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1. We use a / an when we are talking about something for the first time. He is wearing a suit and a tie.They have a cat.

2. We use the when we are talking about a specific person or thing, or if there is only one,

or if it is clear which one we are talking about.She tooka glass of water and started to drink. (one of many glasses of water)She tookthe glass of water nearest to her. (a specific glass)She tookthe glass of water and started to drink. (there is only one glass of water)Can you turn on the TV? (it's clear we are talking about the TV in this room)I have to see the doctor tomorrow. (it's clear I am talking about my usual doctor)I need to see a doctor. (not any specific doctor)How many people have walked on the moon? (there is only one moon)The best film I've ever seen is Top Gun. (there can only be one best film)

3. We use no article when we are talking about people or things in general.

Carrots are good for you. (carrots in general)The carrots growing in my garden are almost ready to eat. (specific carrots)English people drink a lot of tea. (English people in general)The English people in this hotel are very nice. (specific English people)

4. We use a / an to say what kind of person or thing someone or something is (often with an

adjective, or to say it belongs to a particular group. You have a nice house.That's a very expensive car!A cat is an animal a bus is a vehicle.

5. With school, university, prison, hospital, church, bed, work and home we use the when

we are talking about a particular one, and no article when we are talking about the idea of

school, university...The church on our street was built in the 17th Century. (a particular church)I go to church every Sunday (the idea of church, not a particular building)My friend works at the prison outside the city centre.My husband is in prison.The workisn't finished yet.I was feeling sick yesterday so I didn't go to work.The new bed is bigger than the old one.I put my children to bed a 8pm.

6. We use the with singular countable nouns to talk about a type of thing.The computer was invented in the 20th Century. (not a particular computer)The computer in my office is broken. (a particular one)The crocodile is very dangerous. (this type of animal)The crocodile in the river is very big. (a particular one)She plays the piano. (not a particular piano but this type of instrument)The piano she is playing is very old. (a particular one)

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7. We use the + adjective to talk about a group of people (including nationalities).I always give money to the homeless.The unemployed receive money from the government.

The French produce good wine.

8. We use a / an to talk about someone's job.My wife is an optician.She works as a mechanic.

9. We use no article with continents, countries, regions, cities, streets, mountains, lakes and

parks.Asia, Italy, California, Bristol, Main St., Mount Everest, Lake Superior, Central ParkWe usethe if the country contains Kingdom, Republic, State, Union

10. We use the with plural names of people and places.

The Smiths, The Netherlands, The United States, The Bahamas, The Alps (also The Caribbean)

11. We use the with oceans, seas, rivers and canals.The Atlantic Ocean, The Red Sea, The Nile, The Panama Canal

12. We use the with north, south, east and west to talk about the location of a place within

another place, but no article to compare the location of two places.Greece is in the south of Europe.Spain is south of France.We use no article with northern, southern, eastern and western:Greece is in southern Europe.

13. We normally use the with buildings, except if the first word is the name of a place.The White House, The Sheraton Hotel.Oxford University, Buckingham Palace.

a, an The Indefinite Article

To facilitate pronunciation, a is used in front of any word that beginswith a consonant orconsonant-like vowel sound.

Conversely, an is put in front of any word that begins with a purevowel sound or a mute'h'.

y Our town has a theatre, a university,a large park and a conference hall.

y Many Chinese still believe an Englishmanalways carries an umbrella.

y It's an old custom.It's a strange old custom.

Note that spelling is not a reliable indicator of whento use a oran!

y The coastguard received an SOS.y He spent an hour standing in line.

The indefinite article a/an is placed in front of a countable noun thatis being mentioned for the very first time. Once introduced, allfurther references to it can be preceded by the definite article the.

y I have two cars: a Ford and an Audi.The Ford is white and the Audi is silver.

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In English, an indefinite article is needed in front of professions. y She is an architect and he is a doctor.

The indefinite article can also be used instead ofperwhen giving therate or pace of something.

y He earns $200 a day.y She swims twice a week.y He drove at 60 miles an hour.

Note too that little andfew become a whole lot more positive whenpreceded by the indefinite article!

y She has a little money and a few friends,so she'll probably get by.

Compare:

y She has little money and few friends,so I doubt if she'll get by.

the The Definite Article

The definite article the is used in front of any noun the listener orreader already knows about.

y I have two cars: a Ford and an Audi.The Ford is white and the Audi is silver.

The is also used when the existence of something is commonknowledge or comes as no surprise because of the context in which it

is mentioned.

y Last week a fighter plane crashed into a fieldbut the pilot managed to eject safely.

y Yesterday I spent the afternoon at home.I put my clothes into the washing machine andoutside to sit in the garden.

The definite article is used in front of things generally regarded asunique.

y The sun, the moon, the sea, the sky, the Arcticenvironment, the capital, the air, the ground, e

Because nouns preceded by superlative adjectives and ordinalnumbers are by their very nature unique, they too require the definitearticle.

Irregularity: Spoken American English drops the in dates.

y It was the worst day of my life!y The captain was the first person to leave

the burning tanker.

y AmE June twenty-first.y BrE June the twenty-first.

The twenty-first (day) of June.

The definite article is used in front of countable nouns representing awhole class or category of something.

y The computer has changed our lives.y It is left up to the consumer to decide

which one to buy.y We all have a responsibility to look after

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the old and infirm.y The whale is the largest mammal.

The is used in front of oceans, seas, rivers, island and mountainchains, deserts, countries with plural names, and noun forms of

points of the compass.

y The Pacific, the Mediterranean, the Amazon,theWest Indies, the Rockies, the Sahara,

the Netherlands, the Far East, etc.

The is used in place names and titles including of.

In the case of official job titles, the is usually dropped if there is onlyone such incumbent at any given time.

y It is unlikelythe Queen of Denmark hasever swum in the Bay of Bengal.

y Margrethe II is (the) Queen of Denmark.y Donald was elected chairman of the board.

The is also used in proper names consisting of noun(s) and/oradjective(s) + noun.

y The Empire State Building, the English ChannWhite House, the Festival Hall, the Rolling StBerlin Philharmonic Orchestra, the British Mu

The is used in hotel names. y The Hilton Hotel, the Savoy, the Sheraton

The is used for newspapers. y The Times, the Baltimore Sun, the Daily Mail

The is used for many larger organizations andinstitutions (not commercial enterprises), including those withinitials that are normally spelled out.

Acronyms (initials read as whole words) are treated in the same way

as regular names (proper nouns) and so do not require any article. Ifyou are uncertain, please monitor usage in the media or consult adictionary.

y The Commonwealth, the Fed, the EU, theWHBBC, the FDA, the IAEA, etc.

Compare:

y OPEC, NATO, ICANN, etc.

The is used for currencies. y The U.S. dollar has risen against the yen but faagainst the euro.

In front of people's names, however, the is only used to avoidconfusion.

y I'm the David Appleyard that lives in Japan.

The is used with the names of musical instruments. y Richard Clayderman plays the piano.

The can be used instead of a possessive form when referring to partsof the body and items of clothing.

y She was hit on the head by a snowball(= a snowball hit herhead).

y Joe grabbed the youth by the collar(= Joe grabbed the youth's collar).

Many forms of entertainment are preceded by the definite article the,but not the medium of television.

y I go to the cinema/movies, the theatre,the circus, the ballet and the opera.

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y In the daytime I listen to the radio, but in the elike to watch television.

The Zero Article

No article is needed before abstract nouns used in a general sense. y Love is all you need.y Crime is a growing problem in the inner cities

No article is needed for most places consisting of just the name of aperson, or the name of a person/place followed by a noun.

y Harrods, Macys, McDonald's, Lloyds Bank, SCathedral, Buckingham Palace, Kennedy Airp

Waterloo Station, Cambridge University, etc.

No article is usually needed in front of company names. y Cisco Systems, Microsoft, CBS, EMI, HitachiLufthansa, etc

An article is unnecessary in official job titles, if there is only oneperson holding this position at any given time.

y George Osborne is (the) Chancellor ofthe Exchequer.

Compare:

y George Osborne is a cabinet minister.

No article is needed in front ofmostroads, streets, parks, squares orbridges.

y Queen's Road, Oxford Street, Central Park, TiSquare, Tower Bridge, etc.

No article is needed in the names of single mountains. y While in New Zealand I climbed Mount Cook

No article is needed before the names of meals, unless it is a formaloccasion.

y Roger had breakfast in his hotel room.Compare:

y I attended a dinner at the Rotary Club.

No article is needed for the names of games or sports. y Anna Kournikova plays tennis to keep in shap

No article is needed before bed, church, court, hospital,prison,school, college, university, etc. when these are used for their primary

y She stayed in bed on Sunday instead ofgoing to church.

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purpose.

If, however, they are used for any other purposes,the is required.

y The dissatisfied customer threatened totake him to court.

y The dissident was released from prison.y After graduating from high school he went

to university.

Compare:

y She sat on the bed while she changed her socky He entered the church to photograph its interioy The decorators forgot a ladder in the prison an

was empty when they came back for it.

Articles are not needed in more abstract expressions of situation liketo/at sea, to/at/out ofwork, in/out of town, in/out of office, etc.

If, however, you start talking about somewhere concrete or someplace in particular, then the definite article the is required.

y My uncle first went to sea at the age of 15. Hespend months at sea.

y I go to workevery day. I was atworkyesterday Jack's been out ofworkfor almost a year.y W

hat's on in tow

n (= my local town) this weeky Julie's out of town (= the town she lives in) un

Thursday.

y This government has been in office for about aThe opposition parties would dearly love to voout of office.

Compare:

y I went to the sea/seaside to swim.I stayed by the sea/seaside all day.

y What's on in the town (= a particular town, nonecessarily my own) this weekend?

y How do I get out ofthe town?y Sally spent all day in the office (= her workpla

didn't get out ofthe office much before 7 o'clo

No article is needed before television as a medium,only as an appliance.

y Carol saw her brother on television.Compare:

y She had an indoor antenna on the television.

There is no article before a noun followed by a categorizing letter ornumber.

y The students have just read section C.y The Chicago train is about to depart

from track 5.

y Her flight leaves from gate 32.y He fell asleep on page 816 of

"War and Peace".

y She is staying in room 689.

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