Do you know how to use a, an and the?
Look at these examples to see how articles are used.
She's a doctor. I need an umbrella. Have you heard the news? I don't like spiders.
Read the explanation to learn more.
Here are some of the most important things to know about using articles.
When we say what people's jobs are, we usually use a/an.
He's an architect. She's a scientist. My grandmother was a teacher.
Singular, countable nouns always have an article – a/an or the (or another determiner – my, your, this, that, etc.).
We use a/an – the indefinite article – when we talk about something for the first time, or something that is part of a group or type.
I saw a good film yesterday. Do you want a drink?
We use a when the word that follows it begins with a consonant sound. We use an when it's followed by a vowel sound. This makes pronunciation easier.
She has a university degree. It took me an hour to get home.
We use the – the definite article – when the listener already knows which thing we are talking about because it was mentioned before or because there's only one of them.
I'm going to take the dog for a walk. Have you seen the car key? They go to the school next to the bridge.
When we talk about things in general, we normally use a plural or uncountable noun with no article.
Birds eat worms. Water freezes at 0°C. Children need a lot of sleep.
When we talk about a particular group of things, we use the.
We went to the zoo and saw the kangaroos. (These are the particular kangaroos in that zoo – not kangaroos in general.)
Do you know when you need to use the in common phrases and place names?
Look at these examples to see when the is and isn't used.
I'm going to bed. I walk to work. My children are going to start school. I visited the school yesterday. Mount Everest is in the Himalayas.
Here are some ways we use articles in common phrases and place names.
We don't usually use an article in expressions with bed, work and home.
go to bed / be in bed go to work / be at work / start work / finish work go home / be at home / get home / stay at home
We also don't normally use an article in expressions with school, university, prison and hospital.
start school / go to school / be at school go to university / be at university be sent to prison / go to prison / be in prison go to hospital / be in hospital
But we usually use the if someone is just visiting the place, and not there as a student/prisoner/patient, etc.
My son has started school now. I went to the school to meet his teacher. I went to the prison a lot when I was a social worker. I'm at the hospital. My sister has just had a baby.
We don't normally use an article for continents, most countries, cities, towns, lakes, mountains or universities. So, we say:
Africa, Asia, Europe India, Ghana, Peru, Denmark Addis Ababa, Hanoi, New York, Moscow Lake Victoria, Lake Superior, Lake Tanganyika Mount Everest, Mount Kilimanjaro, Mount Elbrus Cardiff University, Harvard University, Manchester University
Some countries are different. Country names with United have the. There are other countries which are exceptions too. So, we say:
the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, the United States of America the Bahamas, the Gambia
Seas and oceans, mountain ranges and rivers have the:
the Atlantic, the Pacific, the Mediterranean the Andes, the Himalayas, the Alps the Nile, the Amazon, the Yangtze
Universities with of in the title also have the:
the University of Cape Town, the University of Delhi, the University of Tokyo
{Certin, Earthquake, Tirrify, Fail, Deducting, Thif, Suspect, Context}