A / THE / 0 ARTICLE FCE II

The indefinite article: a/an

Use
- the first time you mention a thing /
person.
- when you say what something is.

Examples
- I saw an old man with a dog.

- with jobs.
- in exclamations with What...! + a
singular countable noun.
- in expressions like...

- She is a lawyer.
- What a nice day!

- Its a nice house

- three times a week / 1.5 pounds a kilo

The zero article

Use
- to talk about a generic class of things
(with plural countable nouns).
- to talk about uncountable and abstract
nouns.
- continents and countries
- mountains and lakes
- villages, towns, cities, streets, roads
- before meals, days, and months.
- in exclamations with What...! +
uncountable nouns.
- in some expressions:
at home / go home
in/to class
to/in/into/out of prison/hospital/bed
to/at/from work
by car / bus / bicycle /plane /train /
tube /boat
on foot
by accident/chance
- we say most people/ most books/
most cars... (not the most...) but the
majority of

Examples
- Bicycles are the most common means of
transport in Holland.
- Students are people who study.
- Books are expensive.
- Happiness isnt the only thing in life.
- Music makes me feel alive
- Africa, Nepal, etc.
- Mount Everest, Lake Titicaca, etc.
- London, Oxford Street, etc.
- I never have breakfast on Sunday.
- What nice weather!
- Shes not at home today.
- I get back from work at 9.30pm.
- Shes in hospital.

- Most hotels accept credit cards.

-with nationalities the plural of which

ends in s. (Italians, Mexicans, Turks):

- Italians are well-known for their pizzas and pasta.

- with names of most city

streets/roads/squares/parks, etc and
important public buildings and
institutions (for example, airports,
stations, ).

-Times Square.
- Oxford St.
- Hyde Park.

- we dont use the before noun +

number.

Our train leaves from Platform 5

A / THE / 0 ARTICLE FCE II

The definite article: the
Use
- when we talk about something weve
already mentioned.

Examples
- I saw an old man with a dog, and the dog was barking.

- when there is only one of something.

-The Earth is our planet.

- the sun, the sky, the sea, the ground, the
environment.
- He opened the door.
- Put the books on the table
- Im going to the cinema / to the theatre.
- Its the best restaurant in town.
- The bicycle was invented about 200 years ago.
- I hate the telephone.
-The giraffe is the tallest of all animals.
-The piano is my favourite instrument.

- when its clear what youre referring to.

- with places in a town, e.g. cinema, theatre
- with superlatives
- to talk about a generic class of things (with
singular countable nouns)
- We use the + singular countable noun to
talk about a type of animal, machine,
musical instrument.
- with plural nouns that are postmodified
- with uncountable nouns that are
postmodified
- with oceans, seas, rivers, canals and
deserts
- with plural mountain ranges and island
groups
- with continents and countries whose
name includes a common noun
- with national groups
- with adjectives functioning as nouns
referring to a group of people (the young,
the rich, the sick, the blind, the old, the
poor, the disabled, the deaf, the elderly, the
homeless, the injured, the dead)
- before same meaning igual.
-before radio but not before television
- We write the when it is a specific place
and when we go for something that they are
not used for (school, prison, hospital,
university, college, church )
- with plural names of people and places
- most buildings have article

- with nationality adjectives that end in ch

or sh (the French, the English, the
Spanish...)
- with nationality words ending in ese (the
Chinese, the Japanese...)

- The students sitting there are waiting for the

headmaster.
- I dont like the music that you like
- The Atlantic, the Thames, the Sahara, etc.
- The Andes, the British Isles, etc.
- the Czech Republic, the US, the UK, etc.
- The English, the French, the Spanish, etc.
- The homeless are people who live in the streets.
- The old sometimes are ignored by the young.

-Are these keys the same? (iguals)

-I listen to the radio but I dont watch television much.
-Can you turn off the television, please? (=the
television set)
- Alison is at school now but her mum wants to see
Alisons teacher, she goes to the school. (Alisons goes
at school because she is studying, but her mother
doesnt
-People:
The Johnsons (Family)
-Countries:
The Philippines
-Hotels/restaurants: The Sheraton Hotel
-Theatres/cinemas:
The Palace Theatre
-Museums/galleries:
The Guggenheim Museum
-Other buildings:
The Empire State
-The French are famous for their food.
**The French, the English... are plural in meaning. We
dont say a French, you have to say a Frenchman.
-The Chinese invented printing.