Article with holidays in English. Articles in English (articles) - the basic rules for their use. Christmas, New Year, Easter

Hello, everyone! This article is about articles with proper names. In it we will reveal the rules that the article is subject to, distribute the names into groups that will be easy to remember and, of course, add a pinch of exceptions. Let's go!

General rules for articles with proper names

Proper name- this is a word intended for a specific specific object, which distinguishes it from the rest. So articles with such words are combined in a unique way.

However, there are nuggets of rules that will help you avoid drowning in an ocean of exceptions.

Let's consider the general rules of use:

If a place or institution is named after a famous person or the city in which it is located, then the article is not needed:

He entered Stanford University. - He entered Stanford University.
We will land at Heathrow Airport. - We will land at Heathrow airport.

But if a building or institution has a unique name, but not in honor of someone, then we use “the”:

We have visited the Winter Palace. - We visited the Winter Palace (there is no famous person with the name “Winter”).

There were some British jokes here. The famous Buckingham Palace is in use without article, not according to the rules.

We visited Buckingham Palace. - We visited Buckingham Palace (named after the Duke of Buckingham).

If a store, cafe, restaurant, bank, hotel or any organization is named after someone with the ending “-s” or “-“s”, the article is not needed:

I don’t like fast food, that’s why I don’t eat at McDonald's. - I don't like fast food, so I don't eat at McDonald's.
You must visit St. Paul's Cathedral in London. - You simply must see St. Paul's Cathedral in London.

If we see the preposition “of” inside the name, the correct sign is to put “the”:

The Great Wall of China is more than twenty kilometers long. - The Great Wall of China is more than twenty kilometers long.
Have you been to the Museum of Modern Art in New York? -Have you been to the Museum of Modern Art in New York?

There are names that have short And long form. So, we will use the long official name with an article, and the shortened one without an article:

Last week I was in the Cathedral and Collegiate Church of St..Mary, St.Denys and St.George.= Last week I was in Manchester Cathedral. - Last week I was in Manchester Cathedral.
I've been working in the Eastman Kodak Company for ten years. = I've been working in Kodak for 10 years. - I have been working at Kodak for 10 years.

Proper names with the definite article

Almost all names can be divided into groups. Definite article " the" will accompany the following groups of proper names:

Theatres, museums, galleries, cinemas, monuments, hotels, restaurants and pubs:

the Louvre- Louvre;
the Royal Academy of Arts- Royal Academy of Arts;
the Pentagon- Pentagon;
the Tower of London- Tower of London;
the National Gallery- National Gallery;
the Hermitage- Hermitage Museum;
the Eiffel Tower- Eiffel Tower;
the Plaza Hotel- Plaza Hotel;
the Red Lion- (pub) “Red Lion”;
the Michelangelo Hotel- Hotel Michelangelo.

Famous ships and trains:

the Titanic- "Titanic";
the Oriental Express- Orient Express train.

Organizations and political parties and institutions:

the BBC (the British Broadcasting Corporation) - BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation);
the FBI (the Federal Bureau of Investigation) - FBI (Federal Bureau of Investigation);
the Red Cross- Red Cross;
the House of Commons- House of Commons;
the Senate- Senate (USA).

Streets, parks, squares:

Broadway- Broadway;
Trafalgar Square- Trafalgar Square;
St. James's Park- St. James's Park;
Red Square- Red Square.

City names roads:

Park Lane- Park Lane;
Piccadilly- Piccadilly;
Fifth Avenue- Fifth Avenue.

Schools, colleges, universities:

Harrow School- Harrow School;
American Heritage School- American Heritage School;
Eton College- Eton College;
Cambridge University- Cambridge university;
Harvard University- Harvard University.

Airports, airlines, train stations, bridges:

Heathrow Airport- Heathrow Airport;
British Airways- British Airways airline;
Aeroflot- Aeroflot;
Westminster Bridge- Westminster Bridge;
Tower Bridge- Tower Bridge;
Waterloo Bridge- Waterloo Bridge.

Churches, cathedrals, abbeys:

St. Martin's Church- Church of St. Martin;
Westminster Abbey- Westminster Abbey;
Saint Sophia Cathedral- Saint Sophie Cathedral.

Languages, as you know, are also used without an article:

English- English;
French- French.

However, if the word "language" appears, then the article is required:

the English language- English language;
the French language- French.

Without the word “language”, but with the article “the”, some names can indicate nationality:

the English- English;
the Scottish- Scots;
the French- French people.

Days weeks, months, holidays:

Monday- Monday;
Wednesday- environment;
Friday- Friday;
January- January;
March- March;
July- July;
December- December;
Christmas- Christmas;
Halloween- Halloween;
Easter- Easter.

If we are talking about a specific day or holiday, then the article “the” is needed:

the Sunday of that week- Sunday of that week;
the worst Christmas we've ever had- the worst Christmas we've ever had.

As you already know, countries are written without an article (Germany, France), but there are . Remember which countries and states are used with “the” :

the Central African Republic;
the Comoros;
the Czech Republic;
the Dominican Republic;
the Gambia;
the Isle of Man;
the Ivory Coast;
the United Kingdom (of Great Britain and Northern Ireland);
the United States (of America);

The names of provinces, states, cities, villages, bays, waterfalls, mountain peaks, capes, volcanoes and continents are used without the article:

Quebec;
Washington;
Appledore;
Hudson Bay;
Niagara Falls;
Everest;
Cuba;
Cape Horn;
Volcano Etna;
Europe.

Conclusion

Article is not the easiest topic in English. We hope that we have made it easier for you and now you have a place to look up the name and rule.

Keep your English burning!

Big and friendly EnglishDom family

It is impossible to boast of knowledge of English grammar without knowing seemingly insignificant but important details, for example, articles. One of the most insidious and treacherous of them is the definite article “the”. When communicating with a native speaker, it is very easy to get burned by using it inappropriately, or vice versa, by missing it. Knowing the following 10 rules, you can
strengthen your knowledge on the front of articles and be more confident in the correctness of your sayings. But be extremely careful - the rules are full of exceptions and pitfalls. Don't say “thanks” just yet. Check what we have in store for ya!

Let's start with something simple. You use an article when you want to distinguish a word from its other possible versions. If there is no confusion regarding what you mean, then you don't use the article. So if everyone already knows, for example, where you go to school (university or work), you simply say: “I"m going to school,” because there is no confusion. Or if you say that are you ever going to go to school in general, you don't use articles « the" The same applies to the house - usually everyone has one, and hell and Heaven, about which everyone knows. So, the next time you think about where you will go after death, think in English, and do it correctly: “I"m going to hell.” However, when we talk about special hell of a specific religion, the article “the” should already be: “ The hell of Islam is far worse than the hell of Chirstianity.»

With that being said, it is important to remember that if countable noun (one gun, two guns), That always use the article (the / a / an). And at the same time remember that can't bet his before plural (guns, books) or innumerablenouns(water, blood, advice, chocolate, meat etc.).

Generally

We don't put « the", When talking about something generally, without specifics.

Cats are awesome pets!

Here we are not talking about one specific awesome cat or pet, but about all awesome cats and pets at once.

Women love it when men do it right.
People are evil in that neighborhood.

Sport

Names of sports and other types of physical activity don't require article "the".

I love to go skiing in the winter.
I play baseball every day after school.
He loves watching hockey on TV.
She does yoga 3 times a week.
My daughter really enjoys dancing.

Family

We use « the"when we talk about family(by last name), but not about a specific person or combinations with names:

We"re having dinner with the Smiths tonight.
The Browns are going to the play with us.

John is coming over later.
Mary Carpenter is my boss.
Prince Charles is Queen Elizabeth's son.
President Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas.

Numbers

We don’t put an article, When:

after the noun there is a number:

He's staying at the Haunted hotel in room 221.
The train to Noplaceville leaves from platform 2.
My Exorcism class is in room 6 on the first floor(“first” is the adjective in this sentence and describes “the floor.”)

year indicated:

1948 was a wonderful year.
He was born in 1995 .

We put the article before:

superlative adjectives and ordinal numbers:

the third movie
the tallest kid
the last hour

decades and other periods of years:

I"m the kid of the nineties.
This is a painting from the 1820's.

Only

If there is such a word in a sentence, then feel free to put “the” in front of it:

This is the only day we"ve had sunshine all week.
You are the only person she will listen to.
The only tea I like is black tea.

Not for the first time

We put " a"when we talk about something for the first time, and then change to « the"when what is being discussed is it's becoming clear. Also put « the"when everything is with completely obvious, or when something or someone is one of a kind. Using this rule, you will be right in most cases, but remember about hell and Heaven.

He was talking to a man. The man was laughing.
She gave him a present. The present was very expensive.
I cleaned the bathroom this morning.
The sun is hot today.
He walked around the world.

Breakfast, lunch and dinner

We don't use article before the names of meals:

We had lunch at noon.
I have breakfast at 7 a.m.

Proper names

Majority names holidays, companies, languages, countries, streets, airports, stations, cities, continents, islands, individual mountains, lakes etc. - all these are proper names, and article Here usually not needed. But it is precisely in this section of the rules for using “the” that there is many exceptions, so be extremely careful.

McDonald's has restaurants in 119 countries.
Victoria Station is in the center of London.
Can you direct me to Bond Street?
She lives in Florence.
I got some cool ideas for Halloween. (there is only 1 Halloween that everyone knows about)
Asia and Europe are two continents, in case you didn't know.
Her son graduated from Harvard. (but “He has a master’s degree from the University of Toronto»).
I"m leaving for America next week (but " the United States»).
Lake Ontario and Lake Huron are 2 of the Great Lakes(“the Great Lakes” - a group of lakes on the border between Canada and the United States requires an article).
I teach people how to speak English / Chinese / Spanish / Russian(however, when talking about the inhabitants of a particular nation: “ The Spanish are known for their warm hospitality").
Mount Everest is the one I plan to climb next week (but “ the Ends», « the Rockies" or unusual names of individual mountains, such as Mt. " the Matterhorn"(peak in the Pennine Alps).
Easter Island, Maui, Key West- none of these islands I "ve visited (but chains islands like " the Aleutians», « the Hebrides" or" the Canary Islands» require an article).

Names, establishments and places

We don't use « the" before:

names of professions, school subjects, shops and some places:

My office is located on Main Street/Washington Blvd..
I usually go to church on Sundays.
Did you go to school today?
She's studying business at university.
Engineering is a well-paid career.
He'll probably study medicine.
I"ll get the card at Smith's.
Can you go to Boots for me?

names of subjects at school:

math
geography
business
history
science

before the following words in a general sense:

school
prison
college

I hope to go to college.
He spent three years in prison.

We use « the" before:

names of rivers, oceans and seas ( the Nile, the Pacific,the Arctic, the Atlantic, the Black Sea, the Thames);
countries ( the Netherlands, the Philippines), also before those whose names include the words " republic", « states" And " kingdom» ( the Czech Republic, the Dominican Republic, the Republic of Ireland, the United States, the United Kingdom);
points of the globe ( the Equator, the North Pole);
geographical areas ( the Middle East, the West);
deserts, forests, sea bays and peninsulas ( the Sahara, the Persian Gulf, the Black Forest, the Iberian Peninsula).
names of newspapers and famous buildings, works of art, museums and monuments ( the New York Times, the Guardian,the Vietnam Memorial, the Louvre, the Mona Lisa, the Eiffel Tower,the Globe).
before the names of hotels and restaurants, unless they are named after a person ( the Golden Lion, the Hilton).
in front of already known places that people usually go to ( the bank, the supermarket, the doctor's)

Let's go the movies.
My dad is in the hospital(Americans will put the article here, but the British may omit it).
She works at the post office.
What time do you have to be at the airport?
Please drop me off at the bus stop.
She doesn't like to go to the doctor or the dentist.

Abbreviations

Or acronyms are a shortened form of the name of something, using the capital letters of each word to form a new one. So, if the acronym is pronounced like a word, We we don't use « the»:

NATO['neɪtoʊ] (North Atlantic Treaty Organization here pronounced as one word) ambassadors met to discuss the situation.
UNSECO(United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) was formed in 1946.
Sorry, you've got AIDS(Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome).

The same goes for abbreviations names of educational institutions:

She has a Ph. D from MIT(Massachusetts Institute of Technology).

However, if the abbreviation is spelled out, That article"the" is needed. And you may well say the NATO member(NATO member).

The UN was created after the Second World War (United Nations = UN and spelled).

The same applies to the following abbreviations:

the EU(European Union)
the US(United States)
the CIA(Central Intelligence Agency)
the FBI(Federal Bureau of Investigation)

Now, in theory, you should be from “the” to “you,” but do not rush to become familiar. Don't forget about exceptions and the main rule. Good luck in learning English and keep the progress going!

Big and friendly EnglishDom family

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No article, or zero article as it is usually called, is a form of article. We use zero article with plural and uncountable nouns when we are referring to things in general:

Tennis is a beautiful game. French chefs make the best cooks. Cheese in France is usually made from cows" or goats" milk.

The zero article (= no article) is also a form of the article. The zero article is used with plural countable nouns and with all uncountable nouns (such as water, sand) when we mention them in general:

Tennis is a beautiful game = Tennis is a beautiful game.

French chefs make the best cooks = French chefs are the best cooks of all.

Cheese in France is usually made from cows" or goats" milk = Cheese in France is usually made from the milk of cows or goats.

But note, when we want to be specific, the definite article is needed:

The tennis played by Maria Sharapova at Wimbledon this year was awesome. The French chef at La Caprice is one of the best in the south east. I"m still eating the cheese I bought in France last month. It"s delicious.

But notice that when talking about a specific example of a general concept, the definite article is used:

The tennis played by Maria Sharapova at Wimbledon this year was awesome = The tennis that Maria Sharapova showed at Wimbledon this year was terrible

The French chef at La Caprice is one of the best in the south east = (The) French chef who works at La Caprice is one of the best in the entire southeast of the country

I"m still eating the cheese I bought in France last month. It"s delicious = I still eat the cheese that I bought in France last month. It is very tasty

Common nouns: no article Zero article: traditional cases

With commonly used nouns when there is general reference and when they are used with prepositions there is normally no article:

Between the preposition and the following nouns used in a general sense, the article is usually not placed (=zero article) .

[approx. translation- note below that "school", etc. has the general meaning of an institution, an occupation, and not a school building, a specific school (= a school). It’s like the title of the Russian magazine “Family and School” - where we are not talking about a specific family or school, but about a social phenomenon/institution]

school, college, university

By law in England you have to go to school when you reach the age of five = By law, in England you must attend school from the age of 5

Atcollege oruniversity you have more time for self-study = At college and university you have more time for self-study

work, home, bed work, house, bed (bed)

Afterwork I like to meet my friends before I gohome = After work I like to meet my friends instead of going straight home

She was not at home or she was inbed asleep when I called = When I called, she was either not at home, or she had already gone to bed

prison, hospital, church

If you commit a crime, you may have to go toprison = If you commit a crime, you may go to prison

If you have a serious illness, you will get the best care inhospital = If you are seriously ill, it is best to go to the hospital

I used to go to church every Sunday when I was a child = As a child, I went to church every Sunday

breakfast, lunch, dinner breakfast, lunch, dinner (late lunch)

Forbreakfast I need lots of orange juice and strong coffee to get me going = For breakfast, I definitely drink a lot of orange juice and strong coffee - otherwise I can’t “wake up”

Afterlunch I always have a snooze before starting work again = After lunch, I always take a nap before starting work again

And then I can work on without a break until dinner = And then I can work without a break until dinner (late lunch at 19.00)

spring, summer, autumn

Inwinter I always seem to need more sleep than in summer = In winter I always want to sleep more than in summer

You can harvest strawberries in early spring in Spain and Morocco = In Spain and Morocco, strawberries can be harvested in early spring

Christmas, New Year, Easter

AfterChristmas with my parents I like to spend New Year with my friends = After spending Christmas with my parents, I like to celebrate New Year with friends

bike, train, foot bicycle/motorcycle, train, foot (leg)

You"ll get there faster bybike than bybus or car = You will get there faster by bike/motorcycle than by bus or car

It "s probably safest, though, to go onfoot = But probably the most reliable thing is to go there on foot

Note, however, that for specific reference, the definite article will be necessary:
Please note that in a specific sense required use definite article:

The church I went to as a child has been converted into a bingo hall = The church I went to as a child has now been converted into an entertainment bingo hall

The lunch they prepared to celebrate my birthday was stunning = The lunch they prepared for my birthday was amazing

The summer of 1979 remains one of the wettest on record = The summer of 1979 was one of the wettest on record

In this lesson we will consider the topic “Articles in English”. Let's study what articles exist and the basic rules of use in constructions. The analysis is carried out at a level understandable for children and adults.

The use of articles together with nouns in English is a rather voluminous topic, so you should be patient.

In English, the article (The Article) is the main definition of nouns. When constructing a sentence, the first thing they start with is thinking about articles, the speaker defines a definite or indefinite noun and then puts the articles. In other words, we are talking about something specific or something general. There are no articles in the Russian language, which is why this topic causes certain difficulties for many.

When composing a construction in English, the article is used in almost all cases. There are:

The Definite Article or the definite article to which it refers The;
The Indefinite Article or indefinite article, which refers to an And a.

We will study 3 cases of using the article - the use of the indefinite, definite article and cases when the article is not used at all in the construction.

Definite Articles in English (The Definite Article)

This part of speech has only one form, the. From a grammatical point of view, it comes from the demonstrative pronoun “that - that”.

The definite article The Definite Article is used in a sentence when talking about an object that has already been talked about or in cases where the interlocutor understands what the conversation is about.
For example, Please show me the book. - Show me this book, please.
This part of speech is also used in a sentence when interlocutors talk about an object that is one of a kind.
For example, The sun is in the sky. - The sun is in the sky.
applies in all cases when interlocutors talk about a musical group, newspaper, cinema, restaurant.
For example, The Beatles - The Beatles.
The name of nationality, when not talking about someone specific, but generalizing all representatives of the clan, is used with the part of speech in question.
For example, the Americans. - Americans.
The definite article is used in some phrases.
For example, at the cinema/ the theater - to the cinema/theater. A stable design was used here.
If a proper name contains the words kingdom (kingdom), union (union), republic (republic), this article is used together with them.
For example, The United Kingdom - United Kingdom.
This part of speech is used in sentences after prepositions of place.
If there is a construction “next, last + some time period,” we put this article in front of the entire construction.
For example, the next day - the next day.
For example, There is a cat in front of the monitor. – There’s a cat in front of the screen.
If we are talking about the whole family, then the article in question is also placed before the surname.
For example, The Petrovs are at home. - Petrov's houses.
objects are also used in construction with the part of speech in question.
For example, the Arctic - Arctic and the Alps - Alps.

Attention, the article is not used in the names of countries, streets, airports, islands.
If a proper name is expressed by a title and after it there is such a meaning of, the article in question is used.
Example, The Prince of Wales - Prince of Wales.
In English, as in Russian, there is an adjective that is used without a noun, but denotes a group of people. This form should also be preceded by this part of speech .
For example, The old - old people.
If the construction contains a superlative adjective, articles definite are also used before it.
Example, the quickest - the fastest.
The is used whenever there is an "of" before the noun.
For example, The Tower of London - Tower in London.
With cardinal points, this article is always used in the design.
For example, the Northern part of our country - the north of our country.
If the sentence contains the word only (meaning only), then here we also use the article in question.
For example, She was the only beautiful woman in his life. - She was the only beautiful woman in his life.
And the last case of using articles is before an ordinal number.
Example: We are on the fourth floor. - We're on the fifth floor.

This article in question is used with nouns used in the singular and plural.

Indefinite article

While studying English, you will certainly encounter such a grammatical phenomenon as articles. You will never be able to avoid it, because they are all over the place, and their use causes significant difficulties. Let's try to compare all the cases to make it easier to navigate.

The best way to do this is to use a table of articles in English. So, you already know that “a/an” and “the” exist. Some nouns may even have no articles before them. In this case, the zero article is highlighted. The main thing to know is that “a/an” is used mainly before countable nouns that are unknown, meaning any, one of. But “the” specifically refers to something specific: this pencil, not that one. And we will consider all the exceptions and subtleties below.

Cases of use

Don't think that using articles is that difficult. If you lay everything out correctly and study it in detail, then very soon you will not only complete tests and assignments without any problems, but also speak correctly. Our table of articles will tell you about the main cases.

Articles with geographical names

Titles	Article the	Zero article
Countries, continents, cities - usually without an article	Ho: the Hague, the Vatican, the Congo, The Philippines, The USA, The United Kingdom, The Netherlands, the city of Moscow, The England of today	France, Moscow, North America, Africa
Names of rivers, oceans, seas, canals, straits, lakes	The Atlantic Ocean, The Black sea, The Volga, the Antario	BUT: Lake Baikal
Bays, bays	BUT: the bay of Fundy	San Francisco Bay
Deserts, mountain ranges, island groups, plains, valleys	The Alps, The Urals, The Gobi, The Sahara, The west Indies, The great Plains	BUT: Dearth Valley, Silicon Valley
Separate mountains, separate islands		Everest, Sicily, Madagascar
4 cardinal directions	the north, the south, the west, the east
Regions	the Middle East

Table of English articles with titles and proper nouns

Articles with names of periods, diseases, meals

Articles with names of times of day

Nouns	Article the	Zero article	Article a
Seasons of the year, parts of the day		summer, spring, with the words early (late, broad) early morning, late evening
If there is a descriptive definition			a fine clear morning, a rainy summer
From to come, to approach, to fall, to set in, to break			Night came at last.Day was breaking when we set out.Night was falling quickly.
REMEMBER:	in the morning - in the morning; in the evening - in the evening; in the daytime - during the day; in the afternoon - during the day; at night - at night; at dawn - at dawn; before dawn - before dawn; after sunset - after sunset; from morning to night - from morning to evening; early in the morning - early in the morning; all through the day - all day; day after day - day after day; night after night - every night during the summer - in the summer (during the summer period) day and night - around the clock

Articles with abstract and concrete nouns

The table of articles in English can serve as a clear hint as to what to use and when to use it. If you need more detailed explanations, then take a look at the individual articles. But the main thing to learn how to use articles is to practice, day after day. And then English will seem not so confusing and difficult to you.

	Zero article
The Times The Daily Telegraph The Guardian The Washington Post The Morning Star The Independent The Wall Street Journal The Boston Globe The Sun	Today Daily Express Newsday Chicago Tribune Le Monde Liberation Pravda

	Zero article
The Family Handyman The Cricketer The Economist The One	Forbes Newsweek New Musical Express National Geographic Car and Driver BBC Focus Amateur Gardening Men's Health Doctor Who Magazine