Chapter 15: Stop Press! Student to Deliver Sentence 219
Using the indefi nite a/an
You use the indefinite articles for non-specific singular nouns, in cases where
you’re referring to any of the items within a group. For example: A pet is for
life.Use ‘a’ or ‘an’ for these situations:✓ Jobs: I’m a teacher.
✓ Religions and nationalities in the form of a noun: I’m a Hindu. I’m a
Briton.
✓ Something you’re talking about for the first time: I met a doctor at the
party.
✓ With what a/such a and a singular noun: What a shame!
✓ Only one: There’s a Briton and two Brazilians in the office.
Getting specifi c with ‘the’
By using the definite article, you make clear which particular thing you’re
referring to. For example: This food is for the pets.Use ‘the’ for these situations:✓ Specific things or things mentioned before: In the following example a
refers to any book but the refers to a particular one: I wanted a book so I
chose the one on the middle shelf.
✓ In geography for the names of rivers, oceans, seas, and also unique
places: The Thames is beautiful today. That country is near the equator.
✓ Superlatives: This one is the best. This is the most expensive.
✓ Ordinal numbers: This is the first time.
✓ The activity of playing an instrument: She plays the saxophone.
✓ An entire group of people or animals: The Chinese seem industrious.
✓ Decades: I was born in the seventies.
✓ When there’s only one of something: The sun was shining when the
Prime Minister met the Queen.
✓ Republics and kingdoms: the United Kingdom.
✓ Countries made up of separate states, islands and so on: the Caribbean,
the USA.