Articles

Use a/an for general or first mention; the for specific or known items

Choose a/an by sound (an hour, a university), not spelling.

Use a/an for jobs; usually no article with plural nationalities; special cases for groups.

Use a/an to introduce something; use the when it becomes known in the conversation.

Use the when both speaker and listener know which thing you mean (context, unique, obvious).

Use a/an for non-specific singular countable nouns: first mention, one of many, jobs, and examples.

When no article is used with plural/uncountable nouns and generic references

Using a/an/the with abstract nouns: the truth, a fear, happiness

When to use 'the' with countries, rivers, mountains, and other geographical names

Meals usually take no article (have breakfast), but you can use a/the when the meal is specific.

Learn common article patterns for media: on TV, on the radio, on the internet.

Use 'the' with instruments (play the piano) and usually no article with sports (play tennis).

Use 'the' with ordinal numbers because they point to a specific position in an order.

Learn the difference between place as purpose (at school) and place as building (at the school).

Use zero article with 'by + transport' (by car) and 'the' with some specific transport (on the bus).

Tricky article usage: school vs the school, in hospital, play the piano

Use the with superlatives (the best) and ordinals (the first) in most cases.

Use 'the' when the noun is definite: unique, already known, or identifiable from context.

Learn common patterns for 'the' with proper nouns: rivers, oceans, plural countries, hotels, and organizations.

Compare generic 'the + singular' (the tiger) with zero article generics (tigers).