Use article THE Do not use article THE

Nr Rules Examples. Nr Rules Examples

1. Use the to refer to something which has There's a position Do not use the with names of countries Germany is an
already been mentioned. available in my team. The (except for the special cases above). important economic
job will involve some power.
international travel.
2. Use the when you assume there is just Where is the bathroom? Do not use the with the names of French is spoken in
one of something in that place, even if it languages. Tahiti.
has not been mentioned before.

3. Use the in sentences or clauses where The man who wrote this Do not use the with the names of meals. Lunch is my favorite
you define or identify a particular book is famous. meal.
person or object.
4. Use the to refer to people or objects that The sun rose at 6:17 this Do not use the with people's names. John is coming over
are unique. morning. later.
5. Use the before superlatives and ordinal This is the highest Do not use the with titles when Prince Charles is
numbers. building in New York. combined with names. Queen Elizabeth's
son.
6. Use the with adjectives, to refer to a The French enjoy cheese Do not use the after the 's possessive His brother's car was
whole group of people. case stolen.
7. Use the with decades. He was born in the Do not use the with professions Engineering is a
seventies. This is a well-paid career.
painting from the 1820's
8. Use the with clauses introduced by only The only tea I like is Do not use the with names of shops Can you go to Boots
black tea. for me?
9. Use the with names of geographical They are travelling in the Do not use the with years 1948 was a
areas, rivers, mountain ranges, groups Arctic. wonderful year.He
of islands, canals, and oceans. was born in 1995.
10. Use the with countries that have plural I have never been to the Do not use the with uncountable nouns Rice is an important
names Netherlands. food in Asia.
 11. Use the with countries that include the She is visiting the United Do not use the with the names of Have you visited
words "republic", "kingdom", or States. individual mountains, lakes and islands Long Island?
"states" in their names.
12. Use the with newspaper names. I read it in the Guardian. Do not use the with most names of Victoria Station is in
towns, streets, stations and airports the centre of London.
13. Use the with the names of famous Have you been to the
buildings, works of art, museums, or Vietnam Memorial?
monuments.
14. Use the with the names of hotels & We ate at the Golden
restaurants, unless these are named after Lion.
a person.
15. Use the with the names of families, but The Browns are going to
not with the names of individuals. the play with us.

Use article A (consonant) Use article An (vowel)

Nr Rules Examples. Nr Rules Examples
1. Use a when the next word starts with a a boy Use an when the next word starts with a an hour
consonant vowel (a,e,i,o,u) or with a mute h.
2. Use a to refer to something for the first Would you like a drink?
time.
3. Use a with names of jobs. John is a doctor.
4. Use a with nationalities and religions in Kate is a Catholic.
the singular.
5. Use a with the names of days of the I was born on a
week when not referring to any Thursday.
particular day.
6. Use a to refer to an example of The mouse had a tiny
something. nose .
7. Use a with singular nouns after the What a shame !
words 'what' and 'such'. She's such a beautiful
girl .What a lovely day !