articles – a/an/the

1) The indefinite article – a or an

Use these:
i) when you talk about something/someone for the first time
e.g. I met a man on the bus today.
Bill has bought a new car.
I took an umbrella with me to work today.
ii) with jobs
e.g. My father is a doctor and my mother is a housewife.
I want to be an engineer.
iii) when you talk about one thing or person in a general way
e.g. A computer is very useful these days.
An elephant is a large animal which lives in Africa.
You need a good calculator when you study maths.

2) The definite article – the

Use this:
i) when you talk about something which has been mentioned before.
e.g. I met a man on the bus today. The man was very friendly.
Bill has bought a new car. The car he bought is a Fiat Punto.
I took an umbrella to work today but I left the umbrella on the train!
ii) when you talk about something there is only one of
e.g. The Acropolis is Greece’s most famous ancient site.
It is very hot today because the sun is shining.
Look how blue the sky is!
iii) to talk about something that both the speaker and the listener understand
e.g. Are you going to the party tonight?
What was the match like last night?
I didn’t watch the film last night.
iv) with some geographical/place names
seas – the Mediterranean, the Pacific, the Atlantic
rivers – the Nile, the Amazon, the Ganges
groups of states – the United States, the United Kingdom, the United Arab Emirates
groups of islands – the Cyclades, the Canaries, the Seychelles (Note: no the with
single islands – Paros, Hawaii etc)
mountain ranges – the Alps, the Himalayas, the Pindos Mountains (Note: no the with
single mountains – Everest, Mount Olympus etc)
v) with geographical areas
e.g. the north/south etc, the seaside, the city, the country
vi) with superlative adjectives
e.g. What’s the best film you’ve ever seen?
This is the most expensive car in the world.
She is the most beautiful girl in the school.
vii) with some public places
e.g. the theatre, the cinema, the park, the bank, the post office, the library

3) No article
We do not use a/an/the with:
i) most place names
e.g. I love Greece. We went to Athens last year.
Have you ever been to Africa?
ii) nouns when we talk generally about them
e.g. She enjoys parties.
Life is good!
Bill listens to music.
We often buy flowers.
(Note: when we talk about specific nouns, we use the – She enjoyed the party last night.
The life of Beethoven was very hard. Bill listened to the music I played him. We bought
the flowers for your house.)
iii) some places
e.g. I’m going home.
What happened at work today?
She’s studying at London University
(Note: church/school/hospital –
A priest goes to the church because he works there. Other people go to church to pray.
Teachers and parents go to the school to work or visit. Students go to school.
Doctors, nurses and visitors go to the hospital to work or visit. Patients – sick or injured
people - go to hospital.