Reference · module 25
a, the, or nothing
Everything this module explains, on one page.
a or the
Choose between the two articles.
- a introduces something new; the points at something both of you already know. I bought a book. The book was expensive.
- So the first mention takes a and every mention after it takes the. That single rule covers most of the article decisions in a paragraph.
- the also comes when there is only one of something: the sun, the moon, the manager, the kitchen. If nobody could be confused, use the.
The mistake you are about to make
I bought a book. A book was expensive.
I bought a book. The book was expensive.
Without articles in your own language both mentions look the same. The first takes a; every mention after it takes the, because now we both know which book.
When you need no article
Leave the article out where English leaves it out.
- Talking about things in general needs no article: Dogs are friendly. Coffee is expensive. Adding the would mean particular dogs and particular coffee.
- Names take none either: I live in London, I speak English, I work at Google. The exceptions are countries with a plural or a word like Kingdom.
- And meals: have breakfast, have lunch, have dinner. Adding an article changes the meaning to one particular meal you are describing.
The mistake you are about to make
The dogs are friendly. (dogs in general)
Dogs are friendly.
Talking about a whole category takes no article at all. The dogs are friendly means those particular dogs, the ones already mentioned.
Fixed phrases
Learn the phrases where the article is simply part of the words.
- go to bed, go to school, go to work take no article, because they mean the activity. go to the cinema takes one, because it means the building.
- So a child goes to school to learn, and a parent goes to the school to talk to a teacher. Two sentences and two different places.
- at home takes none, at the office takes one. by car takes none, on the bus takes one. These are learned as whole phrases, not reasoned out.
The mistake you are about to make
go to the bed
go to bed
Go to bed is about sleeping rather than about furniture, so no article. Go to the cinema is about the building, so it takes one.
Putting it together
Get the articles right across a whole paragraph.
- The article is a message to the reader about what they already know. That is the whole system, and every rule is a version of it.
- So a superlative always takes the: the best, the oldest, the most expensive. There can only be one of them, and one means the.
- And a phrase with of usually takes it too: the top of the page, the end of the film, the name of the book. The of makes it specific.
The mistake you are about to make
He is best in the team.
He's the best in the team.
A superlative always takes the, because there can only be one of them and the is how English says "the only one".