Thay Giao Thao_Teacher of English

Articles
Definite or indefinite meaning
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We use the indefinite articles a/an + singular countable noun to

refer to any one of a kind or group, or when a noun is mentioned for
the first time.
I like an apple.
I met a beautiful girl on the way home.
An is used before singular count nouns beginning with a vowel
sound: an apple, an elephant, an issue, an orange
A is used before singular count nouns beginning with a consonant
sound: a stamp, a desk, a TV, a cup, a book
We use the definite article the + countable or uncountable noun
when the noun refers to something specific, unique, or something
already mentioned.
Lets go to the park!
The weather is awful.
The girl was wearing a blue hat.

General meaning
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We use zero article + plural countable noun or uncountable noun to

make generalizations.
I like girls better than boys.
Orange juice is good for health.
We can also use a/an to refer to all examples of the same kind.
A doctor is richer than a teacher. (all doctors, all teachers)
We can use the to refer to the whole class.
Before singular nouns
The doctor is richer than the teacher.
Before plural nationality adjectives and some adjectives with
plural meaning.
The Vietnamese, the old, the poor, the disabled

Other uses of articles

A/AN:
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We use a/an with expressions of quantity and frequency: a couple of

N, a million, a hundred, 2$ a kilo, twice a week.
We use a/an when talking about someone's nationality:
James is an Englishman.
when we classify or define things or people (e.g. say what job sb
does, what sth is used for, etc.)
We use before Mr/Mrs/Miss/Ms + surname when we refer to
someone unknown.

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A Mr. Xoa wants to see you.

We use a/an after what or such, for emphasis.
What a day its been!
Hes such a fool!

THE:
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with superlatives: Which is the tallest building in the world?

with only, same and ordinal numbers:
This is the only pen I've got.
Dogs are not all the same.
Play + musical instruments: She plays the piano.
with the words beach, cinema, country(side), ground, jungle,
radio, sea, seaside, theatre, world, etc. He likes going to the
theatre.
with decades:
He was born in the seventies.
This is a painting from the 1820's.
with countries that have plural names or include the words
"republic", "kingdom", or "states" in their names:
I have never been to the Netherlands.
James is from the Republic of Ireland.
with newspaper names: She works for the New York Times.
with the names of famous buildings, works of art, museums, or
monuments:
with titles (not accompanied by proper names):
the King, the Queen, the Prince of Wales
But: Queen Beatrix of Holland, Princess Margaret
with the names of groups of islands: the Philippines, the Maldives
with the names of lakes in plural:
with the names of some mountain ranges: the Alps, the Pyrenees,
the Himalayas.
with the names of oceans, seas, rivers, deserts and regions: the
Pacific, the Atlantic, the Aegean Sea, the North Sea, the Thames, the
Mississippi, the Sahara Desert, the Gobi Desert
with surnames, when we are referring to a whole family: the Jones,
the Mitchells
with the names of hotels & restaurants, unless these are named
after a person:
They are staying at the Hilton on 6th street.
We ate at the Golden Lion.
before noun + of + noun:
the gulf of Mexico, the Statue of Liberty
with the North, the South, the East, the West:
Last year we visited the South of France.

ZERO ARTICLES:

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before names of people, streets, cities, islands, countries,

continents, mountains (singular), religious, holidays, days of the
week, months:
Maggie Smith, Oxford Street, Berlin, Ibiza, Italy, Asia, Mont Blanc,
Christmas, Friday, August
with the names of airports or stations: Gatwick airport, Charing
Cross Station
before names of squares, parks, lakes: Euston Square, Holland Park,
Lake Ontario, Liverpool, Street station
with pubs, restaurants, hotels, shops, banks, etc. whose names
include the name of their founder or another proper name: Jimmy's
bar, Luigi's Restaurant, Emily's Hotel,
before names of magazines, sports, games, colors, school subjects
and languages: Newsweek (but: The Economist), tennis, chess,
white, geography, Greek
before names of airlines or companies: Air France, Interamerican,
BMW, etc.
with meals (breakfast, lunch, dinner, snack):
What did you havefor breakfast?
But: When we talk about a specific meal, we can use an article:
I didn't enjoy the dinner on the plane.
before the words bed, court, church, home, hospital, prison, school,
university, work when they are used for the purpose for which they
exist:
Thomas went to university to study engineering.
But: Patrick went to the university to visit his professor.
before ways of travelling
I travel by car / by bus / by train / by air.
Also: on foot, on horseback
But: He was in the car / on the bus when I saw him.
with north, south, east, west when they are used as adverbs: They
are heading west.
in some common phrases: at work, at home, in bed, watch TV, listen
to music.

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