article

What is an article? Basically, an article is an adjective. Like adjectives, articles
modify nouns.
English has two articles: the and a/an. The is called definite article; a/an is called
indefinite article.
I/ Define article: “the”
Use “the” Not use “the”
-
With nouns we have mentioned previously.
Ex: There are only one elephant in the zoo. The
elephant is quite big.
-
When mentioning something or someone and the
person you are talking to knows about this thing
or person
Ex: The message shocked me.(we knows about
this message)
- With nouns followed by a descriptive phrase, which makes
them definite
.
Ex: The CD that she phayed was by my favourite band
- A unique thing exists
Ex: the Earth, the world, the sea, the sun, the moon
- With individual items which represent a class
.
Ex: + The dog is a faithful animal.
+ The smaller shopkeeper is finding business
increasingly difficult.
-
With superlatives, ordinals,” the same”, “the only
”

Ex: the best time, the only way, the first time, the
second time…
-
With an adjective which used as a noun represented classes
of people
.
Ex: + The one-eyed man is the King of the blind.
+ There will be a special school for the deaf and
mute here next year.
- With idioms
: BY THE.
Ex: + Beer is sold by the bottle.
+ Eggs are sold by the dozen.
-
With plural proper nouns which denote husband and wife or
all family.
Ex: + The Smiths always go fishing at weekends.
+ Do you know the Browns ?
-
GO TO + the + (place) => someone go to this place on
purpose
-With “house”:
I left the house at 9p.m
- With national groups
.
Ex: the Chinese, the Americans, the Dutch, the
- With a plural noun if you are talking about things or people
in general
.
Ex: It’s nice to have friends.

- With an uncountable noun if you are talking about something
in general
.
Ex: He’s an expert on food and drink.
- After possessive adjectives or nouns in possessive case
Ex: + My friend (not my the friend)
+ The girl’s mother = the mother of the girl
- Meals
Ex: They invited some friends to dinner.
( BUT They invited their friends to the wedding dinner
- With titles
: President Bush, King Louis XIV of France.
- Sports and games
: volleyball, hockey, chess, golf…
- Academic subjects
: chemistry, maths, economics…
-
With cardinal number
: one, two..
-
With seasons, years or months, days of the week you are
specifying a particular one, in the phrase “at night”
: 1993
(year), September, Monday, Tuesday…
-
With types of music
: rock, classical…
-
Not usually with television

Ex: He saw it on television ( BUT he heard it on the
radio)
- Do not use “the” after “by” to talk about the kind of
transport used for a journey
.
Ex: I went by car/ bike/ bus/ train/ plane/ coach/ boat/
ship/ ferry/ taxi/ air/ tube/ sea.
( BUT I went in the car/ my car or I went on the bus/
train/ boat/ ship/ ferry/ plane/ tube)
-
GO TO + (place)=> do not use “the” ifyouare talking ablout
being someone who receives what is provided in the building
-With “home”: at home, come home, go home

British…
- Use “the” for musical instruments
.
Ex: I can play the piano.
- With names including NOUN + OF + NOUN
Ex: + The Gulf of Mexico
+ The United States of America
- Both, all, half, double + THE + Noun
Ex: All the men in this town are very lazy.
-
With some geographical names. In particular
:
• Names of rivers, oceans, a group of lakes and
seas: the Nile, the Pacific, the Thames, the
Great Lakes…
• Ranges of Mountains: the Andes, the Rockies

• Points on the globe: the Equator, the North
Pole, the South Pole
• Geographical areas: the West, the Middles East,
the Arctic
• Deserts, forests, gulfs and peninsulas: the
Sahara, the Persian Gulf, the Black Forest, the
Iberian Peninsula
• Island chains: the Aleutians, the Canary Islands
• Names of countries which have many states
(plural countries) : The United States, the
Philippines, the Netherlands, the People’s
Republic of China
• Names of wars ( exept for World War ) : the
Civil War
• Names of lakes and bays (singular): Lake Erie,
Halong Bay…
• Mountains (plural) : Mount Everest, Mount Fuij
• Names of planets : Mercury, Venus, Earth,
Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune and
Pluto
• Names of countries have one word : Vietnam,
China…
• Names of continents: Asia, Europe
• Names of islands: Easter Island, Key West
• Names of streets: Main St.
• Names of cities, towns or states: Seoul, Miami,
California