1 Articles and one, a little/a few, this, that

1 a/an (the indefinite article)

The form a is used before a word beginning with a consonant, or a vowel with a consonant sound:
a man a hat a university a European a
one-way street

The form an is used before words beginning with a vowel (a, e, i, o, u) or words beginning with a mute h:
an apple an island an uncle an egg
an onion an hour or individual letters
spoken with a vowel sound:
an L-plate an MP an SOS an x a/an

is the same for all genders:

a man a woman an actor an actress a table

2 Use of a/an
a/an is used:
A Before a singular noun which is countable (i.e. of which there is more than one) when it is mentioned
for the first time and represents no particular person or thing:
I need a visa. They live in a flat. He bought an ice-cream.

B Before a singular countable noun which is used as an example of a class of things:

A car must be insured = All cars/Any car must be insured.
A child needs love = All children need/Any child needs love.

C With a noun complement. This includes names of professions:

It was an earthquake. Shell be a dancer. He is an actor.

D In certain expressions of quantity:

a lot of a couple
a great many a dozen (but one dozen is also possible)
a great deal of

E With certain numbers a hundred a thousand (See 349 )

Before half when half follows a whole number:

11/2 kilos = one and a half kilos or a kilo and a half
But 1/2 kg = half a kilo (no a before half), though a + half + noun is sometimes possible a
half holiday a half portion a half share

With 1/3 1/4, 1/5 etc a is usual a third, a quarter etc , but one is also possible (See 350 )
F In expressions of price, speed, ratio etc
5p a kilo 1 a metre sixty kilometres an hour
10p a dozen four times a day

(Here a/an = per )

G In exclamations before singular, countable nouns: Such a long queue! What a pretty girl!
but
Such long queues! What pretty girls!

(Plural nouns, so no article See 3 )

H a can be placed before Mr/Mrs/Miss + surname (UK) or Mr./Mrs./Miss. + family name (US) a Mr
Smith a Mrs Smith a Miss Smith

a Mr Smith means a man called Smith and implies that he is a stranger to the speaker Mr Smith, without
a, implies that the speaker knows Mr Smith or knows of his existence.
(For the difference between a/an and one, see 4 For a few and a little, see 5 )

3 Omission of a/an
a/an is omitted A Before plural nouns a/an has no plural form. So the
plural of a dog is dogs, and of an egg is eggs
B Before uncountable nouns (see 13)
C Before names of meals, except when these are preceded by an adjective We have
breakfast at eight.
He gave us a good breakfast.

The article is also used when it is a special meal given to celebrate something or in someones honour:
I was invited to dinner. (at their house, in the ordinary way) but I was invited to a dinner given to
welcome the new ambassador.

4 the (the definite article)

A Form the is the same for singular and plural and for all genders:
the boy the girl the day
the boys the girls the days
B Use
The definite article is used.
1 When the object or group of objects is unique or considered to be unique:
the earth the sea the sky the equator the stars

2 Before a noun which has become definite as a result of being mentioned a second time:
His car struck a tree; you can still see the mark on the tree.

3 Before a noun made definite by the addition of a phrase or clause:

the girl in blue the man with the banner
the boy that I met the place where I met him

4 Before a noun which by reason of locality can represent only one particular thing:
Ann is in the garden. (the garden of this house)
Please pass the wine. (the wine on the table)

Similarly, the postman (the one who comes to us), the car (our car), the newspaper (the one we read).
5 Before superlatives and first, second etc. used as adjectives or pronouns, and only:
the first (week) the best day the only way

C the + singular noun can represent a class of animals or things.

The whale is in danger of becoming extinct.
The deep-freeze has made life easier for housewives.

But man, used to represent the human race, has no article

If oil supplies run out, man may have to fall back on the horse.

the can be used before a member of a certain group of people:

The small shopkeeper is finding life increasingly difficult the + singular noun as
used above takes a singular verb. The pronoun is he, she or it The first-class traveller
pays more so he expects some comfort.
D the + adjective represents a class of persons:
the old = old people in general (see 23)

E the is used before certain proper names of seas, rivers, groups of islands, chains of mountains, plural
names of countries, deserts, regions:
the Atlantic the
Netherlands the Thames
the Sahara the Azores the
Crimea the Alps the
Riviera
and before certain other names
 the City the Mall the Sudan
the Hague the Strand the Yemen the is also used

before names consisting of noun + of + noun

the Bay of Biscay the Gulf of Mexico
the Cape of Good Hope the United States of America the is used before names consisting of

adjective + noun (provided the adjective is not east, west etc ):

the Arabian Sea the New Forest the High Street the is used before

the adjectives east/west etc + noun in certain names:

the East/West End the East/West Indies
the North/South Pole but

is normally omitted
Smith Africa North America West Germany the,
however, is used before east/west etc when these are nouns the
north of Spam the West (geographical)
the Middle East the West (political)

Compare Go north (adverb in a northerly direction) with He lives in the north (noun an area in the north)
F the is used before other proper names consisting of adjective + noun or noun + of + noun the
National Gallery the Tower of London

It is also used before names of choirs, orchestras, pop groups etc the
Bach Choir the Philadelphia Orchestra the Beatles
and before names of newspapers (The Times) and ships (the Great Britain)
G the with names of people has a very limited use the + plural surname can be used to mean the
family the Smiths = Mr and Mrs Smith (and children)
the + singular name + clause/phrase can be used to distinguish one person from another of the same
name:
We have two Mr Smiths Which do you want? ~ I want the Mr Smith who signed this letter

the is used before titles containing of (the Duke of York) but it is not used before other titles or ranks (Lord
Olivier, Captain Cook), though if someone is referred to by title/rank alone the is used: The earl expected
The captain ordered

Letters written to two or more unmarried sisters jointly may be addressed The Misses + surname: The
Misses Smith.

7 Omission of the
A The definite article is not used:
1 Before names of places except as shown above or before names of people.
2 Before abstract nouns except when they are used in a particular sense:
Men fear death but
The death of the Prime Minister left his party without a leader.

3 After a noun in the possessive case, or a possessive adjective the boy s uncle = the uncle of the boy
It is my (blue) book = The (blue) book is mine

4 Before names of meals (but see 3 C)

The Scots have porridge for breakfast. but
The wedding breakfast was held in her father s house.

5 Before names of games: He plays golf

6 Before parts of the body and articles of clothing as these normally prefer a possessive adjective:
Raise your right hand He took off his coat

But notice that sentences of the type She

seized the childs collar.
I patted his shoulder.
The brick hit John s face .

could be expressed:
She seized the child by the collar.

I patted him on the shoulder.

The brick hit John in the face.

Similarly in the passive:

He was hit on the head. He was cut in the hand.

B Note that in some European languages the definite article is used before indefinite plural nouns
but that in English the is never used in this way:
Women are expected to like babies. (i.e. women in general)
Big hotels all over the world are very much the same.

If we put the before women in the first example, it would mean that we were referring to a particular
group of women.
C nature where it means the spirit creating and motivating the world of plants and animals etc., is
used without the:
If you interfere with nature you will suffer for it.
8 Omission of the before home, before church, hospital, prison, school etc and before
work, sea and town
A home
When home is used alone, i.e. is not preceded or followed by a descriptive word or phrase, the is omitted:
He is at home.

home used alone can be placed directly after a verb of motion or verb of motion + object, i.e. it can be
treated as an adverb:
He went home. I arrived home after dark. I sent him home.

But when home is preceded or followed by a descriptive word or phrase it is treated like any other noun:
They went to their new home.
We arrived at the brides home.
For some years this was the home of your queen.
A mud hut was the only home he had ever known.

B bed, church, court, hospital, prison, school/college/university

the is not used before the nouns listed above when these places are visited or used for their primary
purpose. We go:
to bed to sleep or as invalids to
hospital as patients
to church to pray to
prison as prisoners

to court as litigants etc. to

school/college/university to study

Similarly we can be:

in bed, sleeping or resting
in hospital as patients at
church as worshippers
at school etc. as students
in court as witnesses etc.

We can be/get back (or be/get home) from school/college/university.

We can leave school, leave hospital, be released from prison.
When these places are visited or used for other reasons the is necessary:
I went to the church to see the stained glass.
He goes to the prison sometimes to give lectures.

C sea
We go to sea as sailors. To be at sea = to be on a voyage (as passengers or crew). But to go to or be at the
sea = to go to or be at the seaside. We can also live by/near the sea. D work and office work (= place of
work) is used without the:
Hes on his way to work. He is at work.
He isnt back from work yet

Note that at work can also mean working; hard at work = working hard:
Hes hard at work on a new picture.

office (= place of work) needs the: He is at/in the office.

To be in office (without the) means to hold an official (usually political) position. To be out of office = to
be no longer in power. E town the can be omitted when speaking of the subjects or speakers own
town:
We go to town sometimes to buy clothes.
We were in town last Monday.