The Article

A/an, the, no article – the use of articles in English

Article — is an official word used in English before nouns. There are two articles – the definite article – the and the indefinite article – a/an.

The Definite Article
With a noun, if we are talking about some specific object, which is clear from previous context or experience, or if this object is unique in its kind Open the window, please
With a noun preceded by an adjective in the highest degree of comparison This is the most expensive ring in the shop
With a noun preceded by an ordinal numeral Let’s discuss the second topic
Before nouns denoting objects that are single and unique in their kind The sky is clear today
Before nouns, which mean not a separate subject, but the whole class or category as a whole The poor never support the rich
Before surnames in the plural, if we are talking about all family members The Browns have got a very comfortable house.
With the names of oceans, seas, channels, rivers, bays and lakes (if the word lake is not used with the name of the lake, but only its name is indicated) The Mississippi is a river in the USA.
With the names of countries, if they include the words state, kingdom, federation, republic, union the United States of America
With the names of groups of islands and mountain ranges the Carpathians
With the names of cinemas, theaters, museums, concert halls, galleries the Royal Opera House
With the names of organizations and political parties the Democratic Party
In some fixed phrases:

to play the piano, to go to the cinema / theatre, the other day, to tell the truth.

And also usually after the words one of, some of, many of, most of, each of

 You should try to tell the truth to your friends.

The Indefinite Article
The indefinite article has two forms:

a is used before words that begin with a consonant sound (a peach)

an — used before words that begin with a vowel sound (an orange, an hour)

The indefinite article a/an is used only with singular countable nouns
With a noun that is mentioned in the sentence for the first time, and when no specific object or person is meant She has got a fashionable dress
Before a singular countable noun in the grammatical construction there is/was/will be There is a pan on the stove
Before a singular countable noun after the words what, such, quite, rather, rather in exclamatory sentences What a funny cartoon!
In some fixed phrases:

to go for a walk, to be in a hurry, for a long time, to have a look, to have a rest

 I need to have a rest as soon as possible
Often used in the sense of “one”, especially before nouns denoting time Wait a second, please
Before the names of professions and positions, if they are mentioned in general, and no specific person is meant He is a chief manager

 

Zero Article
If the noun is preceded by a pronoun (possessive, indicative, interrogative) or pronouns some, any, no, each, every They play rugby every day
Before abstract uncountable nouns and nouns denoting the names of substances, if they are at all Water is tasteless
If the singular noun would be preceded by the indefinite article a/an, then the plural noun should not be preceded by an article Her brothers are pupils. (Her brother is a pupil)
Before a noun, if it is an address to a person or persons Can you hear me, girls?
Names of days of the week, months, and seasons are usually used without articles. Except for cases when we are talking about a specific date or period and it must be emphasized Monday, on Sunday in summer, in September але: the winter of 2017 (підкреслюється саме зима 2017)
If the noun is followed by a quantitative numeral lesson fifteen
With names:

  • foreign languages (if there is no word language)
  • sports, school subjects
  • countries, continents, cities, streets, parks, airports, train stations
  • mountains, islands, lakes (if the name contains the word lake)
  • diseases
  • by their own names
 English, Ukrainian, French; football, chemistry;

Poland, New York, Oxford

Street;

Elbrus, Lake Michigan;

allergy, chicken pox:

Andrew, Mykola, Elizabeth
In newspaper and magazine headlines Oil price smashes $50 mark
In some fixed phrases:

at night, by train, by mistake, to take place, to go to bed, from time to time, to go home

 They went home two hours ago

For a general understanding of the use of articles, read the general scheme.

References

  1. The Basics of Article Usage in English: “A,” “An,” and “The”. https://www.aje.com/arc/editing-tip-basics-article-usage/
  2. Чіміріс Ю.В. Довідник у таблицях. Англійська мова. 7 – 11 класи. 2018. – 32 ст. 

 

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