Articles- A, An, The, or Nothing
CESL grammar guide for esl/efl students.
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Rules for Articles - A, AN, THE or NOTHING
1. Every singular countable noun requires an article, a/an, or the.
2. If the noun is previously identified (if the speaker and the hearer both know WHICH ONE is being referred to, use THE.
I bought a car. The car was red.
3. If the noun is specific (especially if it is followed by a prepositional phrase or relative clause), use THE; if the sentence tells WHICH ONE, use THE.
The car beside mine was wrecked.
The book that I bought is old.
4. If the noun is common to both the speaker and the hearer; if they both know which one, use THE.
Where did you park the car?
Did you go to the concert?
Please come up to the blackboard.
5. If the noun is unique (only one exists or is known), use THE.
the sun, the moon, the weather, the king, the pope, the world, the Arch
6. With superlatives or ordinal numbers (in general), use THE.
the best, the greatest, the fifth the third best soccer player
7. With certain adjectives for time sequence, use THE.
the beginning, the middle, the next, the following, the last day of the week
8. In a general statement, use PLURAL COUNT NOUNS if possible, or NOTHING in front of a non-count noun.
Grass is green.
Apples are red.
Money is the root of all evil.
Kim has a problem with women.
9. If you want the idea of ONE, use A or AN. Choose A/AN according to whether a consonant SOUND or vowel SOUND immediately follows it. (A + consonant, AN + vowel).
I brought an umbrella.
There's a bicycle in the garage.
I waited an hour.
He is a handsome man.
She ate an apple.
I saw a unicorn.
10. Generally there is no article with proper nouns.
New York City
California
Illinois Avenue
Germany
Mexico
Faner Hall
If there is an article, it is THE only (see #11).
11. a. When OF is part of a name, it usually has THE as well.
The United States of America; the U.S.
The University of Kansas
The First Bank of Carbondale
b. THE is used with canals, deserts, forests, oceans, rivers, and seas.The Pacific Ocean
The Panama Canal
The Sahara Desert
The Black Forest
The Mississippi River
c. THE is used with islands, lakes and mountains ONLY WHEN THEY ARE PLURAL, not when they are singular.
The Virgin Islands
The Gulf Islands
The Great Lakes
The Rocky Mountains
Vancouver Island
Long Island
Cedar Lake
Lake Michigan
Mount Fuji
Clinch Mountain
d. THE is used with libraries and museums.
The Carbondale Public Library
The Smithsonian Museum
The National Gallery of Art
e. exceptions:
THE was used with some territories (The Sudan, The Argentine) but is not used when referring to them as countries
12. Special cases- some idioms develop independently.
a. THE
make the bed, wash the dishes, do the housework, tell the truth, tell the time, do the chores, etc.
b. A/AN
do a favor, make a living, make a remark, take a trip, take a picture, play a joke on someone, take a look at something, make a mistake, etc.
c. NOTHING
make friends, shake hands, have faith, take part in something, pay attention, take advantage of something/someone, etc.
RELATED LINKS:
Charles Kelly's Quiz Show (A an or nothing)
River Li, by Jim Leverett
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Page made and maintained by
Thomas Leverett, CESL, SIUC
