A/an
We use a/an with countable singular nouns
- In the meaning of ‘one’:
He was waiting for her for an hour.
- To refer to indefinite things, one of many people/things
He sat on a chair.
Please, bring a plate.
Could you call a waiter, please?
- At the first mentioning of a thing/person
I watched a good film last night.
I bought a book and a T-shirt as Christmas presents for my friends.
- With jobs
She works as an accountant.
- To describe frequency
I go to the gym twice a week.
It can also be used as a synonym for per with price/weight (5 pounds a kilogram) and speed (60km an hour).
- After phrases there is…, I have… (in most cases):
There’s a bus stop near here.
(+ this is… at the first mentioning: ‘This is a concert hall.’)
- In exclamations ‘What a/an +(adj)+noun’ (with countable nouns):
What a sunny day!
- In expressions such a.., quite a…, rather a…
It’s such an easy question.
The
We use the with countable/uncountable nouns, singular/plural nouns
- to refer to a particular person/thing:
I cleaned the car yesterday (my car).
It is clear from the context/situation which one exactly we mean (the listener knows which person/thing is meant):
– Where are you going?
– I’m going to the supermarket. Do you need anything?
(both people understand which supermarket is meant – the one in that area).
They are the authors of this book.
a)There is often a relative clause (who/which/that):
Have you watched the film that I told you about?
b) We use the in expressions with of: the wall of the house;
c)We use the with things in a particular room: the door, the light, the floor, the carpet:
Turn off the light, please.
Why are you sitting on the floor?
Could you close the door, please?
- at the second/further mentioning of a person/thing:
I bought a book and a T-shirt as Christmas presents for my friends. The book was for Paul and the T-shirt for Emily.
- with unique things, e.g. the sun, the moon, the earth, the sky, the ground, the horizon, the equator, the environment, the cosmos, the Internet etc.
- to talk about people having unique positions, e.g. the Pope, the president of Russia, the queen of Britain, the head of the company, the winner of the competition etc.
- with the following nouns:
The sea, the ground, the country (=countryside),
The cinema, the theatre,
The past, the present, the future
The radio
The doctor, the police, the government
In/by the morning/afternoon/evening
- with superlative adjectives, e.g. the tallest, the most energetic
- with ordinal numbers: the first, the second
BUT: with nouns + number we use no article: platform 3, room 15
- with the following words: the same, the right, the wrong, the left, the only (as an attribute), the previous, the upper, the very (+ nouns, = the exact), the central, the coming, the next, the following, the last, the main, the whole;
- before the names of musical instruments: the piano, the guitar
- to talk about species or the whole class of things/inventions:
The kangaroo is found only in Australia.
The rose needs rich soil.
The bus is an eco-friendly kind of transport.
The telephone was invented in 1875.
The computer is a necessary research tool.
But: Uncountable nouns take no article in such cases:
Dynamite was invented by Alfred Nobel.
Water is composed of hydrogen and oxygen.
- with adjectives to talk about groups of people (the + adj): the rich, the poor, the elderly, the unemployed;
- with nationalities as a whole: the British (the British people), the Chinese (the Chinese people).
- with family names indicating the whole family: the Browns;
- with decades: the 30s, the 40s.
- with parts of the world: the south, the north, the west, the east.
Compare a and the
|
A |
The |
|
One of many things/people Have you got a car?
She took a book. Have you found a job? |
A specific thing/person Have you cleaned the car? There is often a relative clause: She took the book that was on the top. Did you get the job you’d told me about? |
|
The first mentioning I saw a woman and a child sitting opposite me. |
The second/further mentioning The woman was reading and the child was eating ice-cream. |
No article
With plural nouns, with uncountable nouns
No article is used to refer to people and things in general.
We use it
- with meals: breakfast, lunch, dinner
But: we use a+adj+meal:
We had a very nice dinner.
- with nouns + number: platform 3, room 15
- with at night, midnight, midday, noon, dawn (or the dawn)
We started celebrating at midnight.
- in expressions: at home/work, go home / to bed, go to sea/be at sea (=to be on a voyage)
He works on ships. He’s at sea now.
But: I’d like to live by the sea.
- with prison, hospital, university, college, church, school to refer to the general idea of these places and the purpose they are used for:
He’s in prison for smuggling.
Her friend is in hospital after the accident.
After finishing school I went to university.
They go to church to pray every Sunday.
But: we use the when we refer to them as buildings/institutions not in the meaning of the main purpose they are used for:
She went to the prison to visit her uncle.
She works in the hospital.
Excuse me, where is the university?
The workmen were repairing the roof of the church.
- with space in the meaning of ‘space in the universe’:
His dream is to go to outer space.
- with means of transport with by: to go/travel by car/taxi/bus/plane/train/air (but: catch/take a/the bus/train, get into a/the car etc.)
- with means of communication with by: to contact/communicate by post/e-mail/phone
- with names of holidays, special times of the year, months, days of the week:
We met on Monday.
They visited us on New Year’s day.
I love skating in winter.
But: She came on a Wednesday (one of Wednesdays).
It was the winter when we went to Finland.
- in expressions next/last + time expressions: week/month etc.
- with languages: English, Russian.
But: the English language, the Russian language
12. with school subjects: physics, Maths.
13. sports: to play football/basketball
14. abstract uncountable nouns, abstract notions:
Kindess is a very important personality trait.
Compare no article and the
|
No article (in general) |
The (specific people or things) |
|
Children learn languages fast. |
We took the children to the cinema. |
|
She adores music. |
Do you remember the music from this show? |
|
All women love receiving flowers. |
All the women at the ceremony were wearing dresses. |
|
Salt is not good for health. |
Can you pass me the salt, please? |
|
Italians cook very well. |
Who are the Italians standing there? |
|
Do you like coffee? |
Did you like the coffee we had at the café yesterday? |