For those learning grammar, English articles never receive more than a
thought or two. In fact, article exercises are usually not needed for students at the advanced level of the English
language.
That said, I thought it prudent (i.e., a good idea) to include some basic information
about articles in the English language here.
You can briefly look over what follows and think of it as a 'mini' refresher course.
The truth is, English articles often cause students learning English grammar some real difficulties.
Other pages in this site give you some background information regarding the use of
the definite and indefinite articles, a/an and the.
Learning English Grammar - Definite Article 'THE'
1. 'The' is omitted before the
following:
a city, a country, [in the singular] a continent: Detroit, France,
Europe [But in the plural: The Netherlands]
Exceptions: The
United Kingdom, The Hague
2. a family name in the singular: Mr White
[But in the plural: the Whites OR: the White family]
3. a mountain, a lake [in the singular]: Mt Olympus, Lake
Michigan
[But in the plural: the Alps, the Rockies, the Great Lakes, etc.]
4. an island [singular]: They went to Tahiti.
[But in the plural: The Philippines, the Canaries, the Falklands,
etc.]
5. a meal: breakfast, lunch, dinner
I rarely ever miss dinner.
6. a color, a game:
Green is my favorite color. Football is my favorite game.
7. a language (when the word ‘language’ is not used):
Is Greek difficult to learn? [BUT: Is the Greek language difficult to
learn?]
8. a street, a square, a park:
Maple street, Freedom Square, Central Park
9. Most magazines, periodicals:
National Geographic, Newsweek, Car and Driver [BUT: The Economist]
12. illnesses, diseases: diabetes, cancer, hepatitis, etc.
[But we say: (the) flu, (the) measles, (the) mumps]
13. a bank, store, theater, hotel or restaurant when it is in the
genitive
(the apostrophe before the 's' is sometimes omitted): [McDonald’s, Woolworth’s,
Harrows]
14. a planet: Venus, Jupiter, etc.
15. a title: Doctor Smith, Professor Todd, President Bush, Captain Cook
16. heaven, hell, paradise:
I can assure you that heaven and hell are real and do exist.
17. means of transport with the word ‘by’ before them:
by car, bus, taxi, train, etc. [BUT: in his car, in a taxi, on the bus, on a bike]
18. the word work meaning ‘place of work’:
She’s still at work and won't be home for some time.
19. percentages, fractions:
Ten per cent of the population don't have internet access. One half of the flights were canceled due to bad weather.
20. a noun + number:
Your train leaves from track 3. I’m staying in room 333.
Learning English Grammar *** NOTE 1***
Don’t use
‘the’ before uncountable nouns, abstract nouns, or plurals in
general statements.
I like coffee. [NOT: …the coffee.]
Good health is important. [NOT: The good health…]
Bananas are good for you. [NOT: The bananas…]
TheIS
USED before the following:
1. a hotel, movie theater, theater, gallery, museum:
the Mirage (hotel), the Harbor (theater). the Multiplex (cinema), the Van Gogh
Museum
2. a river, sea, ocean, gulf, desert:
the Nile (River), the Red Sea, the Pacific (Ocean), the Sahara (Desert), the Gulf
of Mexico
3. a ship, canal:
the Titanic, the Suez Canal
4. objects considered to be unique:
the Parthenon, the Pyramids
5. some organizations:
the UN (The United Nations) [But if an abbreviation is pronounced as a word, then
there is no article] UNICEF (United Nations International Children’s Fund) NATO (North Atlantic Treaty
Organization)
6. plural nationalities ending in 'sh', 'ch' or 'ese':
the English, the French, the Japanese [But ‘the’ is optional with plural
nationality names ending in 's': (the) Germans, (the) Greeks, etc.
7. a singular countable noun to refer to all things of that type in
general:
The computer is a valuable office tool. OR: A computer is … OR: Computers are
…
Learning English Grammar ***NOTE 2***
'The' is optional:
i) with seasons.
He is leaving in (the) summer.
ii) with the word TV.
I watched a movie on (the) TV.
Learning English Grammar - Indefinite Articles a/an
1. 'a' is used before a consonant sound:
a university student, a one-horse sleigh
2. 'an' is used before a vowel sound:
an hourly wage, an heirloom, an egg
3. It is used in expressions like the following:
30 miles an hour, 90 cents a pint, twice a day, $1.00 a gallon
4. Would you like a drink?
I’ll have a coffee, please.
The indefinite article is generallyNOT USED before
uncountable or abstract nouns:
anarchy, fun,assistance, lightning,behavior, luck,chaos, permission,confusion, progress,damage,
propaganda,evidence,
scenery,excitement
thunder,first aid, work (= one’s job)
etc.
Example: Did you give him
permission to leave?
NOT: Did you give him the
permission to leave?
Learning English Grammar Exercises
** Learning English Grammar... ARTICLES PRACTICE
Correct where necessary -- remove or add the right article.
1. The Greek islands are beautiful in the summer.
2. Did you visit Van Gogh Museum?
3. I always go to work by my car.
4. The fish you bought wasn’t fresh.
5. Can you tell me what happiness means to you?
6. They’re wealthy enough to be staying at Ritz
Hotel.
7. She’ll be arriving at the Kennedy
Airport.
8. You must see Colosseum while in
Rome.
9. How much does gallon of gas
cost?
10. The Himalayas are
spectacular.
11. Your son has made a very good
progress.
12. What’s showing at Beck’s Movie
Theater?
13. The ancient Greek and the Latin are referred to as dead
languages.
14. There was an interesting article in The Washington Post
today.
15. The diabetes can be very
dangerous.
16. Everyone says he is honest
man.
17. I used to work out at a gym twice the
week.
18. Do you have an evidence to support your
claims?
19. Microwave oven is handy to have in the
home.
20. Approximately the twenty per cent of the crops were destroyed by the unseasonable weather.
** Learning English Grammar...
ARTICLES ANSWERS
1. The Greek island are beautiful in the
summer.
the
2. Did you visit ^ Van Gogh
Museum?
in OR: by car
3. I always go to work by my
car.
4. The fish you bought wasn’t
fresh.
5. Can you tell me what happiness means to
you?
6. They’re wealthy enough to be staying at ^ Ritz
Hotel.
7. She’ll be arriving at the Kennedy
Airport.
the
8. You must see ^ Colosseum while in
Rome.
a
9. How much does ^ gallon of gas
cost?
10. The Himalayas are
spectacular.
11. Your son has made a very good
progress.
12. What’s showing at Beck’s Movie
Theater?
13. Ancient Greek and Latin are referred to as dead
languages.
14. There was an interesting article in The Washington Post
today.
15. Diabetes can be very
dangerous.
an
16. Everyone says he is ^ honest
man.
a
17. I used to work out at a gym twice the
week.
18. Do you have evidence to support your
claims?
A
19. ^ Microwave oven is handy to have in the
home.
20. Approximately twenty per cent of the crops were destroyed by unseasonable weather.
Mastering the above will mean you know plenty about the correct usage
of articles in the English Language. For more information aboutlearning
English grammar click on the preceding
link.
Learning English grammar is doable for those who take the time to do it right. We
here at Advanced English Grammar are dedicated to helping those learning English grammar by providing great
information along with sound practical advice and
useful exercises.
Enjoy! And, please, don't forget to 'share' us! ;-)
