When to put articles in English. Names, establishments and places. definite article the

27.11.2014

An article is a word that defines a noun.

There are two kinds of articles in English: definite (the) and indefinite (a/an).

Based on the names, respectively, not definite article is used when we are talking about a phenomenon that we meet for the first time, a subject in general, and a specific one - when we are talking about something specific, or already encountered in a conversation.

The concept of the article is present in many languages of the world, but in the same number of languages it is absent.

Therefore, do not panic if your mother tongue articles are not used.

The data will help you make fewer mistakes when speaking English.

It is very important to be able to use the correct articles in your speech or writing.

1. With the names of countries and continents

In this case, we do not use articles at all, BUT if the country name consists of parts, such as USA, UK, UAE, then our article appears the, and will be: the USA, the UK, the UAE, the Czech Republic, the Netherlands.

This also applies to continents and islands: usually we do not use the article, but if the name is collective, the definite article has a place to be.

For example: Africa, Europe, Bermuda, Tasmania BUT the Virgin Islands, the Bahamas.

She lived in America.
They live in England.
My friend is from the Czech Republic.

2. With the words breakfast, dinner, lunch

When it comes to eating in general, there is no article. But if you're talking about a specific breakfast, dinner, or lunch, use the.

For example:

I don't eat breakfast.
We didn't like the dinner.

3. With job titles, professions

In this case, the indefinite article is used. a/an.

For example:

I want to be a politician.
My younger brother wants to be a vet.

4. With the names of the cardinal points

Usually the names of the cardinal directions are capitalized, so they are easy to recognize: the North, the South, the East, the West .

True, if a noun indicates a direction, then it should be used without an article and written with a small letter.

For example:

They went east.
The North is cooler than the South.

5. With the names of oceans, seas, rivers and canals

Remember that the definite article is always used with the names of these bodies of water.

For example: The Amazon, the Indian Ocean, the Red Sea, the Suez Canal .

I would like to swim in the Red Sea, and you?
The Amazon is the longest river in the world.

6. With the names of unique phenomena

It means that a phenomenon or an object exists in one copy, one in its kind, in particular, the sun, the moon, the inter net , the sky , the earth.

For example:

The sun is a star.
We looked up at all the stars in the sky.
He is always on the internet.

7. With uncountable nouns

This category of nouns implies those units and concepts that we cannot count. Plus, as an identification mark in most cases, they do not have an ending. -s- plural indicator.

But do not forget that there are ten exceptions to one rule, that is, if you are talking in general about any uncountable concept, there will be no article, but again, if the case is special, use the.

For example:

I like bread/milk/honey.
I like the bread/the milk/the honey. (Specifically this and nothing else.)

8. With surnames

If we are talking about members of the same family, you can put the article the before the surname. Thus, you designate a group of people, a family with one word.

For example:

The Smith are coming for dinner today.
Have you seen the Jonson recently?

These are not all uses of articles in English. However, to begin with, remember these rules, gradually deepening your knowledge.

Many languages of the world, including English, are characterized by the presence of articles. In such grammatical category does not exist, so we will get acquainted with the examples based on . How to master the use of articles in English if they are not used in our speech? Let's figure it out.

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What is an article

The article in expresses the category of certainty/uncertainty of objects and phenomena. It is used before countable (things can be counted) and uncountable (uncountable) nouns.

The use of articles in English

Articles are divided into three kinds: Definite (definite article), Indefinite (indefinite) and zero. Let's consider in more detail the cases of their use.

The definite article the

Definite Article appeared in English from spec. pronouns that - this. If you doubt that it should be used in speech, try mentally replacing it with that.

If the semantic load does not change, you can confidently put it in the sentence.

In English, the Definite Article is used in the following terms:

Before nouns that have already been specified or known in advance. He made an important contribution to the success of the team. He has made a significant contribution to the success of a (certain) team.
With singular nouns unparalleled: Ex.: the Jupiter - Jupiter (planet), the Taj Mahal - Taj Mahal (palace).
With the names of cinemas, museums, galleries, theaters, newspapers / magazines, ships, organizations. Ex.: the Tretyakov gallery, the La Scala, The Melbourne Age, the Queen Anne's Revenge.
With the names of rivers, seas, groups of islands, a chain of mountains, deserts, oceans, countries (there is an indication of the form of government in the naming) and names with of. Ex.: the Mississippi River, the Sahara.
FROM musical instruments and types of dance. Ex.: the guitar - guitar, the polka - polka.
Before generic surnames, when it comes to the whole family, and nationalities ending in -sh, -ch, -ese. Ex.: the Chinese - the Chinese, the Windsors - the Windsor family.
With titles and positions. Ex.: the Sheik, the Nabob. If there is a name after the title or position, then the Definite Article is not put. Ex.: Queen Victoria, Queen Elizabeth II.
Before: It's the biggest pizza I've ever seen. This is the biggest pizza I have ever seen. The most dangerous places are hidden in jungles. - The most dangerous places are hidden in the jungle.
The article the before the words morning, afternoon, evening. We usually watch serials in the evening. We usually watch series in the evenings. In the afternoon I prefer to sleep about 2 hours. After dinner I prefer to sleep for two hours.
FROM names of historical eras/events. Ex.: the Renaissance - the era of the Renaissance.
Before ordinal numbers. and the words only/last. The first love is unforgettable. “She was my first love. The only one thing can prevent disaster. Only one thing can prevent a catastrophe.
With adjectives denoting a group of people. The injured were hospitalized. - The wounded were hospitalized.

Attention! If there is a “noun + adjective” construction, then the article will come before the adjective. Ex.: the fatal mistake, an excellent organization.

The indefinite article in English

A/an refers to the class of an item, in other words, generalizes the categories, while the refers to a specific item.

Indefinite Article a/an is formed from the numeral one. In doubtful situations for you, try replacing it with numbers.

one. Ex.: I read a book. - I read the book.

I read one book. – I have read one book. However, the subject or person must be singular and be countable.

We'll talk about uncountable nouns later.

Advice! In English we can use a/an or one without semantic difference when we measure distance, weight, time, etc. She paid a thousand pounds for her car. She paid a thousand pounds for the car. Ind. Article can be replaced by one without losing its meaning. She paid one thousand pounds for her car. She paid one thousand pounds for the car.

Indefinite Article is used in English under the following conditions:

With countable nouns in singular. number, when they are mentioned in a generalized way, without highlighting a specific subject. I would like to watch a film. I would like to watch a movie (any).
After have (got) - have and auxiliary. ch. to be. Ex.: I have (got) a parrot. - I have a parrot. He is a driver of the bus. - He is a bus driver.
Before Mr./Mrs./Miss/Ms. to refer to an unknown person. A Miss Anna has a flair for writing poetry. - Miss Anna (some unknown) has a gift for writing poetry.
For separation of a person from a clan or family. She is a Twen, and it means a lot. “She's one of the Twains, and that means a lot.
To express the ratio of price to weight, distance to speed, or regularity of action. Ex.: two pounds a kilo - 2 pounds per kg, 60 km an hour - 60 km / h.
With abstract concepts expressing quality or state. He got a good education. - He got a good education.

Important! The form an in English is placed before vowels, a before consonants. I have bought an iron for Tom and Jane. I bought an iron for Tom and Jane. I would like a glass of lemonade. - I'd like a glass of lemonade.

Zero article in English

The zero article is syntactic constructions without Def./Indef. article. Is the article the or a/an used in the following situations? The answer is no.

Zero article in English is used:

When in front of a person / object it is attracted. pronoun or noun in possessive. case. My school is the biggest. - My school is the biggest. The inspector looked at passengers' tickets. The inspector looked at the passengers' tickets.
If before a noun singular number was the definite article a / an, then in the plural. h. it does not exist at all. He is a good teacher of history. He is a good history teacher. We are good teachers of history. We are good history teachers.
Used with uncountable nouns indefinite pronouns some, any, no. There is no milk at home. - There is no milk at home. I bought some juice. - I bought juice. Any vitamins is useful for your body. Any vitamins are good for the body.
with abstract nouns. I like rock'n'roll. - I like rock ' n'roll. Life will be different in a few centuries. “Life will change in a few centuries. He has no experience, but he is keen to learn. He has no experience at all, but he is capable of learning.

We have listed the most significant uses of Definite and Indefinite Art. in English. But there are a number of rules when a null Article is set.

Articles in English

Table of cases when Articles are not used:

a/an	the
Before the plural of countable nouns or before uncountable nouns. We bought some flowers. We bought several flowers. We need some milk and some flour. We need some milk and flour.	With uncountable nouns and countable nouns. in many hours in total. fish lives in water. - Fish live in water. It means not one fish, but all the fish taken together.
If there is no noun after the adjective. These dishes are wonderful. “These dishes are amazing.	When using own names. Harry, Rachel, Monica.
With the names of sports, games, activities, days, months, celebrations, colors and shades, drinks, foods and languages. I often do morning gymnastics. I often do morning exercises. We speak German. – We speak German.
FROM country names(Russia), streets (Whitehall Street), bridges (Brooklyn Bridge), parks (Ueno Park), railway stations (Kalujskaya Station), mountains (Ben Nevis), individual islands (Farquhar), lakes (Baykal), continents ( Australia).
With possessive case That is her hotel. This is her hotel. Mike's jacket was lost. Mike's jacket was lost.
With pairings when the first word is the person's name. Gatwick Airport, Gagarin Square, Buckingham Palace.
With the names of pubs, restaurants, shops, banks and hotels that have received the name of the founder, ending in -s or ‘s. Lloyds Bank, Harrods, Dave's Pub
With nouns denoting institutions when we mean their intended purpose (university, prison, kindergarten, etc.). Martha went to school. Martha went to school. She is studying there. Her aunt went to the school to speak with teacher about girl's behavior. Her aunt went to school to talk to the teacher about the girl's behavior. She went there as a visitor.
With the word work as "place of work". Tom is at work. - Tom is at work.
With words related to our home and loved ones (granny, sister, home, parents, etc.). Mom is at home.
With combination by + transport. She traveled by plane. She traveled by plane.
With the names of diseases. He has chickenpox. - He has chicken pox.
With the word television. I like watching television at noon. I like to watch TV after dinner.

Important! In journalistic and artistic styles in English, the omission of articles is allowed, even if this contradicts the rules for their use. This is due to the need to shorten the text.

Types of articles in English

Learning English - rules for using articles

Conclusion

Most students complain about how difficult it is to master the use of articles in English, because there are many nuances of their use. We have listed the most common cases that should help you in practice.

That is, the absence of the article. Consider when the article the is used, which, by the way, according to linguists, is the most common word in the English language, although, of course, it is difficult to call it a word.

How to use the definite article THE - the basic rule

Most of the rules for using the definite article the are as follows: the is placed before a noun denoting something specific. The article the itself comes from the word that (this, that) - knowing this, it is easier to understand how it is used.

This is the place that we were talking about. - This is the place we were talking about.

You have the file what I need. – Do you have the document that I need.

The article here defines not, of course, but the noun defined by this adjective. The article the is needed because the superlative degree of a sign or person distinguishes it as unique:

This is the most delicious ice cream in the world. - This is the most delicious ice cream in the world.

He is the smartest student in the university. He is the smartest student at the university.

5. Before a number of adjectives implying the uniqueness of the subject.

These are words like the same(same), only(the only one), left\right(left \ right). Like superlative adjectives, they indicate the specificity of what is being said.

This is the only way out. - This is the only way out.

turn the left valve, please. – Turn the right valve, please.

My sister had the same problem. My sister had the same problem.

6. Before ordinal numbers.

Ordinal - denoting a number, not a quantity. If an item is "first" or "twentieth", this implies its relative uniqueness (in the context of the conversation). This also applies to words like the last(last), the previous(previous), which are similar in meaning to ordinal numbers.

Who was the first human in the space? Who was the first man in space?

I am reading the third chapter now. I am currently reading the third chapter.

Let's invite the previous candidate again. Let's invite the previous candidate again.

This is the last warning. “This is the last warning.

7. Before the names of people, when it comes to the family as a whole.

The surname is used in plural like in Russian.

I don't know the Allens, but they seem to be nice people. “I don't know the Allens, but they seem like nice people.

The Petrovs moved out on Monday. The Petrovs moved out on Monday.

8. Before wordspast, present, future, winter, spring, summer, autumn (fall).

These words are worth highlighting separately, because many expressions of time use the indefinite or zero article, for example: a week ago(a week ago) on Monday- on Monday. Speaking of the past, future, present, we use the:

That is my plan for the future. Here is my plan for the future.

Whatever happened in the past, stays in the past. Whatever happened in the past, it will remain in the past.

When we talk about the seasons, we use the when we mean, say, the fall of a certain year. Speaking about the season in general, we use the zero or definite article:

I moved to London autumn of 2010. – I moved to London in autumn 2010.
Poets love (the) autumn. Poets love autumn.

Note: the words autumn and fall mean "autumn" autumn is the British version fall- American.

9. Before some place names

- a rather confusing topic, I will highlight the main cases:

The article the is not needed before names of single-word countries (Russia, Spain), but is needed before names that include words like federation, kingdom, states: the Russian Federation, the Kingdom of Spain, the United Stated of America.
The is also placed before place names used in the plural: the Netherlands(Netherlands), the Virgin Islands(Virgin Islands), the Urals(Ural Mountains).

The article THE before adjectives and pronouns

Any article, both the and a\an, can be used before an adjective. The article at the same time determines the noun, the attribute of which denotes this adjective:

This is the new guy I told you about. “This is the new guy I told you about.

Have a nice day. - Have a nice day.

Neither the article the nor a\an is used before a possessive (my, his, your, etc.) or demonstrative (this, these, that, those) pronoun that defines a noun - it already speaks of belonging in itself, and therefore the specificity of the subject.

Not properly: Where is my car?
Correctly: Where is my car?

English is taught at the school for new Russians. Teacher:
- Listen, guys, if there is no article, then it is translated as “type”, if there is a definite article, then it is translated as “specifically”!
This anecdote perfectly captures the essence of the use of articles in English.

First, let's find out what the article is:
In simple terms, the article is a kind of "label", a companion of a noun. He stands in front of him, and makes it clear that this is a noun, and not a verb or adverb. Sometimes the article is very difficult to understand. Because there is no article in Russian, and therefore it cannot be translated into Russian in any way. To do this, you need to feel very well the shades of the meaning of the sentence, which refers to the subject as a “type” or still as “specifically”, in order to understand which article will put.

In general, this is a acquired business, over time, you will feel which article to put, without even thinking, as if for granted.

Where did the articles come from?

There are two articles in English: the indefinite "a" and "an" and the definite "the". The article "a" used to mean "one", in fact, it came from the numeral "one". Knowing this, it is easy to remember that the indefinite article is used before nouns exclusively in the singular.

The article "the" used to mean "this, this, this", etc., and was a demonstrative pronoun. Now the demonstrative pronouns "this, that" are used. And to the article "the" you can add some clarification "exactly this one". Those. knowing the origin and original meaning of the definite article, it is easy to remember that “the” should be used if you want to emphasize that this is EXACTLY about this object.

By the way, if you are in doubt about which article to put and whether to put it, then you can get by with the modern demonstrative pronouns “this, that, those, these”.

In grammar, one sometimes comes across such a concept as "zero article". This means that the article does not need to be placed before the noun, it is omitted. Most often, the article is not placed before uncountable nouns, such as sugar, salt, flour, fish, etc., although in some cases the article can be omitted before countable nouns.

For example: The cat runs across the street.
A cat is running across the street.
Some one cat crosses the street.
And now like this:
Now the cat is sitting on the bench.
Now the cat is sitting on the bench
How to understand the context:
Now (exactly) the cat (which just crossed the road) is sitting on the bench.
In any case, there are a few rules with which it will be easier for you to learn where, what article to use.

Reminder: Frequently used turns with "to have", "to have got', 'there is', 'there are'.
I have a beautiful doll.
He has got a hockey ball.
There is an apple on the tree.
There are dogs in the yard.
The article is omitted because there are some dogs in the yard. Sometimes you can use the definite article "the" before the noun "dogs". But if in doubt, you can use the words "substitutes", they help out a lot. For example:
There are several dogs in the yard.
There are many dogs in the yard.
There are six dogs in the yard.

There are a few more expressions that are learned by heart. It: A lot of - a lot
The rest of - the rest
You also need to remember that "the" is used with the circumstances of the place, i.e. objects where a person (animal, thing, etc.) is, where he is going, etc. For example:
I came into the room to take my notebook.
Here “room” is the object where the person entered.
Or like this: There are a lot of birds in the garden.

Also, the definite article is used with the names of objects that are somehow connected with water:
Lakes: the Loch-Ness;
Rivers: the Thames;
Seas: the Mediterranean Sea;
Oceans: the Pacific Ocean.

The definite article is also placed before names that are used only in the plural:
Netherlands - the Netherlands;
A chain of mountains, for example, the Alps - the Alps;
Or so the Black family - the Blacks. Or maybe the Ivanov family - the Ivanovs.
In any case, you can understand all this, especially if you read more. Because the more you read, the faster you learn different turns and the better you feel the language.

Continuing to talk about articles, we will finally look at the definite article. How to understand that before a noun you need to put the?

By the way, I’ll start with the good news that in English the definite article the is one and does not change, neither by numbers, nor by gender, nor by any other grammatical categories. Students will surely appreciate this. German- after der / die / das (and at the same time dem with den) - use only one form - the - a pleasure.

Now about when to use it. In the very general view the rule looks like this: if the noun that we tell the interlocutor is already known to him (or we think that he is known), the article the is used before this noun. Let's take a closer look at the main cases where it happens.

1. With a noun that has already been mentioned before

This is the basic rule. After the first mention indefinite article a, the object becomes known, becomes "the one". And therefore, in any subsequent time, the article the must be used with it.

I have an apple and a banana. the apple is sour and the banana is rotten. I have an apple and a banana. The apple is sour and the banana has gone bad.

2. The interlocutor knows what kind of object they are talking about

If the noun has not yet come up in a conversation, but the interlocutor should already understand which of the many objects they are talking about, use the. For example, if you, while visiting, ask the owner where the toilet is - most likely, you mean the toilet in his apartment, and not the toilet in general: therefore “Where is the bathroom?” will be completely correct use definite article.

Dude, are you going to the party? – You mean tonight at John's? no. man, I can't. Dude, are you going to the party tonight? Which one does John have? No, I can't.