Articles: a, an, the… or nothing
No article for things in general, but always one before a job.
| Article | Use | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| a / an | one thing, not specific | an before a vowel sound: an apple, an hour (silent h), but a university (sounds like «you») |
| the | a specific thing, already known | the sun, the book I told you about |
| (nothing) | things in general, indefinite plurals | I like coffee. Cats are independent. |
- I like music.music in general → no article
- The music at the party was great.specific music → the
- I have friends in London.indefinite plural → no article
Jobs
No article with languages, most countries (except the UK, the USA, the Netherlands), people's names, meals and many institutions: I speak French, in France, John called, have lunch, go to school, go to bed.
Test yourself
-
Complete: I'm ___ engineer.
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an -
Correct: I hate the sport. (in general)
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I hate sport(s). -
Correct: He's teacher.
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He's a teacher. -
Complete: ___ water in this bottle is cold.
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The (specific water)