Even high level students tend to make mistakes with articles. Here are some rules to clarify whether to use an indefinite article or definite article, or whether to use a definite article or no article.

Indefinite Article or Definite Article? Unknown and Known Nouns

When we introduce a noun for the first time, we use the indefinite articles, a or an.

If we have already referred to the noun, or if the noun is known, we use the definite article, the.

It said on the news that a man had driven his car into a house. The man was treated for minor injuries, but the car was totally destroyed. No one in the house was harmed.

In the case of the noun house, we use the indefinite article a the first time we mention it (because it’s being introduced) and the definite article the second time because it’s known.

Definite Article or No Article? Specific and General Nouns

When we are referring to a plural or uncountable noun in general, we do not usually use articles.

  • Coffee is a major export of Colombia.
  • Dolphins are intelligent animals.
  • Tomatoes are technically fruit, not vegetables.

The above examples all refer to nouns in general. However, if we are writing or speaking about plural or uncountable nouns specifically, we use articles:

  • Is the coffee from Starbucks fair trade?
  • The most popular animals at the aquarium are the dolphins.
  • The meal was fine, but the tomatoes in the salad were a little overripe.

Notice that each of the examples has been made more specific with a prepositional phrase (from Starbucks, at the aquarium, in the salad) or has been given a more specific context.

This also works for abstract nouns.

General

  • Freedom is one of our most treasured values.
  • Many of us are rethinking consumption and trying to buy less.
  • She wanted to discuss education at the seminar.

Specific

  • Not everyone in the world has the freedom to vote.
  • The consumption of almonds has increased by more than 40% in the last three years.
  • The education I received in elementary school was first class.

Unique People or Things

Unique means that there is only one. With unique objects or people, you use the definite article:

  • The earth
  • The sky
  • The Queen
  • The Great Wall of China

When you use superlative adjectives with a noun, you need the definite article:

  • She is the brightest student in our group.
  • It was the most significant event of the decade.

Proper Nouns

We use the with the following proper nouns:

Names of:

  • Oceans
    • the Atlantic, the Indian Ocean
  • Seas
    • the Mediterranean Sea, the Black Sea
  • Rivers
    • the Amazon, the Hudson River
  • Gulfs and Straits
    • the Gulf of Mexico, the Bering Strait
  • Geographic Regions
    • the Middle East, the Mid-West
  • Hotels
    • the Pan-Pacific, the Delta
  • Theatres
    • the Orpheum, the Vogue
  • Museums
    • the Museum of Modern Art, the Hermitage
  • Newspapers
    • the New York Times, the Wallstreet Journal
  • Groups of islands
    • the Cayman Islands, the Cyclades
  • Mountain ranges
    • the Himalayas, the Andes

We do not use an article with the following proper nouns:

Names of:

  • Countries
    • Canada, England, Mexico
    • Exceptions
      • countries with Union, United, Kingdom, or Republic in the name (the People's Republic of China, the United Kingdom)
      • the Philippines, the Netherlands
  • Continents
    • Europe, Asia
  • Provinces and States
    • Ontario, Texas
  • Cities and Towns
    • New York, Rome
  • Streets
    • Wall Street, 5th Avenue
  • Languages
    • Japanese, Spanish
  • Lakes
    • Lake Ontario, Alice Lake
  • Stations
    • Shinjuku Station, Paddington Station
  • Parks
    • Hyde Park, Stanley Park
  • Individual islands
    • Vancouver Island, Mykonos
  • Individual mountains
    • Mt. Everest, Castle Mountain

Special Cases

We use the with an adjective in order to make a general noun:

  • the poor (all poor people)
  • the elderly (all elderly people)
  • the Chinese (all Chinese people)

For inventions, body parts, plants and animals, we can use an article with a singular noun to speak in general:

  • The telephone was invented by Bell.
  • The cheetah is the fastest animal on land.
  • The maple tree is indigenous to Canada.
  • The human brain weighs around 1.4 kg.

We use an article to talk about systems of transportation:

  • He takes the bus to school every day.
  • The subway closes at 2 o'clock in the morning.

The following words are often used without an article:

  • class
  • school
  • college
  • university
  • work
  • prison
  • bed
  • church
  • hospital

If you are focusing on the physical thing or place, use an article. However, if your focus is on the purpose of the thing or place, you do not use an article:

  • We visited a church in the centre of an old Italian village. (focus on the physical place: the building)
  • Most people in the village go to church every Sunday. (attend a service, or go to pray)

Exercise

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