Category: Determiners

When a noun is not preceded by a definite article (the) or indefinite article (a, an), we use zero article. 

THE USE OF NO ARTICLE
1) We use no article with proper names
EXAMPLES

• Sarah is my cousin.
• Where’s Grandpa Michael?

2) We use no article with uncountable nouns when we are referring in general
EXAMPLES

• Water is an important resource.
• Fiber is important for the health of the digestive system.
• I love democracy.
• I like listening to music.
• She’s a vegetarian. She doesn’t eat meat.

3) We use no article with plural countable nouns when we are referring in general
EXAMPLES

• ​Dogs are commonly referred to as “man's best friend”.
• Rich people think and behave differently.

4) We use no article with the names of language

EXAMPLES

• Chinese is not more difficult than other languages.
• I’d like to speak French.

5) We use no article with the names of meals
EXAMPLES

• What would you like for breakfast?
• Lunch is ready!
• I felt sleepy after dinner.

6) We use no article with the names of games or sport

EXAMPLE

• Baseball is the king of sports in the Dominican Republic.

7) We use no article with the names of days, months, seasons, holidays and parts of the day
EXAMPLES

• See you on Monday.
• Many Americans celebrate Halloween on October 31.
• I love summer.
• On St. Patrick’s Day everybody wears green.
• Are you coming over for Christmas?
• Mother’s Day celebration in Mexico takes place on May 10.
• The stars shine at night.
• The sun had set, and dusk settled over the ocean.

There are some exceptions with the parts of the day: in the morning / afternoon / evening.

8) We use no article with the names of continents, countries, cities, towns, streets, single lakes and single mountains

EXAMPLES

• Asia is Earth's largest and most populous continent.
• I live in Brazil.
• My address is 1520 Green Street.
• She lives near Lake Superior.
• I've climbed Mount Everest.  

There are some exceptions: The US (The United States), The UK (The United Kingdom), The Philippines, The Netherlands, The Czech Republic,  etc.

9) We use no article with routine places

 EXAMPLES

• I’m going to bed.
• They went to school yesterday.
• I'm at home right now.
• I go to work every day by train.

10) We use no article with means of transport (in expression with by)
EXAMPLE

• She usually goes to work by bus.

11) We use no article in exclamations with what + uncountable noun
EXAMPLE

• What beautiful weather!

12) We use no article with academic subjects

EXAMPLES

• He studied Law at university.
• I like English.

13) We use no article with names of companies
EXAMPLES

• Bill Gates founded Microsoft.
• Facebook is a popular free social networking website.

14) We use no article with names of universities
EXAMPLE

• Claire goes to Harvard.

15) We use no article with noun + number
EXAMPLE

• Charles is staying at the Plaza hotel in room 511.

16) We use no article with year

EXAMPLE

• 1998 was the best year in film history.

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Category: Determiners

An article is a word used to modify a noun, basically, it’s an adjective. English has two types of articles: the (definite article) and a/an (indefinite articles). They’re used very often  and are very important for using English accurately.
​

Indefinite articles
A and an are indefinite articles used to refer to a singular countable noun. These articles are used to refer to any member of a group or class. The speaker doesn’t tell us exactly which one he or she is referring to.

Use a/an for naming a member of a group:
EXAMPLES

• Mrs. Doudtfire is a nanny / Oscar works as an engineer (Jobs).
• Diego Armando Maradona is an Argentine (Nationalities).
• Barbara is a Jewish (Religions).

THE USE OF THE INDEFINITE ARTICLE “A”
 1) “A” is used before a consonant (b, c, d, etc.)
EXAMPLES

• a car.
• a dog.
• a Friday.
• a tiny nose.
• a 15 year-old boy.
• a year / week (time).
• a kilo / mile (measurements). Also using “one” instead of “a” is correct.

2) “A” is used before a vowel but consonant sound 

EXAMPLES

• a university. [juː]
• a unit. [juː]
• a European. [jʊ]
• a one (1). [w]

3) “A” is used before a pronounced “h”

EXAMPLE

• a horse.

THE USE OF THE INDEFINITE ARTICLE “AN”
 1) “An” is used before a vowel (a, e, i, etc.)
EXAMPLES

• an orange.
• an eye.
• an alligator.

2) “An” is used before an unpronounced (mute) “h”
EXAMPLE

• an hour [a].
• an honest [ˈɑ] (N. Amer.) - [ˈɒ] (Brit.)
• an honor [ˈɑ] (N. Amer.) - [ˈɒ] (Brit.)
• an heir [ɛ] (N. Amer.) - [e] (Brit.)
• an herb  [ɜ] (N. Amer.)

3) “An” is used before a consonant but vowel sound
EXAMPLES

• an “F”. [ε]
• an MBA. [ε]

Definite article
The is a definite article used to refer to something specific (singular or plural nouns). The speaker talks about a particular (or known) member of a group.
EXAMPLES

• The book on the table is about horror stories.
• Could you pass me the sugar, please?
• The movie was great.

​
​THE USE OF THE DEFINITE ARTICLE “THE”
1) “The” is used before a noun which has already been previously mentioned

EXAMPLES

• I lost the wallet you gave me yesterday.
• They have a dog and two cats. The dog is Siberian husky.

2) “The” is used to indicate a noun that is unique or there is only one
EXAMPLES

• The President of United States lives in the White House.
• The Eiffel tower was built in 1889 to commemorate the French Revolution.
• The Nile is a river in Africa.
• Where is the bathroom?

​3) “The” is used before superlative adjectives
EXAMPLES

• It’s the largest river in the world.
• She is the most beautiful lady of all time.

4) “The” is used to talk about the whole population of a country or region
EXAMPLES

• The British drink too much tea.
• The Romans invaded Britain in AD 43.
• The Mayans were famous for their architecture and astronomical knowledge.

HOWEVER: When generalizing about nationalities or a group of people, “the” is not usually used: “Americans eat a lot of hamburgers”
5) “The” is used to indicate all the members of a family
EXAMPLE

• The Simpsons live in Springfield.

6) “The” is used to talk about musical instruments
 EXAMPLE

• She plays the piano every day.

7) “The” is used to talk about directions (cardinal points)​
EXAMPLES

• the north.
• the south-east.

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