THE ARTICLES “A” and “THE” A/ The indefinite article A: 1 ‘A’ (An) is used with countable nouns to indicate one. ‘A’ can be used to talk about one particular person or thing that the listener does not know. Ex: Can I have a cup of tea? // Mrs. Brown has got a daughter and two sons. My brother’s going out with a French girl.(The listener doesn’t know the girl) 2 “A” is not used before a plural noun or uncountable nouns. Ex: We had eggs for breakfast.// Are you drinking milk? 3 “ A” is used before a noun of occupation. Ex: He is a teacher and his wife is an architect. B/ The definite article ‘the’ is used : 1 When a word is used a second time or it is a known ( mentioned) object. Ex: He has just bought a new car. The car is very expensive. I’ve just washed the car. (= our car , this car) / Where’s the dog ? ( = our dog, the dog we all know) Close the door, please. // Can you turn off the light, please? (= the light in this room) We got to the airport just in time for our flight. (= the airport in this city) John isn’t very well. He has gone to the doctor. (= his doctor) 2 When only one object exists. ( Một người hay vât duy nhất) Ex : The earth , the moon , the river Thames. A car stop and the driver got out. ( A car has only one driver + chỉ có một tài xế duy nhất trong xe) The prime minister is very popular. ( The country has only one PM ) 3 When playing musical instrument. Ex: Can you play the piano? // I like listening to the guitar. 4 The + superlative / only / first / last + Noun The + gerund + of + Noun ( The Gerund + noun ) Ex : He is the most intelligent student in our class. He is also the tallest one. He is the last candidate to be interviewed. The preserving of natural resources is a global problem. The protecting wild life is the preserving of natural resources 5 The + Adj / nationality words ( used as a plural noun ) Ex: The English are very friendly. The old and children need taking care of. 6 The + noun + phrase ( Ta dùng ‘the’ khi có cum từ hoặc mệnh đề bổ nghóa phía sau) Ex: We came to the edge of a lake. ( Thường dùng ‘The’ khi có of phrase sau danh từ ) Ours is the house on the river. // We live in the house next to your office. We live in a house by the market. ( Tuy nhiên nếu cụm từ không cung cấp đủ thông tin vì có nhiều nhà gần chơ, ta chỉ có thể dùng “a”) 7 The + name of rivers, canals, seas ( not with lakes) Ex: on the (River) Avon / the Missouri ( River) / building the Panama Canal / the Red Sea / the Atlantic Ocean / The North Sea / the Pacific (ocean) 8 The + noun + Adj. phrase Ex: Ours is the house on the corner // The room of a house was blown off in the storm. We live in a / the house overlooking the park. ( Ta dùng the khi chỉ có một căn nhà của mình nhìn ra cơng viên ; còn dùng a khi có nhiều nhà nhìn ra cơng viên) C/ No article: 1 Before the name of countries, cities, towns or villages. Ex: I live in Paris but she lives in London. Except for: The USA , the Netherlands, the United Arab Emirates , the Philippines, the Sudan, the Ivory Coast, The United Kingdom. 2 Before abstract nouns (danh từ trừu tượng ) (life, beauty, love ), languages ( English, French, ), subjects ( history, mathematics ) Ex : Life isn’t always easy. English isn’t difficult for us to learn. Note: The + Noun + of-phrase : Ex: The safety of passengers should be a priority. 3 Before the words like school , home, work, church, bed, hospital in certain expressions. Ex: We went to church. // She’s at home while her mother is in hospital. He goes to work at 6:00 every morning. But: Mai’s mother is in ChoRay hospital so I am going to the hospital to see her mother. 4 Before the names of meals. ( breakfast, lunch, dinner) Ex: What did you have for breakfast ? // I have lunch at 12. Notes: We had Þ lunch in a restaurant. That was a very nice lunch. ( a + adj + lunch / dinner …) 5 Before the names of the streets , road , squares , park , lake, airport , university etc Ex: They live in Þ Downing Street. They visited Þ St James’s Park which is very near Þ Buckingham Palace. Beside Lake Ontario ( Except: the High Street , the Botanical Garden : có tính từ ở trước ) Notes: We use “the” before the name of these places: hotels , restaurants , theatres , museum … Ex: The Rex Hotel is in Þ Nguyen Hue Street in Þ HCM City. D/ To express the general things or a whole class of things. (Nói chung chung hay tồng thể của vật thể) 1. “A” + singular count noun Ex: A banana is good for health. ( The speakers is talking about any banana, all banana, banana in general) 2. ‘The’ used before a singular countable noun means a general thing. Ex : The child shouldn’t drink beer. // The computer will play an increasingly large role in all our lives. 3. “No article” before a plural noun or uncountable noun means something in general. Ex : Children shouldn’t drink beer. Bananas are good for you. ( = A banana is good for you = The banana is good for you) Fruit is good for her. (Wrong: The apples are my favorite) E/ Some expressions with nouns: Nouns Without article With article Bed stay in bed (nằm nghỉ tại giường), lie in bed [ nằm dưới tấm phủ giườg] , go to bed (to sleep), put a child to bed, get out of bed lie on the bed [ nằm trên giường / trên tấm phủ], sit by the bed [ ngồi cạnh giường]/ next to the bed Church be in / at church, go to church (to a service) (ở / đến nhà thờ làm lễ) - (church / mosque (nhà thờ Hồi giáo) / temple) visit the church, the Church of England, the Catholic Church / go to the church (đến nhà thờ để …) Class be in class (= in a lesson) (đang học ) stand at the front of the class, leave the class ( lớp học) School be in/at school (as a pupil), start / quit school go to school, start/leave school, ready for school go to the school (as a visitor), work at the school College be at/in college (as a student) ( là sinh viên) , go to college, leave college, drop out of college [ đi học đại học / nghỉ học đại học] Go to the college (đi đến trường đại học để làm gì đó) University be at university (as a student) go to university (xem thêm cột bên  ) Ex: York University Both their children are at university. He's hoping to go to university next year. Is there a university in this town? * the University of York  normal in US English : be at the university, go to the university ( ở Mỹ có thể dùng ‘the’) Work (unc. N) go to work (=go to the office /go to the factory), stop work, your place of work, out of work, looking for work be in work ( have a job) : có việc làm be at work : có mặt tại chỗ làm works : thường dùng ghép với từ khác + sing./pl. V Ex: engineering works ( nơi chế tạo, sản xuất) sewage works : nhà máy sử lý chất thải the works (pl.):+ mọi thứ . He bought the works at the chip shop. + nhà máy: Ex: Raw materials were carried to the works by barge. (nhà máy sản xuất) Court (toà án) appear in court, go to court, take someone to court ( ra tòa / đưa air a tòa) tell the court what happened ( kể với quan tòa ) Home stay at home (n): ở tại nhà của chính mình home (adv): go/come/drive/ walk home leave home: rời gia đình / work from home : làm việc xa gia đình / away from home the home of a famous film star, a/the home for old people Compare: stay in the house ( = house: nơi cư trú, chỡ ở , nhà) Hospital in hospital (as a patient) : nằm viện , take sb to hospital : đưa ai nhập viện go into hospital, leave hospital in the hospital (as a visitor): đến bệnh viện thăm work at the hospital : làm việc ở bệnh viện Jail / prison ( Nhà tù) be in jail (as a prisoner), go to jail, come out of jail ( ở tù / đi tù / ra tù ) be in prison (as a prisoner), go to prison, come out of prison go to the jail (as a visitor) go to the prison (as a visitor) Sea be at sea (sailing), go to sea (as a sailor), go/travel by sea the fish in the sea, sail on the sea, under the sea, by/near the sea. Compare: at the seaside Town meet in town, go to town visit the town, in the town centre Compare: in the village, in the city The end