Parts of Speech / Articles

Articles

There are lots of rules about the use of articles. Here we’ll concentrate on 3 golden rules. Most mistakes with articles are made through breaking one of these rules.

1. When we say what people’s jobs are, we use a/an

·       She’s an architect.

·       He’s a doctor.

·       My grandfather was a teacher.

2. Singular, countable nouns always have an article – a/an or the – or another determiner (my, your, this, that etc.)

Remember that we use the indefinite article - a/an - when we talk about something that is not definite.

·       I saw a good film yesterday. The listener doesn’t know which film.

·       There’s a man at the door. We don’t know who the man is.

·       Do you want a drink? It’s not a particular drink.

… and we use the definite article - the – when we talk about something more certain.

·       I’m going to take the dog for a walk. The dog is a pet – it’s not just any dog.

·       Have you seen the car key? Speaker and listener know which car. It’s not just any car.

·       They live in the house opposite ours. There’s only one house opposite. It’s not any house.

3.  When we talk about things in general we usually use a plural noun or an uncountable noun with no article.

·       Birds eat worms. NOT The birds eat the worms.

·       Water flows downhill.

·       Kangaroos live in Australia.

BUT We went to the zoo and saw the kangaroos. These are particular kangaroos – not kangaroos in general.

There are many other rules about articles but remembering these 3 golden rules will reduce the number of mistakes you make.

Special places

·       My son’s at university but my daughter still goes to school.

·       He was sent to prison for 10 years.

·       Now that winter’s here I find it difficult to get out of bed.

·       I go to work by bus but I go home on foot.

In expressions with a number of places there is no article after a preposition.

These places include: to/at school, to/at university/college, to/in church, to/in/out of prison, to/in hospital, to/in/out of bed, to/at work, at home.

NOTE: While we say ‘go to school’ and ‘go to work’ etc, the expression ‘go home’ has neither ‘the’ nor ‘to’.

Transport

·       I go to work by bus but I go home on foot.

·       I hate travelling by train.

Modes of transport (by bus, by train, by car, by plane, by bicycle) don’t have an article. Notice that on foot is different.

Geography

No article – continents (Africa, Asia etc.) countries (France, Germany, Slovakia etc - but the Slovak Republic, the United States, the United Kingdom) towns & cities (Bratislava, London etc.) lakes (Lake Victoria, Lake Balaton etc.) universities (Oxford University, Nitra University etc.)

With ‘the’ – seas & oceans (the Atlantic, the Mediterranean etc.) mountain ranges (the Himalayas, the Tatras) rivers (the Amazon, the Danube etc.)

Other expressions

·       I don’t watch television very often but I listen to the radio all the time.

·       I’ve got a headache.

·       I’ve got a stomach-ache

·       I’ve got a cold.

BUT

·       I’ve got ‘flu.

·       I’ve got earache.

·       I’ve got toothache.

Other illnesses have no article.