ARTICLES

I. GENERAL RULES

 

1.     The indicates a specific noun.

2.     A or an indicates a nonspecific, general noun.

3. The (pronounced “thee” indicates the one and only specific noun.

 

II. SINGULAR COUNT NOUNS

 

Definite

1. The is used with a noun which is identified by the context of the sentence or paragraph.

• A strange dog came into our yard. The dog was friendly.
• The man sitting in the blue chair is Sue's husband.
• The song on the radio is great for dancing.

 

2. The is used with known nouns in the environment. They are either known from experience or are seen at the moment of speaking.

• She walked into the kitchen and opened the refrigerator.
• The sun rises in the east.
• The mailman is coming.
• Please open the window.

 

Indefinite

A/an is used with a noun which is unspecified. A is used before words beginning with a consonant, while an is used before words beginning with a vowel.

• We saw a bear at the zoo.
• Robert bought a new car.
• Sally ate an apple.

 

III. PLURAL COUNT NOUNS

 

Definite  (The rules are the same as those given above for the.)

• The dogs in the back yard seem friendly.
• I bought shoes yesterday. The shoes were very expensive.
• The secretary put some papers on the managers’ desks.

 

Indefinite

1. A/an cannot be used with plural nouns. Indefinite adjectives such as some, any, many, several, few can be used to indicate an indefinite number.

• She put some flowers in a vase.
• He ate several sandwiches.

 

2. The articles can be omitted entirely to refer to nouns in general.

• Secretaries are sometimes called office technicians.
• I like to read books about electronics.

 

 

 

IV. NONCOUNT NOUNS

 

Definite (The rules are the same as those above for the with count nouns.)

• The oil in my car needs changing.
• The coffee was fine, but the cream was sour.
• The atmosphere forms a layer around the earth.

Indefinite (The rules are the same as those for plural count nouns.)

• Do you want some coffee?
• Honesty is the best policy.

 

NOTE: Sports, hobbies, and subjects are considered to be in this group. We do not use articles when we speak of them in a general way.

• Tennis is my favorite sport.
• He is crazy about coin collecting.
• I am studying journalism this semester.

 

V. THE WITH RANKING ADJECTIVES

Certain words such as "ranking adjectives" make a noun definite. This is true for singular and plural nouns. Since the noun is definite when used with these adjectives, the must be used with them. These "ranking adjectives" can be divided into three groups:

 

1. Ordinal numbers used before nouns

• His birthday is on the 3rd of June.
• You must read the third chapter.
• The Second World War was devastating.

 

2. Adjectives indicating a sequence

• a space sequence (top, bottom, middle, upper, lower.. .etc.)
• a time sequence (next*, following, last*, ordinal numbers)

 

Space:  A student in the middle row answered the question.

            Please put your name on the top line.

 

Time:  Labor Day is the first Monday in September; schools often open the following day.

            We will have finals during the last week of the semester.

 

* The is not used with next and last if they do not indicate a-point in a time series. When they are used to mean "the time immediately preceding (last) or following (next) the present moment", the is not used.

• Last week I missed class because I was sick.
• I am going to the beach next Saturday.

 

3. Superlative Adjectives

• That is the most beautiful sunset I have ever seen.
• He has climbed the tallest mountain in the world.
• They are the most intelligent students in the class.

 

 

VI. THE WITH NAMES

Although names make nouns definite, not all names are used with the. The following rules will help you know which names require the.

In General:

 

1. The is used with all names composed of: common noun + of + proper noun:

• the Republic of China
• the University of Pennsylvania
• the State of Maryland

 

2. The is used with all plural names:

• the Netherlands
• the Philippine Islands
• the Rocky Mountains

 

3. The is used with names of countries which include at least one common noun (state, kingdom, union)

• the Soviet Union
• the United Kingdom
• the United States

 

 

In General:

 

Do NOT Use The:	DO Use The
People's Names:	Pluralized People’s Names:
John Mary Smith	the Smiths
Queen Elizabeth
President Kennedy
Planets (as names):	Planets (as common nouns):
Mars	(the sun, the moon)
Earth	the earth = the world

 

VII. THE IN Fixed Expressions Related to Time

There are certain expressions related to time and activities that do not follow the article rules we have studied so far. In other words, the may be used when the noun is not specific. A/an may not be used when the noun is singular, countable and indefinite. The only way to learn these expressions is to memorize them and practice them. The following should help you.

Use the:	Do not use the:
the past	at present
the present
the future
in (the) winter	days of the week and holidays
in (the) spring
in (the) summer
in (the) fall
in the morning	at noon
in the afternoon	at night
in the evening	at midnight
at the moment
for the time being
during the year	all year (long)
during the week	all week (long)
during the day	all day (long)
during the night	all night (long)

 

 

VII. THE IN Fixed Expressions Related to Activities

Certain nouns that generally represent places, meals or sports are often used to indicate the activities related to them. When are used in this way, the is omitted, even when the noun may be considered specific.

 

Places    

be in / go to bed

be in / go to work

be in / go to school

be in / go to church

be in / go to jail or prison

be (at)/ go  home

Meals

eat / have breakfast (etc.)

prepare / make lunch (etc.)

 

Sports

play tennis (etc.)

 

However, when we use nouns which represent musical instruments to indicate an activity, the is used with that noun even when it is considered indefinite or general.

 

Musical Instruments

practice / play the piano

                        the guitar

                        etc.