The definite article

THE INDEFENITE ARICLE

USING NOUNS AS MODIFIERS

The soup has vegetables in it. It is vegetable soup. The building has offices in it. It is an office building.	When a noun is used as a modifier, it is in its singular form.
The test lasted two hours. It was a two-hour test. Her son is five years old. She has a five-year-old son.	When a noun used as a modifier is combined with a number expression, the noun is singular and a hyphen (-) is used.

Use of a/an	Examples
1. Before a singular countable noun, when it is mentioned for the first time and represents no particular person or thing:	I can see a book on the table. They live in a flat. He bought an ice-cream.
2. Before a singular countable noun which is used as an example of a class of things:	A child needs love = All children need/Any child needs love.
3.With a noun complement. This includes names of profession:	My friend is a manager. She’ll be a dancer.
4.With certain numbers.     Before half when half follows a whole number. But ½ kg = half a kilo, though a + half + noun is sometimes possible. With ⅓, ¼, etc a is usual:	a dozen, a hundred, a million ( but one dozen, one hundred, one million is also possible). 1 ½ kilos = one and a half kilos or a kilo and a half; a half-holiday, a half-portion, a half-share; a third, a quarter etc., but one is also possible.
In expressions of price, speed, ratio etc.:	5p a kilo, sixty kilometres an hour, four times a day; (Here a/an = per)
6. Before a singular countable noun after the word what in exclamatory sentences and after the words such, quite, rather:	Such a long queue! Such long queues! What a pretty girl! What pretty girls! She is still quite a child. It is rather a difficult problem.
7. With the nouns in the function of apposition. But when the apposition refers to a well-known person the is used:	The report was made by Petrenko, a student of our University. Jack London, the great American novelist, was born in San Francisco.
8. In a number of set expressions: a lot of, a great deal of, a good deal of, a great number of, a good many, a couple, a little, a few, at speed of, at a time hen, at a time, in time, on a large (small) scale, all of a sudden, by bus (train), to be in a hurry, to be in a position, to be at a loss, it’s a pity, for a short (long) time, as a result of, as a matter of fact, to have a good time, to have a mind, in a loud (low) voice, to have a look, to have a headache, to take a sit, to have a cold, to go for a walk.

Use of «the»	Examples
1. Before a noun which has become definite as a result of being mentioned:	I saw a new film on TV yesterday. The film wasn’t very interesting.
2. Before a noun made definite by the addition of a phase or clause:	the girl in blue; the boy that I met; the place where I met him.
3. When the object or group of objects is unique:	the earth, the sea, the sky, the moon, the sun, the world.
4. Before a noun which by reason of locality can represent only one particular thing:	Ann is in the garden. (the garden of this house). Please open the window.
5. Before superlatives and first, second etc. used as adjectives or pronouns, and only:	the first week; the best day; the only way.
6. Before a noun that represents a class of animals or things: But man, used to represent the human race, has no article.	The cow is a domestic animal. The pine is an evergreen tree. If oil supplies run out, man have to fall back on the horse.
7. The + adjective represents a class of people:	the old = old people in general. the rich = rich people in general.
8. Before certain proper names of oceans, rivers. Seas, gulfs, groups of islands, chains of mountains, plural names of countries, deserts, and before certain other names:	The Atlantic, the Thames, the Alps, the Black Sea, the Crimea, the City, the United States of America, the Sahara, the Persian Gulf
9. Before the adjectives east/west etc. + noun in certain names:	the East/West End, the East/West Indies, the North/South Pole.
10. Before other proper names consisting of adjective + noun or noun +of + noun:	The National Gallery, the Tower of London.
11. Before names of newspapers, ships, orchestras, pop groups etc.	the Times, the Great Britain, the Philadelphia Orchestra, the Beatles.
12.the+ plural surname can be used to mean «the … family»:	the Smiths = Mr and Mrs Smith (and children).
13. the + a singular countable noun (type of machine, invention, musical instruments).	The bicycle is an excellent means of transport. When was the telephone invented? The piano is my favourite instrument.

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