THE DEFINITE ARTICLE

We use the:
- with nouns when talking about sth specific (if the context makes it clear what we are
referring to): e.g. Your dinner is in the fridge.
- with nouns that are unique. - e.g. The sun came out and soon we were dry.
- to talk about previously mentioned things: - e.g. A man and a woman walked into the room.
The man was wearing sunglasses.
- with superlatives: e.g. He’s the bravest person in the team.
- to talk about a generic class of things. – e.g. The tiger is in danger of becoming extinct.
- with names of rivers, seas, groups of islands, mountain ranges, deserts, oceans
e.g The Atlantic, the Pacific, the Sahara, the British Isles, the Andes, the Himalayas:
- with continents and countries whose names include a common noun. – eg. The Czech
Republic, the United States etc.
- with areas. – e.g. There is a range of mountains in the north.
- with hotels, cinemas, theatres. – e.g. They had dinner at the Ritz.
- with newspapers. – e.g. The Times, the Guardian, the Independent
- with names of musical instruments and dances
- with names of families and nationalities ending in –sh, -ch, -ese. Other nationalities can be
used with or without the.
- with the words day, morning, afternoon, evening. But: at night, at noon, at midnight, by
day/night
- with the words only, last and first (used as adjectives)
- with the words station, cinema, theatre, library, shop, coast, seaside, beach, countryside,
city, jungle, world, ground, weather.

THE INDEFINITE ARTICLE

We use a/an:
- with singular countable nouns (mentioned for the first time or when it doesn’t matter which
one):
e.g. I’d like a sandwich and a glass of orange juice.
- with (singular) jobs, etc.
- with the verb have (got)
-when we want to show how often we do sth.
- with these numbers: a hundred, a million, a thousand
- in exclamations about singular countable nouns. – e.g. What an amazing view!
We use a - before countable nouns which begin with a consonant.
an – before countable nouns which begin with a vowel.

THE ZERO ARTICLE

We use no article when talking about:

- uncountable and plural nouns when talking about sth in general - e.g. Happiness isn’t
the only thing in life.
- continents and countries: - Have you been to Nepal?
- mountains and lakes: - Is Lake Titicaca in Peru? / They are going to climb Mount Everest.
- villages, towns and cities: Auckland is the biggest city in New Zealand.
- streets, roads, etc. – In London, there are some good shops on Oxford Street.
- magazines – Do you read Time magazine?
- names of illnesses. – I’ve got flu and Sue’s got indigestion. BUT: I’ve got a headache and
I think I’m getting a cold.
- with by + means of transport.
- with the words bed, hospital, college, court, prison, school, university when we refer to
the purpose for which they exist.
- with the names of sports, games, activities, days, months, celebrations, colours, drinks
and meals
- languages unless they are followed by the word language
- in expressions:
 by accident
 on foot
 at home
 to / at / from work
 in class
 to / at / from school / university / college