple is in the fruit bowl. That would be a specific apple in a a specific fruit bowl. and lastly: The apple is in a fruit bowl. A specific apple is located in one of a number of fruit bowls. If there is a single apple and a single fruit bowl either (1) the apple is in the fruit bowl, or (2) there is an apple in the fruit bowl, or (3) an apple is in the fruit bowl. All three would be acceptable, but one would make more sense depending on what was being discussed beforehand. 1 would be used if you were talking about a specific apple or apples in general. 2 would be used when discussing the contents of the fruit bowl. 3 would be used when discussing the fruit bowl.

Does that help at all?

[lelask]

Thank you very much for your detailed explanation.
"The dogs and cats" for specific dogs/cats. = so there doesn't need to be THE before cats????
I have noticed that sometimes in english there is no THE used  if there is plural and sometimes there is   

And exactly as tlyoung  wrote the example with hospital.
 Why sometimesf we say : I am going to the....... somewhere
              and sometimes is only I am going to................somewhere

I have houndreds of grammar books and when I read it I understand it and then comes a? real situation and I am not sure again. Sometimes if I am not sure of the use of "a"an" I say  "some"  instead. Does it mean If I can a, an replace with some there sure can be a,an or the? But which one? I understand if we talk about apples and dogs ( thing I can touch) but if there are words like situation...... I am not sure.

I also understan when A,An is replaced by The but why there is sometimes nothing 

Thank you for your answers I know it will click one day 

[TracyR4]

Honestly I think you do pretty well. American English , and most likely English in general can be hard for those that are native to it to begin with.
Each region of the United States has their own way of saying things and speaking.
For instance The Northeast of the Country most people will  say something like " Are you guys coming over? " Guys can refer to girls or boys or both. If you live in the south of the country you may hear someone say " Are ya'll coming over today?" Ya'll is short for you all.
We live in NW Pennsylvania we say " Are you guys coming over?"  If you go about 100 miles south of us they use the words Yinz ( I believe the only place in the US that uses that word). If you go to New York City in the Brooklyn area you will hear a unique dialect, as well New Jersey. We have such a unique country and unique language. Even the African American population have their own way of saying things as well. So really its a grab bag when it comes to speaking English in America. You can't really get it wrong a whole awful lot. LOL
Now I can't say if that is the same for English in the UK. I'd love to know if its the same there.

The is a word that is used quite a bit.
You could say The dogs and cats are coming over. That is correct. You could also say : The dogs and the cats are coming over.
The first one may be a little more correct than other other because by saying , the, twice you run the risk of sounding redunant.
As for using the in situations such as the sentence : The least I could do is say I'm sorry. You could also say : Least I can do is say I'm sorry. Either way its actually right.

A and an are used when referring to one thing.
I will take an apple and use it for lunch.  The woman is holding a baby.

If its any consolidation there are many American English speakers that don't know when to use A and An and The, in their sentences as well. 

[Eddy]

Grammar in the English language is quite difficult and it's very true that many native speakers of English struggle with Grammar. Mainly because when you grow up in native country like the UK or US learning English you learn less about grammar rules but more about literature of English or the arts of English such as creative writing or Shakespeare!

With steady practice I'm sure you will more familiar with English Grammar. However, you can keep in mind a lot of general English day to day conversations are full of Grammatical mistakes, Grammar is more important when it comes to writing.   

It's funny as you do get a lot of slang words and local dialects in the UK. People in the South don't understand people in the North, the English can't understand the Scottish, Welsh and Irish! 

Here's a few common North East English expressions: 

way aye man = yes, that is correct sir/ madam
canny - something or someone that is full of kindliness and good. "That bloke is canny good at football"
wor bairn = our child

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