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Grammar: Articles: a, an, the (or no article)
by Geoff Taylor, CALL Co-ordinator, St Clare's, Oxford, December 2002
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Study: the
- The is called the definite article
Study these example sentences:
- Oxford is a city in southern England.
- London is only an hour and 30 minutes from Oxford by car.
- To drive from Oxford to London, use the M40 motorway.
Notice:
- We normally use a, an and the before nouns (city, hour, motorway):
When we use the
In general, we normally use the when we are talking about:
- Definite, or particular, things, animals, people or ideas
- When the speaker (or writer) and the listener (or reader) already know which one they are talking about
- For example: the M40 motorway.
Here are some common situations when the identity of things are definite in English, when we normally use the:
1) When we continue to talk about something, giving more information. For example:
- Peter bought a car and a motorbike. The car is a Mini Cooper. (The car = the car which Peter bought)
Practice (Click the answer buttons to check your answer)
- I met a man and a woman. The was very beautiful.
- I have a dog and a cat. The hates swimming.
- I have two computers, a new computer and an old computer. The computer is very fast.
2) When there is only one. For example:
- The moon goes around the earth. (There is only one moon)
Practice (Click the answer buttons to check your answer)
- The earth goes round the .
- In summer, the is often blue.
- Neil Armstrong was the first man to walk on the .
3) When there is extra information telling us which one. For example:
- There's the man who stopped the bank robbers. (He stopped the robbers)
Practice (Click the answer buttons to check your answer)
- Look! I think that's the who stole money from the church.
- Closed? Oh dear, that's the where we buy our food every week.
- Isn't that the young who married the millionaire?
4) When the speaker (or writer) thinks the listener (or reader) already knows which one he/she means. For example:
- A: Where's the shampoo? (Our bottle of shampoo)
- B: It's in the bathroom. (Our bathroom)
Practice (Click the answer buttons to check your answer)
- A: Where's our new TV?
B: It's in the , of course.
- A: Where's our new fridge?
B: It's in the , of course.
- A: Where's our new alarm-clock?
B: It's in the , of course.
- A: Where's our new lawnmower?
B: It's in the , of course.
5) When we use "play" with musical instruments. For example:
- Elton John plays the piano.
6) When we use the superlative form of adjectives. For example:
- What's the best film you have ever seen?
("best" is the superlative form of "good")
Practice (Click the answer buttons to check your answer)
- What's the most delicious you've ever eaten?
- What's the best birthday you've ever received?
- What's the most interesting you've ever read?
- Who's the nicest you've ever known?
7) When we use an adjective to talk about a specific group. For example:
- The rich normally live longer than other people.
(The rich = people who are rich)
Practice (Click the answer buttons to check your answer)
- I often give money to people living in the street. I like to help the .
- In the UK, while looking for work, the can get financial support from the state.
- Many young people don't understand how difficult life can be for the , especially in the winter.
- Here's a well-known English saying or proverb: "Only the die young."
8) When we use titles (president, king) and place names (united states, isle) with "of". For example:
- Who's the prime minister of the United Kingdom?
- How many states are there in the United States of America?
Practice (Click the answer buttons to check your answer)
- Elizabeth is the name of the of England.
- Her son, Charles, is the of Wales.
- Charles' late wife, Diana, was the of Wales.
- London is in the of England.
- The British Isles includes England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and the of Ireland.
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