ARTICLES

Indefinite article - a/an

a) with Sg countable nouns mentioned for the first time

There’s a cat under that car.
b) with the names of jobs
He’s a police officer.
c) when we mean “one”, but not exactly which one
Give me a pencil, please.
d) with units of time, measure, speed, etc.
twice a week, 10 pounds a metre, 70 km an hour

Definite article - the

a) with Sg/Pl countable nouns mentioned for the second time

There was a robber in the bank. The robber was wearing a mask.
b) with nouns which have been defined in some way
The letter which she wrote was very long.
c) when both the speaker and the hearer know what they are talking about
Put the butter in the fridge.
d) with unique things
the sun, the moon, the sky
e) with the names of rivers, seas, oceans, mountain ranges and groups of islands
the Nile, the Thames, the Adriatic Sea, the Red Sea, the Pacific, the Atlantic,
the Andes, the Himalayas, the Bahamas
f) with the names of theatres, museums, cinemas and hotels
the National Theatre, the British Museum, the Odeon, the Hilton
g) with nationalities
the Germans, the Italians, the Serbs
h) with groups of people
the rich, the poor, the old, the young
i) with superlatives and ordinal numbers
the youngest, the happiest, the first, the second
j) with the + noun + of
The capital of Japan is Tokyo.

Zero article

a) with Pl countable nouns, uncountable nouns and abstract nouns when used generally
Tigers are dangerous animals.
Milk is good for children.
Music is beautiful. but: The music he played last night was terrible.
b) with the names of cities, countries and continents
but: the USA, the UK, the Netherlands, the Hague
c) with the names of streets, languages, sports and meals
d) with means of transport
by car, by bus, by train