Articles 1

The – “definite” article
A/an – “indefinite”

 

The.

Post-modification of noun.

I attend University in Ufa - I attend The Oil University of Ufa.

 

We refer to some thing with definite “the” because they are known from context.

Jim is in the lab.
Give me the keys, please.

 

A/An.

An instrument or an example of something uses a/an.

A barometer is used to measure air pressure.

We use the zero article with plurals and uncountables when they are used as examples.

Economists are divided on this issue.
Water is becoming a scarce resource.

We use a/am with one of the a class of thing or people.

Party like a russians. 

We use a/an with one of a set of named things.

This is a Matisse. 

We use the with a singular noun to describe a class of things. 

The electric car is the vehicle of the future. 

 

Ideas

We use zero articles with abstract idea.

In some respects, was has no winners and losers.

We use the when abstract noun is made specific by what comes after it.

The war between the North and the South continued for four years. 

Numbers and measurement.

We use a/an (per) for rates and speeds.

It costs over 5 millions a year

We use a/an for large numbers, fractions with singular noun

a hundred, a million, a third, a fifth, two and a half, a kilo, a metre and a half

Fractions with plurals have zero article.

We are already two thirds of the way there. 

People

Names of people have zero article but can be made definite.

Angela Thomson run the Biology Department.

Is she the Angela Thomson who used to work in Leends?

We can use a/an with names when we mean "a person called..."

Is there an Angela Thomson staying here? 

We use the with the names of specific groups of people. 

the Liberal Democrats

However, if the group is more general we use zero article. 

Euro MPs tend to claim large sums of money for expenses.

Manchester United supporters are usually well-behaved. 

Many groups of people are described by the + singular adjective. 

The unemployed

The dead

Cities, towns, streets, places

We use zero arcitcle with proper names, but use if there is post-modification with of

Alan lives in North Road in London in an area called Highbury.

Have you beet to the Museum of Childhood? 

We use the with the names of shops and places with a general reference. 

at the cinema, the supermarket, in the garden, in the mountains, at the beach

Other places vary. If they begins with the name of place or person, then they tend ti use zero article. 

Longon Bridge, Waterloo Station

otherwise they use the: 

the Golden Gate Bridge, the Hard Rock Cafe, the Odeon Cinema

Note that a place name can also be used as an adjective, in wich case we can use the:

the Paris rush hours can caus long delays. 

Unique objects

We use the with some familiar objects when we think of them as the only one:

the Sun was setting over the sea. The moon rose into the sky. 

We use a/an with a headache, a cold, etc

have you got a cold/a headache/a toothache/an earache

Most illnes words use zero article

I have got flu.

She suffers from appendicitis. 

Exclamations.

We use a/an in the expressions What a...! such a...!

What a huge animal!

What an incredible result! 

We use such a/an... for emphasis with singular nouns.

Newton was such a great man!