Use of articles Upper Intermediate
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This document outlines rules for using definite (the) and indefinite (a/an) articles with nouns in English. It provides examples of when to use articles with singular and plural countable nouns, jobs, exclamations, frequencies, known entities, places, superlatives, idioms, generalizations, days/meals/months, and names of people/titles. Specific guidelines are given for rivers/seas, countries/unions, theaters/museums, singular entities, hospitals/schools/prisons, and names of individuals.
Use of articles Upper Intermediate
- 2. With all singular countable nouns when you mention it for the first time, it’s not known: Ex: The house has a terrace. With jobs: Ex.: I’m a teacher In exclamations: Ex.: What a boring class! When talking about frequency or quantity: Ex.: Twice a week, five euros a kilo
- 3. When something is known because it’s been mentioned: Ex.: I saw Mike with a woman and the woman was really beautiful. With places in a town: Ex.: I went to the cinema, to the theatre With superlatives: Ex.: He’s the best teacher I’ve had in my life. With fixed lexical phrases: Ex.:The richer the happier With adjectives and countable nouns for things in general: Ex.:The rich/the poor/ the polar bear is in danger.
- 4. In generalizations: Ex.: Women are more intelligent than men Love is the most important thing in life. With some common place nouns after at/to/from: work, home, school Ex.: She’s not at home, she hasn’t come back from school/work Before meals, days, and months Ex.: I had lunch with her on Tuesday Before next/ last + days, week, etc.: Last week I had an English exam, next week, the teacher is giving us the results.
- 5. 1) Rivers, canals, seas, deserts, mountain ranges, island groups (plural names): Ex.: The River Danube flows into the Black Sea. The Canary Islands and the Pyrénées are beautiful. 2) Plural nouns of countries or those that are a union of states, regions, etc.: Ex.: the UK, the US, the Netherlands, the Czeck Republic. 3) names of theatres, cinemas, galleries, museums and hotels: Ex.: The British Museum, The Ritz and the Odeon Cinema are famous places in London. 4) When there’s only one of something: Ex.: the sun, the moon, the Earth
- 6. 1) countries, cities, towns, continents, regions, states, islands: Ex.: He is from Hong Kong in China, Asia. 2) individual mountains and lakes: Ex.: Mount Everest is the highest mountain in the world ◦ Lake Titicaca is in Bolivia 3) roads, streets, parks, shops and restaurants Ex.: Harrods is in Brompton Road, not far from Hyde Park.
- 7. With school, university, hospital, prison, church : 1) NO ARTICLE: when we think about the institution and what they are normally used for: Ex.: His husband is in prison for bank robbery. My son is in hospital. He’s really ill. 2) ARTICLE THE or A: when we talk about the building or when we go as a visitor: Ex.: The prison near my house is horrible. I walk past the hospital every day on my way to work. I was at the hospital visiting my son (I’m not a patient)
- 8. NO articles: With names of people or titles (Mr., Mrs., Doctor, Princess, King, Queen). Ex.: Queen Elizabeth is one of the most important queens in the history of Britain. Doctor Quinn is very well-known in the country. BUT: ARTICLE THE with plural names of people: Ex.: The Clintons are respected by the Americans.