ARTICLES : A/AN, THE, NO

ARTICLE
A/AN EXAMPLE THE EXAMPLE

1. Before jobs *She is a teacher. 1. If there is ‘one’ *The teacher gave

person doing the lots of homework.
*I’m an engineer. job in a particular
place, ‘the’ is *The engineer
used. wanted to meet the
workers in person.

2. When we talk about *I have a cat. 2. When we talk *I have a cat. The
sth for the first time about something cat’s name is Gece.
for the second, (Its name is Gece.)
third or other
times
NO ARTICLE EXAMPLE THE EXAMPLE
1. When we talk about *Dolphins are really 1. When we talk *The students in
things in general and smart. about already Beg4 are very
for meals, times and known things or cheerful.
days *We’ll have lunch at 9 when there is
on Monday. only ‘one’ of that *Here is the dress
thing in a you wanted.
*Student clubs are particular place.
popular on campus. *The sun was
shining brightly.
*Water is the source of
life. *He put his bags on
the floor.
*Doctors work hard.
(A doctor works hard--
also possible)

2. “a” is also possible *a piece of cake 2.With phrases *The name of the
for phrases including including “of” headmaster is Jack
“of” (the first half) *a slice of bread (the first half) König.

*a member of the *The half of this

family apple is yours.
3. Lakes *Van Lake, Salt Lake, 3. Oceans, rivers, *The Marmara, the
Mogan Lake, Eymir seas Pacific, the
Lake Kızılırmak
4. Only mountains *Mount Everest, 4. Mountain *The Alps, the
Ağrı Mountain ranges Toros, the
Himalayas
5. Cities, streets and *Turkey, France 5. “Republic”, *The Arabian
A/AN EXAMPLE THE EXAMPLE
most country names BUT: the USA, the UK “States”, Emirates, the UK,
“Kingdom” the USA, The Czech
Republic, the
Netherlands
6. Only islands *Büyükada, Cyprus, 6. Island groups *The Bahamas, the
Gökçeada Canary Islands

Quick Hints
· a before consonants (a book)
an before vowels (an exam)
Pronunciation is what matters.
-an hour
(‘h' is silent and it's pronounced: an our)
· Temporary illnesses:
-I have a headache, a cold, a fever, a backache.
· "The" with superlative forms
-He is the smartest kid I have seen.
Singular countable nouns:
As indefinite article : use ‘a’, as definite article: use “the".

E.G:
My daughter wants to buy a dog this weekend. (Indefinite-It
could be any dog)
-The dog in the backyard is very cute.(Definite-the one in the
backyard)
-He requested a puppy for his birthday.
-He wanted the puppy he played with at the pet shop.
-She ordered a hamburger without onions.
-Did you eat the hamburger I just ordered?

Plural countable nouns:

Use "the" or use nothing, never use 'a'.
E.G:
-Children are always curious. (indefinite- general)
-Come and look at the children. (definite- we talk about a group
of children nearby, so we see or know them)

-She loves flowers. (indefinite)

-The flowers in her garden are beautiful. (definite-which
flowers? The ones in her garden)

-Do you like reading grammar rules?(indefinite)

-Do you like reading the grammar rules on this page?(definite-
Which grammar rules? The ones on this page?)

Uncountable nouns:
Use "the" or nothing.

-He has experience. (if “experience” is not known / indefinite or

mentioned for the first time)

-He has the experience necessary for the job. (use the definite
article if “experience” is mentioned before)

-History reminds us that events repeat themselves. (general)

-Have you studied the history of South Africa? (specifically

the history of a country)

Whether to use
THE or A/AN?
Adjectives as Nouns
When referring to a group of people by the use of an adjective
rather than a noun, use "the".
 the the
the elderly
disabled unemployed
the rich the sick the needy
the
the homeless the restless
young

Country Names
Some countries are preceded by "the" if the country name is
plural noun, contains an adjective, or includes "of".

The United The Soviet The Republic

States Union of Congo

America Russia Spain

Japan China Mexico

Cities and Streets

Use no article.
Chicago Fifth Avenue San Francisco

Kennedy
Highway 5 London Boulevard.
Rivers, Oceans, Seas, Lakes, Groups of
Mountains & Islands
*If you mention a group of mountains or islands, use “the”; if you
mention an only island, do not use an article.
the
the Amazon the Atlantic
Mediterranean
the Hawaiian
the Cascades
Islands
the Bahamas

* Use no article before lakes, but use ‘the’ before rivers, oceans,
and seas.

Numbers
With Cardinal numbers (1,2,3), use nothing.

World War 2 Page 7 Chapter 1

Mission 1 Paragraph 5 Channel 6

Ordinal numbers (1st,2nd,3rd) use “the"

With Ordinal numbers (1,2,3), use “the”.

The Second the seventh the first

World War page chapter
the first the fifth the sixth
mission paragraph channel
Titles of People
*When a title is given with a name, use nothing
President Queen Professor
Mitchael Mary Scott

*When a title is used without a name, use “the".

the the the

president queen professor

Schools
*When a school has "of" in its title, use “the".
the University of the University of
Arizona London

*When a school does not have "of" in its title, use nothing.
Lincoln High Arizona State Liverpool John
School University Moores University

Location versus Activity

*When you refer to an activity, use nothing.
-I am going to school now.(activity-study)

-He is always on time for class. (activity-learn)

* When you refer to the location, use “the".

-The meeting is at the school. (location-campus)

-They are remodeling the movie theater. (location-building)

-The new student had trouble finding the class. (location-

classroom)

Unique Objects - Use “THE”

the earth the human race the world
the
the moon the sun
universe

Part of a larger group- Use “THE”

-One of the students
-None of the students
-Both of the students
-All of the students

Possessives:
When we give possessives with 'of', we use 'the'
-Germany's president---the president of Germany