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I theory

1. Articles

The Indefinite Article ‘A/An’

a company an enterprise

a + consonant sound (/b/, /d/, /g/, /l/, /f/, /p/, etc)

an + vowel sound (/a/, /e/, /i/, /o/, /u/)

a/an is used:

  • with singular countable nouns after the verb to be to say what someone/something is.

He’s a manager.

It’s an alarm clock.

  • with the verb have (got).

Nancy has (got) a work station.

  • In certain expressions when we want to show how often we do something.

He visits his head office once a week.

a/an is not used:

  • with uncountable nouns or plural countable nouns. We use some instead of a/an.

We must buy some sugar.

(NOT: a sugar)

They signed some documents.

  • before an adjective if it is not followed by a noun. If the adjective is followed by a noun, we use a if the adjective begins with a consonant sound and an if the adjective begins with a vowel sound.

It’s a firm. It’s small. It’s a small firm.

This is Mary’s project. It’s new. It’s an expensive project.

A/An/One (s)/Other (s)

  • We use a/an to refer to an unspecified thing. He bought a pet. (We are not talking about a specific pet.)

  • We use one to put emphasis on number.

He bought one hat. (He didn’t buy two hats.)

  • We use a/an + adjective + one.

I am going to look for a new car. I want a fast one. (NOT: I want a fast.)

  • We use one with the words night/morning/ day/time, etc, usually in narration.

One morning, I decided that I would never go back there.

  • We use one or one of... when we refer to one person/thing out of many. It sometimes contrasts with the other(s).

One woman was tall, but the others were rather short.

  • We use a/an or one with no difference in meaning when we count or measure time, distance, weight, etc.

He will be away for an/one hour.

The shop is a/one kilometre away.

She weighs a/one hundred kilos.

Our new TV cost a/one thousand pounds.

  • We use one in the singular and ones in the plural to avoid repeating the noun when it is clear what we mean.

My new jacket is much nicer than my old one. (= my old jacket)

I’m not interested in computer games, except for strategy ones. (= strategy games)

The Definite Article ‘The’

The definite article the is used with countable and uncountable nouns, the woman, the trees, the music

The is used:

  • with nouns when we are talking about something specific, that is, when the noun is mentioned for a second time or is already known.

I bought a new pair of shoes and a dress. The shoes are black and the dress is purple.

  • with nouns which are unique (the sun, the moon, the earth, etc).

  • with the names of rivers (the Thames), seas (the Mediterranean Sea), oceans (the Atlantic Ocean), mountain ranges (the Alps), deserts (the Sahara), groups of islands (the Easter Islands) and countries when they include words such as ‘state’, ‘kingdom’, ‘republic’, etc (the United Kingdom).

  • with the names of musical instruments (the guitar, the flute) and dances ( the waltz).

  • with the names of hotels (the Hilton Hotel), theatres/cinemas (the Broadway Theatre), ships (the Queen Elizabeth), organisations (the WWF), newspapers (The Guardian) and museums (the Van Gogh Museum).

  • with nationality words (the Russians) and names of families (the Smiths).

The is not used:

  • with uncountable and plural countable nouns when talking about something in general, that is, when we cannot answer the question ‘Who?’ or ‘Which?’.

Lizards are reptiles. (Which lizards? Lizards in general.)

  • with proper nouns. Ted is a nice boy.

  • with the names of countries (Italy), cities (Paris), streets (Coventry Street), parks (Hyde Park), mountains (Mount Everest), railway stations (King Cross Station), bridges (London Bridge), individual islands (Cyprus), lakes (Lake Victoria) and continents (Africa).

  • with titles when the name of the person is not mentioned (the King, the Queen of England) BUT; Queen Elizabeth.

  • with the words morning, afternoon and evening.

They play rugby in the afternoon.

  • with the words station, shop, cinema, pub, library, city, village, etc.

She was at the library studying for her exams.

  • with historical periods/events (the Ice Age, the Middle Ages, the French Revolution, the Second World War) BUT: World War II.

  • with the words only, last, first (used as adjectives).

Colin ate the last piece of apple pie.

  • with adjectives/adverbs in the superlative form. Susan is the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen.

  • We use the + adjective (without a noun) to refer to a group of people, usually with these adjectives: poor, rich, sick, injured, elderly, unemployed, homeless, disabled, young, old, dead, blind, deaf, handicapped, mentally ill. The government should take action for the homeless.

  • with the names of sports, games, activities, school subjects, days, months, celebrations, colours, drinks, meals and languages (when they are not followed by the word ‘language’).

I speak Spanish. BUT: The Spanish language is spoken in many countries.

  • after the words this/that/these/those

(this suit, those people) (NOT: this-the-suit).

  • with possessive adjectives or the possessive case.

That isn’t your notebook. It’s Jake’s.

  • with titles when the person’s name is mentioned (Princess Diane, Lord Sandwich).

  • with two-word names when the first word is the name of a person or place (Schipholl Airport) BUT: the White House, with names of pubs, shops, banks and hotels named after the people who started them or end in -s or -’s. Natwest Bank, Dougie’s pub BUT: the Tiger (pub) (because Tiger is not a name of a person or place)

  • with the words school, church, bed, hospital, college, university, court, prison or home when we refer to the purpose for which they exist.

Sue was in hospital. (She was a patient there.) Sue’s aunt went to the hospital to see her. (She went to the hospital as a visitor.)

  • with the words home, father/mother when we talk about our own home/parents.

Mother is at home.

  • with means of transport: by bus/car/train/ plane, etc. 1 go to work by bus.

with the names of illnesses. He’s got arthritis. BUT: flu/the flu, measles/the measles, mumps/the mumps