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A(an) can precede only singular countable nouns, it means one.
An is used before words that begin with a vowel sound. A is used before words that begin with a consonant sound.
E.g. An apple, a boy.
The means that (this/these/those), it can be used with countable (singular and plural) and uncountable nouns.
| With countable nouns | With uncountable nouns | |
| Singular | plural | The / no article |
| A (an), the I’ve got a cat. / The cat is nice. | The / no article The dogs were barking in the garden. / I don’t like dogs | The milk is too hot. / Milk is good for you. |
As a rule a countable noun in the singular can’t be used without a determiner of some kind.
Some nouns are usually uncountable in English. Here are the most important of them: accommodation
advice
information
knowledge
money
news
weather
work
We use a/an:
| 1. to introduce a subject which has not been previously mentioned. | I saw a girl in the street (We don’t know which girl). |
| 2. to say what kind of thing or person something/somebody is | He is a good student. |
| 3. to say what somebody’s job is | He is a dentist. |
| 4. in the meaning of one | I will be back in an hour. |
| 5. in exclamations about singular countable nouns | What a nice guy! |
We use the:
| 1. when it is clear from the context or the situation which thing or person we mean | He cleaned the car (= his car) the day before yesterday. She turned off the light (= the light in her room). I must go to the post office to buy some envelopes (I usually go to a particular post office). |
| 2. when something is unique | Moscow is the capital of Russia. What is the highest mountain in the world? |
| 3. in word combinations:the same, the whole, on/to the right, on/to the left, the wrong, the very, the only (but: an only son), the main, the following, the opposite; go to the cinema, go to the theatre, listen to the radio | Your skirt is the same colour as mine. I often go to the cinema and listen to the radio. |
| 4. to speak about a type of animal, machine, etc. | The guitar is my favourite instrument. The rouble is the currency of Russia. |
| 5. with an adjective to talk about groups of people | The sick need more help from the government. |
| 6. with nationalities | The British like to speak about their weather. |
| 7. if a noun is followed by a defining phrase | The girl sitting in the corner is my friend. He was the son of a doctor. |
| 8. if a noun is defined by an ordinal number | The second door was open. |
We do not use any article:
| 1.before sports | He plays football. |
| 2.with abstract nouns in the general meaning | This work gives us satisfaction. |
| 3.with general areas of subject matter | He studied mathematics and sociology. |
| 4.before the words school, prison, hospital, university, church when the person goes there as a pupil, a criminal, a patient, a student, to a religious service | Her brother goes to school. Our friend is in hospital now. |
| 4. in expressions go to bed, be in bed, go to work, be at work, go home, come home, arrive home, be at home, go to sea, be at sea, go by bus, train (and other means of transport), in time, at night, by day, by heart, from year to year, have breakfast/lunch/dinner/supper and others. | I go to bed at 11 o’clock. He usually has lunch in his office. Why do you get to work by bus? |
| 5. in exclamations about plural or uncountable nouns | What nice weather! |
We can use proper names with the or without any article.
| No article | Definite article | |
| Names | Mary, Brown | The whole family The Browns |
| Continents | Africa | |
| countries | no common nouns, singular Russia, Great Britain | Countries with common names (federation, state, republic, kingdom, etc.) the Russian Federation (the RF), the United Kingdom (the UK). Countries in the plural the Netherlands |
| states | Texas | |
| regions | northern/southern/eastern/western northern France Central Europe | North/south/east/west The South of England the Middle East, the Far East |
| islands | one island Corsica | Groups of islands the British Isles |
| cities, towns | London | |
| mountains | one mountain Everest | Mountain ranges the Alps |
| lakes | Loch Ness | Groups of lakes the Great Lakes |
| Streets, squares, roads, parks | Broadway, Oxford street Times Square Finchley Road Hyde Park | |
| Oceans | the Atlantic | |
| Seas | the Irish Sea | |
| Canals | the Suez Canal | |
| Channels | the English Channel | |
| Rivers | the Thames | |
| Gulfs | the Gulf of Mexico | |
| Holidays | Christmas, Easter | |
| Names of buildings and institutions | beginning with the name of a person or a place Kennedy Airport, Buckingham Palace | With of The Bank of Moscow |
| Hotels, restaurants, pubs | The names with -s or ‘s Selfridges Maxim’s | The Rossia, the Hilton Hotel The Red Lion |
| theatres, cinemas, museums, galleries | The Art Theatre The Odeon The Fine Arts Museum The Tate Gallery | |
| Wars | world wars World War II | The Crimean War The II World War |
| Historical documents | The Constitution | |
| Newspapers | The Times | |
| Companies | Sony | The Sony company |
| Magazines | Vogue |
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