- The indefinite article a/an is used with proper nouns to show that:
- a person belongs to a specific family or type:
He is a Forester. – He belongs to the Forester family.
- a person possesses qualities of a well-known personality
He thinks he is a Romeo. – He believes he has Romeo's qualities.
- it concerns an unknown, unfamiliar person
A John Smith wants to see you. – Some John Smith wants to see you.
- it concerns a work by a famous creator
This is a Shakespeare play. – This is a play by Shakespeare.
It's a Rembrandt. – It's a painting by Rembrandt.
- The indefinite article a/an is used before the numerals: dozen; hundred; thousand; million; billion.
They earned a million dollars from the lottery – They won 1 million from the lottery.
I want a dozen eggs. – I want a dozen eggs.
The definite article the is used before some geographical names: canals, rivers, seas, oceans, straits, islands, peninsulas, mountains and mountain ranges, valleys, deserts, geographical regions.
Examples:
The Suez Canal; The Danube; The Black Sea; The Pacific Ocean; The Turkish Straits; The Hawaiian Islands; The Balkan Peninsula; The Rila Mountain; The Alps; The Thames Valley; The Sahara Desert; The Middle East; The West Indies;
- The definite article the is used before names of countries that contain the nouns: republic; kingdom; states, as well as before countries whose names are in the plural.
Examples: The United Kingdom; The United States; The Czech Republic; The Netherlands; The Philippines.
- The definite article the is used before the names of newspapers, magazines, museums, schools, hotels, restaurants, public buildings, theatres, cinemas, groups/bands, organizations, political parties, historical events.
Examples: The Times; The Hilton Hotel; The Bank of England; The European Union; The French Revolution; The British Museum
- The definite article the is used before substantive adjectives:
The blind need help. – The blind need assistance.
The sick and the lonely are most at risk. – The sick and the lonely are most at risk.
- The definite article the is not used before plural names that have a generalizing meaning:
Children like chocolate. – Children like chocolate.
Women like shopping. – Women like to shop.
Dogs bark. – Dogs bark.
- The definite article the is not used before uncountable nouns with a generalizing meaning:
Love can save the world. – Love can save the world.
Football is popular sport. – Football is a popular sport.
Gold is expensive. – Gold is expensive.