Articles Or No Articles

Articles are not used in some common fixed expressions. Can you use them correctly? Take a
moment to do this exercise.

Fill in the blanks.

1. He died …………………….
at sea
at the sea
Either could be used here
No article is used in this expression.

2. I met some interesting people at ……………………….

university
the university
Either could be used here
In American English, university is usually used with the article 'the'. In British English, 'the'
can be omitted before university.

3. He left …………………………….. in the morning and never came back.

home
the home
Either could be used here
No article is used before home.

4. I regret leaving ………………………….. at fourteen.

school
the school
Either could be used here
No article is used in the expression leave school.

www.englishgrammar.org
 Articles Or No Articles

5. I will meet you at ……………………………

college
the college
Either could be used here
We use the article here because the college is just a meeting place.

6. I was surprised at the amount of ……………………………. collected.

money
the money
Either could be used here
'The' is dropped after ‘the amount of’.

7. He went to ……………………………… in Cambridge.

college
the college
Either could be used here
No article is normally used in this expression.

8. It is time the children went to …………………………..

bed
the bed
Either could be used here
No article is used in the expression 'go to bed'.

9. I didn’t feel like getting out of …………………………

bed
the bed
Either could be used here
No article is used in this expression.

www.englishgrammar.org
 Articles Or No Articles

10. He is collecting money for …………………………….

blind
the blind
Either could be used here
The blind means all blind people. The article ‘the’ is required in this expression.

11. …………………………… criminals are non-violent.

Most
The most
Either could be used here
When most means the majority of, it is used without the.

12. He could play …………………………. when he was just five.

piano
the piano
Either could be used here
Articles are always used with the names of musical instruments.

PLAY AGAIN !
Answers
1. He died at sea.
2. I met some interesting people at university / the university.
3. He left home in the morning and never came back.
4. I regret leaving school at fourteen.
5. I will meet you at the college.
6. I was surprised at the amount of money collected.
7. He went to college in Cambridge.
8. It is time the children went to bed.
9. I didn’t feel like getting out of bed.
10. He is collecting money for the blind.

www.englishgrammar.org
 Articles Or No Articles

11. Most criminals are non-violent.

12. He could play the piano when he was just five.

www.englishgrammar.org