ENGLISH ARTICLES IN PEDAGOGICAL GRAMMAR: A COMPARATIVE ANALYTICAL STUDY

Abstract

This article presents a comparative and analytical study of English articles (a, an, and the) based on the perspectives of major pedagogical grammarians, including Raymond Murphy, Betty Schrampfer Azar, Michael Swan, as well as Oxford and Cambridge grammar traditions. The paper examines how articles are conceptualized in terms of definiteness, specificity, countability, and generic reference, with particular attention to form–meaning relationships and pedagogical presentation. By analyzing these approaches sequentially, the study identifies both shared principles and methodological differences in explaining article usage. The findings emphasize the importance of combining grammatical rules with semantic and discourse-based interpretation in teaching and learning English articles. The article concludes with generalizations relevant to grammar instruction and applied linguistics research.