Final answer:
An article is a word that precedes a noun to indicate that a noun will soon follow, with 'the' being the definite article and 'a' or 'an' serving as indefinite articles.
Step-by-step explanation:
The type of word that indicates a noun will soon follow is an article. Articles are used to define a noun as specific or unspecific, and in English, the definite article is 'the', and the indefinite articles are 'a' and 'an'. Articles are a crucial part of speech in constructing sentences and indicating the presence of nouns.