The Articles
1. The definite article
The definite article is: the. It has only one form, the, which is used for both singular and plural nouns:
the book, the house, the table
the sofas, the families, the children
The is also used for uncountable nouns:
the cheese, the air, the furniture
2. Use of the definite article
when something has been mentioned before:
‘Has he got a car?’ ‘Yes. The car he has is expensive.’
when referring to specific things:
the economic growth, the economy
with of:
the colour of my skirt
when only one of something exists:
the President, the Pope, the moon, the sky
when referring to groups of people or nationalities:
the rich, the sick, the English, the Russian
when talking about species (in the context of biology):
The lion is a carnivorous animal.
when talking about musical instruments:
I play the guitar. He plays the piano.
with the media:
the press, the news, the radio, the papers, the tv
But: I watch television.
with superlatives and ordinal numbers:
the first, the second, the best, the only, the last
when talking about parts of the body:
He was hurt on the head.
when talking about geographical features
oceans, rivers, mountains:
the Themes, the Alps, the Pacific
regions:
the Middle East, the Sahara, the Amazon
groups of islands:
the Solomon Islands, the Caribbean
some countries:
the USA, the Ukraine, The UK, the United Arab Emirates, the Netherlands
other:
the sea, the coast, the hills, the mountains, the countryside
with the dates(only in speech):
the twentieth of July, October the fifth
talking about entertainment:
the cinema, the theatre, the opera, the museum
when referring to hotels and restaurants:
the Hilton, the Grand Hotel, the Oriental
with expressions:
the traffic, in the morning, in the afternoon, the metro, the doctor, the dentist, the hospital, the supermarket, the bank
3. The indefinite article
The indefinite articles are: a and an.
We use a in front of a consonant sound
a book, a table, a hotel, a moment,
a tall father, a blue car, a nice pie, a fire
We use an in front of a vowel sound
an apple, an hour, an architect, an animal,
an important decision, an efficient worker
The plural of a/an is zero or some/any
a cat – cats, some cats
a cinema – cinemas, some cinemas
4. The use of the indefinite article
when we mention something for the first time:
‘He’s just bought a house.’ ‘Wow. That’s fantastic.’
when we talk about one item of a group:
I’d like to buy a car.
with adjective + noun:
We saw a huge, black panther.
when talking about somebody’s job:
She is a high school teacher.
when talking about a kind/example of something:
We bottle a fine wine. (= a type of fine wine)
when talking about amounts:
a kilo of potatoes, a thousand litre of water
difference between a and one:
‘I’d like a slice of cake please. ‘
But: ‘I wanted only one slice, not two!’
when talking about frequency, price, distance (meaning per)
5 miles an hour, two pound a kilo, twice a week
When talking about illnesses:
I have a cold. I have a headache.
I have a pain in my arm.
Except: flue, blood pressure and plural diseases (measles, mumps)
With what and such when using singular, countable nouns:
What a nice day!
Such a lovely dog.
5. The zero article
The zero article means no article.
I like Ø travelling.
He eats Ø meat every day.
We bought Ø bananas.
6. The use of the zero article
with plural nouns when talking in general:
Katie likes exotic animals.
with uncountable nouns when talking in general:
Cheese is made from milk. Climate change, biotechnology
with names of people, places, companies, countries, etc.:
Jack lives in London. I am friends with both Mary and Peter.
with names of meals: have dinner, have lunch
with the names of some illnesses:
He has high blood pressure.
when talking about travelling: go by car/train
when talking about certain places where the function of the place is the most important:
in hospital / at work / in prison / in bed
at school / at university
