Articles with nouns in apposition

(a special kind of attribute which gives the word which it modifies another name)

“A” when the speaker means that the object belongs to a certain class (no article in the plural).

This is Jane, a friend of mine.

“The”:

1. when there is a limiting attribute

Mr Jackson, the teacher you’ve spoken about, is here.

2. if a famous person or work of art is meant

Bulgakov, the great Russian writer, was born in Kiev.

McBeth, the tragedy by Shakespeare, was staged in the Bolshoy Theatre.

(But if it is not widely known – “a”.)

“–”: if the noun denotes a post which can be occupied by one person at a time. (Sometimes – “the”.)

Pr Jones, dean/the dean of our department, has gone to London.

Special difficulties in the use of articles day, night, morning, evening

(+ “dusk, dawn, afternoon, noon, twilight, midnight, night, nightfall, daytime, sunrise, sunset”)

“–”:

1. when they denote “light” or “darkness”:

The sun set behind the hills and night came.

2. after the prepositions “at, after, before, by, till, until, towards, past”: at midnight, by evening, till morning

3. in the function of the predicative:

It was evening.

It was dusk, but he still hadn’t returned.

4. when they are modified by the words “yesterday” and “tomorrow” or days of the week.

We’ll meet tomorrow morning. It was Sunday morning.

5. in the following expressions:

all day (long)

all night (long)

day after day

night after night

from morning till night

from day to day

day and night etc.

“A” if there is a descriptive attribute: a frosty winter night. It was a frosty day.

But: “late afternoon” and “early morning”, though “early in the morning”.

“The”:

1. if the situation makes the meaning definite or there is a limiting attribute:

The rain had stopped and the night was clear.

The morning of his departure was clear.

The night was a windy one.

2. when they are used in a generic sense:

He spent the morning working and the afternoon reading.

3. after the prepositions “in, during, through”: in the morning, during the day, through the night

4. when they are preceded by “other”: the other day – на днях.

Note: after the preposition “for”

for the day (specific day is meant)

for a day (one day)

School, prison, college, bed

(+ hospital, jail, prison, university, church)

“–” usually after a preposition when they denote activities:

to be in hospital/bed/prison

to go to jail/hospital/church

to be at college/university/school

to be in college/university/school (US)

to stay in bed

to leave college/school

But: when these nouns denote a building or an object they follow the general rules on the use of articles:

There was a college opposite the marketplace.

The college was a six-storeyed building.

TOWN

“–” in contrast with “the country” or denoting the business centre, usually after a preposition:

to go to town

to live/stay/be in town

to leave town

to be out of town

But: in other cases this word follows the general rules on the use of articles:

“a”: It was a small town.

“the”: The town was buzzing with life.