Articles with countable nouns

The indefinite article is used:

1. When the speaker presents the object as belonging to a certain class in the meaning of «какой-нибудь», «некий».

It happened in a small town.

He bought a book yesterday.

I have bought a newspaper.

2. With a predicative noun which usually denotes a profession or characteristic

He is a doctor.

Your brother is a young man.

But: He is the doctor we sent for.

3. When a person or a thing is mentioned for the first time. After the first reference the definite article is used.

I watched a bus as it came up our road. The bus stopped and a man got out. The man had a case in his hand. With the case the man looked like a salesman.

4. When the noun is used in a general sense and has the meaning “every” (mainly in definitions).

A seamstress sews clothes.

A horse has four legs.

A palm pilot is a tiny computer.

5. When it preserves its old original meaning of “one”:

a) with price, distance, frequency, measure, weight, time:

Apples are 30 rubles a kilo. I’ll be back in a month.

Christmas comes but once a year. She bought half a kilo of meat.

Note: with the preposition by the definite article is used:

Can I pay the rent by the month?

Do you sell eggs by the kilo or by the dozen?

b) instead of numeral one before the words hundred, thousand, million, score (двадцать), dozen (дюжина), half, quarter (четверть):

He has won a million.

He had a dozen of shirts made.

c) in some set expressions with the verbs to be, to have, to give, to take: to be a success, to have a look (a try, a rest, a snack) to give a lift (a chance), to make a date (a will, a mistake, a speech, a start), to take a nap (shower, seat), to play a trick, to be at a loss etc.

6. After the attributes such, rather, quite, most (in the meaning very) and in exclamatory sentences beginning with what:

He is such a rich man.

She is quite a clever girl.

It was rather an interesting film.

It’s a most interesting book. (Это очень интересная книга)

What a lovely day!

Note! With uncountable nouns and nouns in plural no article is used.

They were rather strange children.

7. Before a direct object.

Sue wants a husband and three kids.

All the world loves a lover.

8. Before the subject in constructions

It is/was/will be…

There is/was/will be…

This is/was/will be….

It will be a good chance.

There's a black sheep in every flock.

This is a friend of mine.

But. It is the novel our teacher mentioned last time.

9. in detached apposition (приложение)

My friend, a history teacher, knows a lot about it.

Note! If the person is famous, the definite article is used.

Pushkin, the great Russian poet, wrote a lot of fairy-tales.

10. Before ordinal numerals in the meaning “one more”

Suddenly we heard a shot, then a second, then a third.

11. With the following illnesses: a cold, a fever, a sore throat, a headache and other words ending with –ache, except heartache. All other illnesses are used without any article.

Cholera, measles, pneumonia.

The definite article is used:

1. When the situation itself makes the object definite (the speaker and the listener know what particular object is meant).

The exam was very tense. The lecturer was very strict and the students were nervous.

The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence.

2. When the speaker uses an attribute pointing out a particular object – a particularizing attribute.

This is the house that Jack built. The pictures in this book are very interesting.

Note! A particularizing attribute shouldn’t be confused with a descriptive attribute which gives additional information about the object. A descriptive attribute doesn’t influence the choice of articles,

I have got an interesting film which was directed by S. Mikhalkov.

He went to the forest where a lot of birds were singing.

3. When nouns are used in a generic sense (as a type or genre).

The horse was domesticated many centuries ago.

The computer microchip was invented in 1958.

Note! With the nouns man, mankind, humanity no article is used.

What shall we tell mankind? Man is helpless in this case.

With the noun woman the definite article or no article is used.

Only (the) woman could do it.

4. With nouns modified by:

a) some adjectives (same, all, wrong, right, left, very, next, last, following, only, whole, main, principle, central, coming, present, former, latter, necessary, opposite, previous, lower, upper, usual, so-called):

Had Gooch not been injured in the last two games.

The only virtue of the latter newspaper techniques is to bring an event to the attention of a reader.

But: I was an only child.

We’ve taken a wrong turn.

It was a last minute decision (поспешное решение).

Note! No article is used when nouns day, night, morning, afternoon, week, and year are modified by the adjective next denoting future and last denoting past.

I’ll be back next week.

b) adjectives in the superlative degree:

Dracula is the most popular film character. There are over 160 Dracula films.

But: This novel could be a best seller.

This is a most urgent matter (весьма, чрезвычайно).

c) ordinal numerals:

My flat is on the fifth floor.

But: a first love, a first night, a first time, a first child.

Can I have a second cup of tea?

There's a first time for everything, even accidents.

Все в жизни бывает впервые, в том числе и аварии.

Every one of us has a first love.

У каждого из нас была первая любовь.

5. With substantivized adjectives and participles (the rich, the old, the wounded etc.)

There's one law for the rich and another for the poor.

6. With collective singular nouns denoting social classes, social groups, nationalities (the public, the peasantry, the British etc.) and before noun people in the meaning народ.

What are the British like?

The Russian people suffered a lot in the 20^th century. – Русский народ много перенес в 20-м столетии.

7. With the words used as adverbial modifier of place, such as the country, the mountains, the seaside, the city, the land, the countryside, the plains, the desert, the forest, the taiga, the jungle, the tundra, the weekend, the cinema, the theatre, the police, the army, the post office, the bank, the doctor, the dentist, the butcher, the chemist, the cleaner, though we don’t mean some particular object or person.

He went to the police to claim that he had been robbed.

8. With musical instruments the violin, the piano, the guitar.

He played the violin beautifully.

9. After the words one (some, many, each, both, none, several, most) +of, the first (the second, etc.) + of, all.

Give me one of the books.

I have looked through all the magazines.

10. With nouns denoting part of the body or an item of clothes if they are used as adverbial modifier of place.

He tapped me on the shoulder.

He put it into the pocket.