A, AN AND ONE
1) A: We use “a” before words that begin with consonant sound.
Example: a phone, a car, a motorbike, a train, a school, a building, a hotel, a restaurant…etc.
NOTE: Some words start with a vowel letter but begin with a consonant sound, so we use “a” before these words, too.
Example: a university, a Europe, a one-parent family…etc.
2) AN: We use “an” before words that begin with vowel sound.
Example: an orange, an apple, an egg, an Italy, an umbrella, an axe…etc.
NOTE 1: Some words start with a consonant but begin with a silent sound, so we use “an” before these words as well. These kinds of word always start with letter “h”.
Example: an hour, an honest personnel, an honor, an heir…etc.
NOTE 2: We use “an” before abbreviations said as individual letters that begin with “A, E, F, H, I, L, M, N, OK, R, S, or X”
Example: an MP, an IMF, an FBI agent, an IOU, an HRU…etc.
NOTE 3: We use “a” not “an” before abbreviations said as words.
Example: a NATO general, a FIFA official, a UNECIEF member…etc.
3) ONE
a- We use “one” rather than “a/an” if we want to emphasize that we are talking about only one thing or person rather than two or more.
Example:
- Do you have one sandwich or two?
- Are you staying just one night?
- I just took one at her and she started crying.
b- We use “one” in the pattern one…other / another.
Example:
- Close one eye, and then the other.
- Bees carry pollen from one plant to another.
c- We use “one” in phrases such as one day, one evening, one spring…etc., to mean a particular, but unspecified day, evening, spring…etc.
Example:
- Hope to see again one day.
- One evening, while he was working late at the office.
NOTE 1: We don’t use “one” when we mean ‘any one of a particular type of thing’.
Example:
- I really need a cup of coffee.
- You can never find a paper clip in this office.
NOTE 2: We also use “a/an”, not “one” in number and quantity expression such as:
- three times a year, half an hour, a quarter of an hour, a day or so (= about a day)
- 50 pence a liter (notice we can also say ‘…for one liter’)
- a week or two (notice we can also say ‘…one or two weeks’)
- a few, a little, a huge number of…
NOTE 3: We use “a” rather than “one” in the pattern “a…of…” with possessives.
Example:
- She’s a colleague of mine.
- That’s a friend of Bill’s.
- It’s a product of Sony Company’s.
THE AND A/AN
1) We use “the” before a superlative adjective when the superlative adjective is followed by a noun or defining phrase.
Example:
- He is the finest young player around at the moment.
- This painting’s the most unusual in the collection.
NOTE 1: We can leave out “the”, particularly in an informal style, when there is no noun or defining phrase after the superlative adjective.
Example:
A: Why did you decide to stay in this hotel?
B: It was cheapest. / It was the cheapest I could find.
NOTE 2: When most before an adjective means very or extremely we can use “a” (with countable singular) or “zero article” (with plurals and uncountable) rather than “the” when there is no following noun. Most is used in this way particularly in a rather formal spoken style. In everyday conversation we generally use a word such as very instead.
Example:
- He was a most peculiar-looking man. (= a very peculiar-looking man)
- It was most expensive petrol. (= extremely expensive)
2) We use “the” when we know that there is only one of a particular thing.
Example: the sun, the world, the North Pole, the jet age, the international market, the travel industry, the arms trade…etc.
NOTE 1: The same applies to the following thins when we refer to them in a general way.
Example: the weather, the climate, the human race, the atmosphere, the sea, the public, the environment, the sky, the ground, the wind, the future, the past…etc.
NOTE 2: However, if we want to describe a particular instance of these we use “a/an”.
Example:
- She could hear the wind whistling through the trees outside. and
- There’s a cold wind blowing from the north.
- What are your plans for the future? and
- She dreamt of a future where she could spend more time painting.
3) We use “the” when we expect the listener or reader to be able to identify the thing or person we are talking about, and we use “a/an” when we don’t.
Example:
- Helen’s just bought a house in Wilson Street. and
- Helen’s just bought the house in Wilson Street. (= the house for sale we have previously talked about)
- There’s a bus coming. and
- The bus is coming. (= it’s the bus we are waiting for)
4) We use “the” when it is clear from the situation which person or thing we mean.
Example:
- What do you think of the table? (= the table we are looking at)
- This tastes lovely. What’s in the sauce? (= the sauce here on my plate)
5) We use “the” in fictional writing (novels, short stories, etc.) to mention something for the first with “the” to build up suspense, expectation, etc.
Example: The woman opened the gate and looked thoughtfully at the house.
6) We often use “the” with nouns before a phrase beginning “of…” and the “of…” phrase connects this noun to a particular thing or person.
Example
- Pictures can help students learn the meaning of new words.
- The disease could have killed off half the population of the country.
- He was woken up by the sound of gunfire.
NOTE: Some nouns are commonly used in the pattern “the…of…” to refer to a particular place, time, etc., including back, beginning, bottom, end, middle, side, top…
Example:
- In the middle of his speech he started to cough uncontrollably.
- At the end of the story we become so sad.
SOME AND ZERO ARTICLE
SOME
1) We use “some” in affirmative sentences and questions with plural and uncountable nouns when we talk about limited, but indefinite, or unknown numbers or qualities of things.
Example:
- Some furniture arrived for you this morning. (not Furniture arrived…)
- Would you like to hear some good news? (not…to hear good news)
2) We use “some” to talk about particular, but unspecified, people or things.
Example:
- Some teachers never seem to get bored with being in the classroom. (= but not all)
- I enjoy some modern music. (= but not all)
3) We use “some” before a number to mean ‘approximately’.
Example:
- Some 80% of all those eligible took part in the vote. (= approximately 80%)
- There were some 20, 000 people at the protest march. (= approximately 20, 000)
4) When we want to emphasize that we can’t say exactly which person or thing we are talking about because we don’t know or can’t remember, we use “some” instead of “a/an” with a singular noun.
Example: I was asked a really difficult question by some student in class two.
NOTE: We can use the phrase “some (thing) or other” in a similar way.
Example: I bought them from some shop or other in the High Street. (not…from a shop or other)
ZERO ARTICLE
We use “zero article” with uncountable and plural nouns when we talk generally about people or things.
Example:
- I always like getting good news. (= good news in general)
- Furniture is a costly item when you are setting up a home. (= furniture in general)
- Teachers like having long holidays. (= all teachers)
- I enjoy modern music. (= modern music in general)
NOTE: We sometimes use “some / zero article” with very little difference in meaning.
Example:
- ‘Where were you last week?’ ‘I was visiting (some) friends.’
- Before serving, pour (some) yoghurt over the top.
- It’ll be cold up in the hills, so bring (some) warm clothes.
* It makes little difference whether we are referring to particular friends (with some) or friends in general (with zero article); or whether we are referring to a limited but indefinite amount of yoghurt (with some) or yoghurt in general (with zero article).
THE AND ZERO ARTICLE
THE: When we “the” a plural or uncountable noun, we are talking about specific things or people.
Example:
- The books you ordered have arrived. (with plural noun)
- All the information you asked for is in this file of paper. (with uncountable noun)
ZERO ARTICLE: In generalization we use “zero article”, but not “the”, with plural or uncountable nouns.
Example:
- Before you put them on, always check your shoes of spiders.
- I’m studying geography at university.
- I can smell smoke!
COMPARE:
- Flowers really brighten up a room. (= flowers in general) and
- The flowers you bought me are lovely. (= particular flowers)
- Industry is using computers more and more. (= industry in general) and
- The tourism industry is booming in Malaysia. (= particular industry)
- Children should be given a sense of how business works. (= business in general) and
- The aerospace business actually lost $6 billion this year. (= particular business)
- She’s an expert on Swedish geology. (= among other Swedish things) and
- She’s an expert on the geology of Sweden. (= specifically of Sweden)
PEOPLE AND PLACES
Ø We usually use “zero article” before the names of particular people.
Example:
- President Clinton is to make a statement later today.
- The name of Nelson Mandela is known all over the world.
Ø However, we use “the”:
1) When there are two people with the same name and we want to specify which one we are talking about.
Example: That’s not the Stephen Fraser I went to school with.
2) When we want to emphasize that a person is the one that everyone probably knows.
Example: Do they mean the Ronal Reagan, or someone else?
3) With an adductive to describe a person or their bob.
Example: the late (=dead) Buddy Holly, the artist William Turner, the Aboriginal writer Sally Morgan, the wonderful actor Harrison Ford.
4) When we talk about a family as a whole.
Example: The Robinsons are away this weekend. (= the Robinson family)
Notice that “a/an” or sometimes “zero article” is used with a name to mean that someone else has or does not have the particular excellent qualities of the person named.
Example: Jane plays tennis well, but she’ll never be (a) Steffi Graf.
Ø We use “zero article” when we talk about institutions such as hospital, university, school, college, or church being used for their intended purpose: medical treatment in hospital, studying in university, and so on.
Example:
- Nara goes to school every morning. (= go to study)
- Janne is in hospital now. (= he is ill)
NOTE: We use “articles” when we talk about them as particular place or building. And when we talk about this “bed” is the same use.
Example:
- She usually stays in bed late at the weekend. (= sleep)
- ‘Have you seen my socks?’ ‘You left them on the bed. (= a particular place)
5) When we talk about cinema, opera or theater in general, or when we refer to a building where this type of entertainment takes place, we use “the.”
Example:
- I try to go to the cinema at least once a week. (= cinema in general)
- We usually go to the cinema in New Street. (= a specific cinema)
NOTE: If we are talking about a form of art, we generally prefer “zero article.”
Example: Not many children enjoy opera. (rather than…enjoy the opera.)
HOLIDAY, TIMES OF THE DAY AND MEAL
Ø We often use “zero article” with the names of holidays, special times of the year, or with the names of months and days of the week: Easter, Ramadan, New Year’s Day, September, Monday…
Compare:
- I’ll see you on Saturday. (= next Saturday)
- They arrived on the Saturday as far as I can remember. (= we are only interested in the day of the week, not which particular Saturday)
- They arrived on the Saturday after my birthday party. (= a particular Saturday, specifying which one)
NOTE: With winter, summer, spring, autumn, and New Year (meaning the holiday period), we can often use either “the” or “zero article.”
Example:
- In (the) summer I try to spend as much time in the garden as I can.
- In Scotland, they really know how to celebrate (the) New Year.
Ø We use “the” when we understood which summer, spring, etc.
Example:
- ‘When did you meet Beth?’ ‘In the summer.’(= last summer)
- ‘When are you going to university?’ ‘In the autumn.’ (= next autumn)
- I first went skiing in the spring of 2008.
NOTE1: We say ‘in the New Year’ to mean at or near the beginning of next year.
Example: I’ll see you again in the New Year.
NOTE2: When we want to describe the features of a particular holiday, season, etc., we use “a/an.”
Example: That was a winter
I’ll never forget.
Ø We use “the” and “a/an” in the usual way when we talk about the morning/afternoon/evening of a particular day.
Example:
- I woke up with a sore throat, and by the evening my voice had disappeared.
- We’re going in the afternoon.
- ‘You look upset.’ ‘Yes, I’ve had a terrible morning.’
NOTE: We use “zero article” with “at night” and “by night”
Compare:
- She kept us awake all through the night.
- I don’t like driving at night.
Ø We use “zero article” when we talk about meals.
Example:
- What have we got for dinner?
- I don’t like drinking coffee at breakfast.
NOTE1: We wouldn’t say, for example, ‘I had a/the breakfast before I went out’. However, if we want to describe a particular meal, then we can use an article.
Example:
- We didn’t get up until 10 o’clock and had a late breakfast.
- The dinner we had at Webster’s restaurant was marvelous.
NOTE2: When we talk about a formal dinner or lunch for a special occasion, we use ‘a dinner’ or ‘a lunch.’
Example: We’re having a dinner to welcome the new manager.