1.

ARTICLES
The is used before The is omitted before
1. names of objects considered unique. 1. proper nouns. e.g. Nick
e.g. the earth 2. names of meals e.g. Dinner is served.
2. names of: but “The dinner we had was excellent.” (It is a
- cinemas: the Rex specific dinner.)
- ships: the Titanic 3. names of substances.
- hotels: the Hilton e.g. Oil is produced in Alaska.
- institutions: the RSPCA 4. names of:
- documents: the Constitution - countries: Greece
- public bodies: the Government - cities: Athens
- newspapers: The Times but "Newsweek" - streets: Oxford Street
- historical events: the Second World War. - parks: Hyde Park
Note: - addresses: 15, McMillan St.,
Restaurants, pubs, shops, banks or hotels - buildings: Westminster Abbey
which have the name of their founder and end - geographical areas: Europe
in s or 's do not take "the". e.g. Harrods - mountains: Everest
3. names of: - islands: Cyprus
- seas: the Black Sea, Note:
- rivers: the Nile, c) when the first word of a two-word name is the
- groups of islands: the Dodecanese name of a person or place "the" is not used.
- mountain ranges: the Alps e.g. Westminster Abbey but The Tower of
- groups of states: the USA London
- deserts: the Gobi Desert 5. bed, school, church, hospital, prison,
- gulfs: the Persian Gulf market, sea, court when we refer to them for
- oceans: the Pacific the reason they exist.
4. names of people/families in the plural and e.g. Tom goes to school every weekday.
nationality nouns. but His mother went to the school to get his
e.g. the Browns, the Americans marks.
5. adjectives used as nouns to describe groups * work (place of work) is never used with
of people. "the". e.g. He's at work.
e.g. the rich, the poor 6. titles with proper names:
6. titles without names. e.g. Queen Elizabeth
e.g. the Queen 7. "home" when it is used alone.
7. musical instruments. e.g. She isn't at home.
e.g. He plays the piano well. but America is the home of the brave.
8. the superlative degree of adjectives/ 8. Mother / Father when we refer to our
adverbs. e.g. the richest, the fastest mother/ father. e.g. Father is at work.
9. only, last, first (used as adjectives). e.g. the
only person.

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 9. names of sports, activities and colours.
e.g. He likes playing tennis.
She hates wearing black.

Note:
Some diseases/illnesses can take "the" whereas other can't.
e.g. (the) flu but pneumonia

„A/an" - can be used only with singular countable nouns.

e.g. Please buy (some) milk on your way home.
That's a portable typewriter.

Note:
When we use a noun in singular number to represent a class of things/animals, "the" or "a/an" can
be used.
e.g. The whale is a mammal. A whale is a mammal.

A/ an can also be used with:

- money (e.g. a/one dollar)
- fractions (e.g. a/one quarter)
- frequency/time (e.g. three times a day)
- distance/fuel (e.g. 40 miles a gallon)
- weight/measures (e.g. a/one foot)
- whole numbers (e.g. a/one thousand)
- distance/speed (e.g. 60 km an hour)
- illnesses (e.g. a headache)
- price/weight (e.g. 90p a pound)

Note:
a/an + noun (any one) I'd like a coffee, please.
one + noun (when counting) I ordered one coffee, not two.

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1. article use depending on context:
- When we refer to something we have already mentioned, we use the definite article.
First, I grate some cheese. Then I sprinkle the cheese into the sauce.
- A noun can be made definite by the details which follow it. This is called post-modification.
There's a tower over there. Yes, it's the Tower of London.
- Some things are definite because they are already known to the people talking about them.
Jim is at the pub. (= The one we all usually go to.)
Pass the vegetables, please. (=These ones on the table.)

2. groups and classes

- An example of a thing, instrument etc uses a / an.
A barometer is used to measure air pressure.
- We use a / an for one of a class of things or people.
Peter is a German. Maria is a teacher. This is an electric shaver.
- We use a / an for one of a set of named things.
They've bought a Picasso. (= a work of art)
This is a Henry Moore sculpture.
- We use zero article with plurals and uncountables when they refer to a class of things or people
in general.
Teachers often work very long hours.
Water is becoming a scarce resource.
Girls are better at learning foreign languages than boys.
* These too can be made specific, eg by the details which follow.
The water tastes funny. (= the water from the tap)
The girls in my class learn fast (= these particular girls)
- A singular noun to describe a class of things uses the. The bicycle is becoming increasingly
popular.
The whale is in danger of extinction.

3. ideas:
- Abstract ideas use zero article.
Health is one of the most important things in life.
Note that an abstract noun can be made specific by what comes after it - then we use the.
The health of millions of people may be at risk.

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4. numbers and measurement
- With rates and speeds use a lan.
The car was going at 50km an hour. The rent is £500 a month.
- Use a / an for large whole numbers, fractions with singular nouns, weights and distances.
a hundred a million a third a fifth
two and a half a kilo a metre and a half
* But: two and seven eighths half-way
Half is usually used without an article.
He has eaten half of the cake.

5. people
- We use zero article with names of people, unless we specify the person.
Tom lives in Bristol. Is he the Tom Davis you went to school with?
- We can use a / an with names when we mean 'a person called ...'
Is there a Tom Davis staying here?
- We can use the with the names of groups, when these are clearly plural.
the Democrats
However, if a proper name comes before the noun there will be zero article.
Euro MPs Manchester United supporters
- Names of music groups vary a great deal, and may not fit general rules.
The Who Primal Scream
Many groups of people are described by the + singular adjective.
the unemployed the dead

6. cities, towns, streets, places

- Use zero article with proper names, though the is used when there is post modification with of.
I live in Allan Road in Bristol in an area called Redland
Oxford University the University of Oxford
- Use the with the names of shops and places with a general reference.
at the cinema/ the supermarket / in the garden / in the mountains / at the beach etc
- Other places vary. If they begin with the name of a place or person, then they tend to use zero
article.
London Bridge Waterloo Station Madame Tussaud's
But: the London Eye
* Otherwise they use the.
the Golden Gate Bridge the Hard Rock Café the Odeon Cinema
- Note that a place name can also be used as an adjective, in which case we could use the.
The London rush hour can cause long delays.
Some other cities have adjective forms, eg Paris / Parisian, Rome / Roman.

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7. unique objects
- The is used with some familiar objects when we think of them as the only one.
The Sun was setting over the sea. The moon rose into the sky.

8. illness etc
- A/an is used with a headache, a cold etc.
Have you got a cold/ a headache / a toothache / an earache?
Most illness words use zero article.
I've got flu. She's suffering from appendicitis.

9. exclamations
- Use a/an in the expressions what a ...!, such a...!
We use what a ... when we are surprised or impressed by something.
What a fantastic sight! What an awful room!
We use such a / an... for emphasis with singular nouns.
This is such a great film! He is such an interesting person.

10. nationality
- We use the with nationality adjectives that end -ese, -ch, -sh, -ss and are used to refer to all the
people of that nationality, eg Chinese, Japanese, French, Spanish, British, Swiss, Dutch.
The French drink a lot of wine.
The Swiss are famous for their banks.
- We use the with plural nationality nouns in same way, eg Russians, Americans, Poles, Greeks,
Turks, Germans, Belgians etc.
The Russians and the Poles are used to cold weather.
- We use a / an with singular examples.
an Australian a Pole
an Egyptian a Romanian
a Greek a Bulgarian
a Turk a Jordanian
a Russian
Some nationalities end in -man / woman, and others have unique names.
an Englishman a Spaniard
an Irishman a Cypriot
a Scotsman a Pakistani
a Welshman an Iraqi
a Frenchman a Saudi
a Dutchman a Philippino
Some nationalities can only be used as an adjective with a noun,
eg Japanese person / man.
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11. geography
- We use the with plural or collective names.
From here you can see the Alps.
She lives in the Philippines / the Netherlands / the United Kingdom / the USA.
- The is used with north, south etc. to indicate geographical areas, but zero article is used to describe
general directions.
The sun sets in the west. The road runs from north to south.

12. school subjects

- We use zero article when we talk about school subjects, such as geography, history.
I'd rather study physics than biology.
- These can also be used as adjectives with article + noun.
I've started a physics course.
The biology teacher is really good.

13. calendar
- We use zero article when we refer to days, months or parts of the day.
I'll see you on Monday at midday. School begins in September.
- We can use the with a day of the week when we refer to a particular week, and the with a month
when we refer to a particular year.
It started as an ordinary week but on the Friday I received a surprising message.
- We use a / an with a day of the week when we refer to the day as a typical example.
It was a Tuesday afternoon in August and nothing much was happening.

14. home, school, prison, hospital, work

- We use zero article with at home, at school, in hospital, in prison, in bed when we speak about
the place in general, or with reference to its use.
Jack is in hospital. (he's ill).
Sue is at school. (she's a student)
- When we refer to something just as a building, place, etc we use the.
The bus stops outside the school. (the building)
Leave the towels on the bed. (the item of furniture)
I was walking past the hospital. (the building)
There was a riot in the prison. (the building)
- Compare: Alan's in bed. (he's asleep)
There's something crawling in the bed! (the item of furniture)

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15. other generalized locations and activities
- We use other phrases with zero article to describe what people are doing or where they are in
general.
on holiday on duty
on tour (performers) on location (place where a film is shot)
on stage at work
- Specific examples use a / an or the.
They decided to take a holiday abroad. He ran onto the stage.

16. changes of meaning

- Some nouns can be countable or uncountable and have different meanings according to
the article they use.
a/an a coffee a cup of coffee Can I buy a coffee?
the the coffee grains or beans etc. Put the coffee in the jar?
zero coffee in general Do you like coffee?
- Many names of substances have a change of meaning when used as a single object.
glass a glass for holding water etc glasses for helping the eyes
iron an iron for smoothing clothes
paper a paper a newspaper or a piece of published research
- Some food nouns which usually have no plural can be used with a / an to talk about one
particular type of that food.
I try to eat as much fresh fruit as I can.
This is a fruit that only grows in the tropics.

Other foods used in this way are: wine, beer, cheese, meat, oil.