ARTICLES

I. THE = definite article

 when we are thinking of one particular thing
 when it is clear which thing or person we mean
 when there is only one of something (superlatives, the sun, the sky,
...)
 before same (the same colour)
 in common expressions (go to the cinema, go to the theatre, go to
the bank, listen to the radio... X There isn't a theatre/a cinema
in this town.
I'm going to buy a new radio.
 we use the + singular noun to talk about a type of something
(animal, machine, etc.)
The giraffe is the tallest of all animals. (a particular type of animal,
not a particular giraffe)
When was the telephone invented? (a type of machine)
Can you play the guitar? (a type of musical instrument)
X we use man (the human beings in general) without an article
What do you know about the origins of man?

II. A/AN = indefinite article

 when we are talking about a thing or person for the first time
 in common expressions (a/an instead of “per“ - once a week, £ 50 a
kilo,...)
 to say what kind of thing something is (The sun is a star.)

III. ZERO ARTICLE

 when we are talking about things or people in general, we do not
use articles
I'm afraid of dogs. Doctors are paid more than teachers. Do you
collect stamps?
X we use definite article when we mean particular things or
people
Children learn a lot from playing. (children in general) X
We took the children to the zoo. (a particular group of
children, perhaps the speaker's own children)
I often listen to music. X The film wasn't very good but I
liked the music.
 we do not use articles with most: most people/most books/most
cars

IV. SET EXPRESSIONS

TV - no article X the television (= the television set)
 I often watch television. X Can you turn off the television, please?
Space - no article if we mean the universe
There are millions of stars in space. X I wanted to park my car but
the space was too small.
Meals - usually no article, but we use a/an if there is an adjective before
the noun
What time is lunch? X We had a very nice lunch.
Bed – to go to bed (to sleep) X to sit on a bed (a piece of furniture)
Home, Work - no article
I am at home/at work.
Sea - to be at sea (on voyage) X to swim in the sea
Institutions - no article if we talk about the primary purpose (general
idea)
I'm going to school. (student) X I'm going to the school (parent,
e.g. to see the headmaster)
V. OTHERS
Noun + Number/Letter – no article
Room 123, Page 54, Platform 5, shoes in size 40, Section B
(Our train leaves from Platform 5. X from the Platform 5)

the + Adjective (without a noun)

to talk about groups of people; these expressions are always
plural in meaning
the young, the rich, the old,.... (the youngs)
The homeless need more help from the government.
X In singular meaning, a noun must be used: a young man (a
young)

the + Nationality
 we can use the + some nationality adjectives to mean “the
people of that country“
these expressions are always plural in meaning
the French, the English, the Spanish, ...
The French are famous for their cuisine. (=the people of France)
X in singular meaning we have to say a Frenchman, an
Englishwoman,...
 nationality adjectives ending with -ese (Chinese, Japanese,
Sudanese,...) + Swiss can be both singular or plural (a Japanese /
the Japanese; a Swiss /the Swiss)
 with other nationalities, the plural noun ends -s
(an Italian/the Italians; a Mexican/the Mexicans,...)

VI. NAMES WITH AND WITHOUT THE

Names of people – no article
when we use Mr/Mrs/Captain/Doctor etc. + name, there is no article
We called the doctor. X We called Doctor Johnson.
Names of places (continents, countries, states, regions, islands, cities,
towns, mountains,...) - normally no article
X we use the in names with Republic (the Czech Republic),
Kingdom (the United Kingdom), States (the United States/the
USA) etc.
We visited Canada and the United States.
X mount, lake - see names of people (the mount X Mount
Everest the Mount Everest)
They live near the lake. X They live near Lake
Constance.
Names of oceans, seas, rivers, canals – with definite article
the Atlantic (Ocean), the (River) Amazon, the Nile, the Suez Canal
Plural names of people and places – definite article
the Taylors (the Taylor family), the Netherlands, the Philippines, the
British Isles, the Rocky Mountains, the Alps,...
The highest mountain in the Alps is Mont Blanc.
Cardinal points
the north of France X northern France (the northern France), West
Africa (the West Africa)
but: the Middle East, the Far East
Sweden is in northern Europe, Spain is in the south.
Streets, roads, squares, parks, etc. - no article
Union Street, Blackrock Road, Fifth Avenue, Broadway, Time
Square, Hyde Park, Waterloo Bridge
Important buildings and institutions
when the first word is a proper name, there is no article
(Kennedy Airport, Cambridge University, London Zoo, Buckingham
Palace,...)
X the White House, the Royal Palace (white and royal are not proper
names) – yet not a general rule, there are exceptions (the Eiffel
Tower)
Other place and institution names – mostly with the
(hotels, restaurants, pubs, theatres, cinemas, museums, galleries,
oceans, seas, canals, newspapers, organizations,...)
the Hilton Hotel, the British Museum, the Empire State Building, the
Indian Ocean, the Financial Times, the BBC
sometimes we leave out the noun: the Hilton (Hotel), the Sahara
(Desert)
sometimes the name can consist only of the+noun: the Sun
(newspaper), the Vatican,...
names with ...of... are usually with the (the Bank of England, the
Tower of London, the Great Wall of China) X the London University
Shops, restaurants, etc. named after their founders
these names end in -'s or -s and there is usually no article
McDonalds, St John's Church, Lloyds Bank,...
Names of companies, airlines, etc. - usually no article
Fiat, Sony, British Airways, IBM,...