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THE DEFINITE ARTICLE courtesy of: www.learnenglish.britishcouncil.org

The definite article the is the most frequent word in English.
We use the definite article in front of a noun when we believe the hearer/reader knows exactly what
we are referring to.
because there is only one:
The Pope is visiting Russia.
The moon is very bright tonight.
The Shah of Iran was deposed in 1979.
This is why we use the definite article with a superlative adjective:
He is the tallest boy in the class.
It is the oldest building in the town.
because there is only one in that place or in those surroundings:

We live in a small village next to the church.

(the church in our village)

Dad, can I borrow the car?

(the car that belongs to our family)

When we stayed at my grandmothers house

we went to the beach every day.

(the beach near my grandmothers

house)

Look at the boy in the blue shirt over there.

(the boy I am pointing at)

because we have already mentioned it:

A woman who fell 10 metres from High Peak was lifted to safety by a helicopter. The
woman fell while climbing.
The rescue is the latest in a series of incidents on High Peak. In January last year two men
walking on the peakwere killed in a fall.
Contributed by: Ross Malcolm
The British Council, 2014
The British Council is the United Kingdom's international organisation for cultural relations and education opportunities.
British Council Malaysia is a branch (995232-A) of the British Council, registered as a charity in England and Wales (209131) and Scotland (SC037733)

Creating Opportunity Worldwide

Pro-ELT Teacher Training Materials
We can also use the definite article:
to say something general about a typical, normal version of a thing referred to by a noun (this is
quite formal):
The wolf is not really a dangerous animal (= Wolves are not really dangerous animals)
The kangaroo is found only in Australia (= Kangaroos are found only in Australia)
The heart pumps blood around the body. (= Hearts pump blood around bodies)
We use the definite article in this way to talk about musical instruments:
Joe plays the piano really well.(= George can play any piano)
She is learning the guitar.(= She is learning to play any guitar)
to refer to a system or service:
How long does it take on the train.
I heard it on the radio.
You should tell the police.
With adjectives like rich, poor, elderly, unemployed to talk about groups of people:
Life can be very hard for the poor.
I think the rich should pay more taxes.
She works for a group to help the disabled.
The definite article with names:
We do not normally use the definite article with names:
William Shakespeare wrote Hamlet.
Paris is the capital of France.
Iran is in Asia.
But we do use the definite article with:
countries whose names include words like kingdom, states or republic:
the United Kingdom; the kingdom of Nepal; the United States; the Peoples Republic of China.
countries which have plural nouns as their names:
the Netherlands; the Philippines

Contributed by: Ross Malcolm

The British Council, 2014
The British Council is the United Kingdom's international organisation for cultural relations and education opportunities.
British Council Malaysia is a branch (995232-A) of the British Council, registered as a charity in England and Wales (209131) and Scotland (SC037733)

Creating Opportunity Worldwide

Pro-ELT Teacher Training Materials
geographical features, such as mountain ranges, groups of islands, rivers, seas, oceans and
canals:
the Himalayas; the Canaries; the Atlantic; the Atlantic Ocean; the Amazon; the Panama Canal.
newspapers:
The Times; The Washington Post
well known buildings or works of art:
the Empire State Building; the Taj Mahal; the Mona Lisa; the Sunflowers
organisations:
the United Nations; the Seamens Union
hotels, pubs and restaurants*:
the Ritz; the Ritz Hotel; the Kings Head; the Dj Vu
*Note: We do not use the definite article if the name of the hotel or restaurant is the name of the
owner, e.g.,Browns; Browns Hotel; Morels; Morels Restaurant, etc.
families:
the Obamas; the Jacksons

Contributed by: Ross Malcolm

The British Council, 2014
The British Council is the United Kingdom's international organisation for cultural relations and education opportunities.
British Council Malaysia is a branch (995232-A) of the British Council, registered as a charity in England and Wales (209131) and Scotland (SC037733)

Creating Opportunity Worldwide

Pro-ELT Teacher Training Materials

THE INDEFINITE ARTICLE courtesy of: www.learnenglish.britishcouncil.

1. We use the indefinite article, a/an, with countable nouns when the hearer/reader does not
know exactly which one we are referring to:
Police are searching for a 14 year-old girl.
2. We also use it to show the person or thing is one of a group:
She is a pupil at London Road School.

Police have been searching for a 14 year-old girl who has been missing since
Friday.
Jenny Brown, a pupil at London Road School, is described as 1.6 metres tall with
short blonde hair.
She was last seen wearing a blue jacket, a blue and white blouse and dark blue
jeans and blue shoes.
Anyone who has information should contact the local police on 0800349781.

3. We do not use an indefinite article with plural nouns and uncountable nouns:
She was wearing blue shoes. (= plural noun)
She has short blonde hair. (= uncount noun)

4. We use a/an to say what someone is or what job they do:

My brother is a doctor.
George is a student.
5. We can use a/an with a singular noun to say something general about all things of that kind:
A man needs friends. (= All men need friends)
A dog likes to eat meat. (= All dogs like to eat meat)

Contributed by: Ross Malcolm

The British Council, 2014
The British Council is the United Kingdom's international organisation for cultural relations and education opportunities.
British Council Malaysia is a branch (995232-A) of the British Council, registered as a charity in England and Wales (209131) and Scotland (SC037733)

Creating Opportunity Worldwide

Pro-ELT Teacher Training Materials

THE ZERO ARTICLE courtesy of: www.learnenglish.britishcouncil.

When we talk about things in general we usually use a plural noun or an uncountable noun with no
article.

Birds eat worms. NOT The birds eat the worms.

Water flows downhill.
Kangaroos live in Australia.
BUT We went to the zoo and saw the kangaroos. These are particular kangaroos not kangaroos in
general.
Special places

My sons at university but my daughter still goes to school.

He was sent to prison for 10 years.
Now that winters here I find it difficult to get out of bed.
I go to work by bus but I go home on foot.
In expressions with a number of places there is no article after a preposition.
These places include: to/at school, to/at university/college, to/in church, to/in/out of prison, to/in
hospital, to/in/out of bed, to/at work, at home.
NOTE: While we say go to school and go to work etc, the expression go home has neither the nor
to.
Transport

I go to work by bus but I go home on foot.

I hate travelling by train.
Modes of transport (by bus, by train, by car, by plane, by bicycle) dont have an article. Notice that on
foot is different.
Geography
No article continents (Africa, Asia etc.) countries (France, Germany, Slovakia etc - but the Slovak
Republic, the United States, the United Kingdom) towns & cities (Bratislava, London
etc.) lakes (Lake Victoria, Lake Balaton etc.)universities (Oxford University, Nitra University etc.)

Contributed by: Ross Malcolm

The British Council, 2014
The British Council is the United Kingdom's international organisation for cultural relations and education opportunities.
British Council Malaysia is a branch (995232-A) of the British Council, registered as a charity in England and Wales (209131) and Scotland (SC037733)