2. Basic rules: a/an
• Use a/an when you mention somebody/something
for the first time
My neighbour has just bought a dog
• Use a/an when you say what something or
somebody is or does
He is a policeman
• Don’t use a/an with plural or uncountable nouns
We found a new furniture for the dining room
She bought a jeans yesterday
3. Basic rules: the/zero article
• Use the when it’s clear who/what
somebody/something is (it’s been mentioned
before or it’s unique)
My neighbour has just bought a dog. The dog is an
Alsatian.
He got into the car and drove to the town hall.
• Don’t use the to speak in general with plural and
uncountable nouns
The men are better at parking than the women
I don’t like the sport or the classical music
4. Basic rules: the/no article
• Use zero article in phrases like
at home/work, at school/university, go
home, go to bed, next/last week …
5. No article
• Don’t use an article to talk about meals as
part of a routine:
What do you have for the breakfast?
• Or to talk about transport with by
I usually go by car
• Or with points of the compass used as adverbs
He travelled north
6. Institutions
• With institutions (church, hospital, school,
prison, university …) don’t use the article
when you are thinking about the institution
and the normal purpose it is used for. Use
a/an or the when you are thinking about the
building itself.
My neighbour is in the prison because he didn’t
pay his taxes
Visitors will not be allowed to enter the hospital
after 7.00 pm
7. Geographical names
• Don’t normally use the with
1. Most countries, continents, regions ending
with the name of a country/continent,
islands, states, provinces, towns and cities
2. Roads, streets, parks, shops, and restaurants
(exception: motorways and numbered roads)
1. Individual mountains and lakes
8. Geographical names
Tunisia is in North Africa
Selfridges, one of the London’s biggest
department stores, is in the Oxford Street
The Lake Victoria and the Mount Kilimanjaro are
both in Africa
Go north on the M6 until you reach the nearest
town
9. Geographical names
• Use the with
1. Mountain ranges, rivers, seas, canals,
deserts, and island groups
2. The names of theatres, cinemas, hotels,
galleries, and museums
10. Geographical names
The River Danube flows into the Black Sea
The National Gallery and the British Museum
are London tourist attractions
11. Discuss…
• Do you usually have breakfast? Why (not)? Do you agree that
breakfast is the most important meal?
• How often do you go to a museum? Are there any interesting
museums in your town/region/country?
• Is there any task men can definitely do better than women, or
viceversa?
• Do you agree that life is better for single people than for
married people?
• Are you (or anyone you know) keen on trekking, hiking or
climbing? Where do you/they usually go?
• In your opinion, what’s the hardest-working nationality?
What nationality are best at learning languages?
• What should governments do to help the poor and the
homeless?
