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Ah, within this pencil case, ah, there are sixteen colored pencils. Let me get them out.
This is what is, ah, they are kind of pretty. I love colored pencils; they are so pretty.
This is what is known as the starting group. So, in order to use a, an, the, and the properly,
you have to know what the starting group is; so, let's count them: one, two, three, four,
five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven, twelve, thirteen, fourteen, fifteen, sixteen.
So, there are in fact sixteen colored pencils here, and if you want one of these colored
pencils, which of these articles should you use? Should you use a or an or should you
use the or the? Well, since there are sixteen, many of these colored pencils, you should
a or an, and since they are colored pencils they start with the consonant c you should
a. So, please give me a colored pencil, please. So, I would select any of these colored pencils,
because you did not tell me what colored you wanted, and I would give you "a colored pencil";
but let's say the starting group was something different. Let's say the starting group was
just the yellow pencil, which of these articles should you use? Well, of course, if the starting
group is only one, you should use the or the. Could please pass me the yellow colored pencil
and of course I would say yes and give you the yellow color pencil. The reason for this
is known as the context. The context is my hand here. My hand is the context, and when
the context shows that there are two ore more colored pencils, you use a or an. When the
context shows that there is only one colored pencil, you use the or the. So, the starting
group and the context are what define these articles. Using a, an, the, and the.