Articles in British English
The articles in English are a, an and the.
We have to use articles before nouns, but there are some nouns where no article is necessary.
In this lesson, you’ll learn when and when not to use articles.
When to use articles?
A/An
- Use before nouns.
- Use when you first mention a noun. Use ‘the’ after.
- Use before jobs.
- Use before adjectives + noun.
The
- Use before nouns.
- Use for the second mentions of nouns.
- Use to talk about specific things.
- Use when there is only one thing, e.g. the moon, the stars, the sun etc.
No Article
- General nouns, e.g. Children don’t like fruit. (Children in general)
- Meals
- Days/Months/Years
- Next/Last
- Languages and subjects
- Talk about tv. E.g. People watch good films on tv.
Examples
The moon is beautiful tonight.
I have a cheese sandwich. The sandwich is in my bag.
Did you eat breakfast?
Practise
Fill the gap with a, an, the or no article.
Common mistakes learners make
- Using ‘the’ with general plural nouns
- Forgetting a/an with singular nouns
- Forgetting ‘the’ with only one thing
Common mistakes learners make
- Using ‘the’ with general plural nouns
- Forgetting a/an with singular nouns
- Forgetting ‘the’ with only one thing