The Articles - A, An and The

Understanding Grammar: A, an and the

A or An

• 1st Time: There is a fly in my soup.
• 1 or any: I need a pencil.
• Some quantities: a couple, a few, a handful, etc.
• Jobs: I'm a teacher.
• Exclamations Singular: What a beautiful day!

The

• 2nd time: What is the fly doing in my soup?
• Only 1: the moon, the Queen, the President
• Rivers and seas: The Severn is the longest river in the UK.
• Superlatives: Football is the best sport in the world.
• Inventions: The computer has revolutionized the way we work.

No Article

• Exclamations plural: What beautiful children you have!
• Meals: breakfast, lunch, dinner, supper
• Special places: school, college, university, hospital, prison, church
• Proper nouns: people, countries, cities
• Generalizations: Cats are better than dogs. 

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