The Definite Article

Autor: Mgr. Kateřina Kozlová

Předmět

Inovace výuky na Gymnáziu Otrokovice formou DUMůCZ.1.07/1.5.00/34.0488

12. května 2013

2

THE DEFINITE ARTICLE

Summary of the rules where to use the definite article.

2. května 2013

3

• Something specific, already known or mentionedWe watched a film. The film was set in Alaska.

• With nouns which are uniquethe Earth; the Sun; the Eiffel Tower

• The names of cinemas, theatres, museums, galleriesthe Golden Apple Cinemathe National Theatrethe British Museumthe Tate Gallery

• Hotels, pubs, restaurantsthe Hiltonthe pub At the Stone Bell, the Apollo Restaurant2. května 2013

4

• Other buildingsthe Empire State Building, the White House,

the Municipal House

• The names of newspapers, ships, organisationsthe Times, the Daily Mirror (X Time magazine, Vogue)the Cutty Sark (ship)the EU, the BBC, the Amnesty International

• Musical instruments and dancesHe plays the guitar. (X He plays basketball.)I can dance the tango.

• The names of families and nationalities The Smiths, the Windsorsthe Americans, the Polish, the Portuguese, the Greeks…

2. května 2013

5

• Titlesthe Queen, the Prince of Wales, the President

(X Queen Victoria, King Henry VIII)

• Adjectives or adverbs in the superlative form the best solutionthe most respected man(X Most children like chocolate.)

+ comparative: The sooner you arrive, the better.

• Historical periods/eventsthe Middle Ages, the Crimean Warthe Second World War (X World War II)

• With ordinals + the words last, onlythe fifth day, the first personthe last word, the only child

2. května 2013

6

• The + adj. = a group of peoplethe poor/rich/sick/injured/elderly/young/homeless/disabled/unemployed/dead/blind/deaf/handicapped

• Names with …of…the Bank of England, the City of New York,the Houses of Parliament, the Gulf of Mexico, the Great Wall of China, the Tropic of Capricorn, the University of London (X London University)

• With the words: beach, station, cinema, theatre, coast, country(side), ground, jungle, seaside, weather, world, shop, library, city, sea

What´s the weather like? He arrived at the station. We have a cottage in the countryside.Let´s go to the sea. (X We were at sea. = We were sailing.)

• A/The dolphin is a clever creature. X Dolphins are clever creatures.

2. května 2013

7

• Adverbs of placeThere is a book on the table.I saw your socks under the sofa a minute ago.

• Other expressionsin the morning, in the afternoon, in the evening, in the night

(X at noon, at night, at midnight)

• Rivers, seas, oceans, canalsthe (River) Amazon, the Mediterranean (Sea), The Pacific (Ocean), the Suez Canal, the (English) Channel(X lake Michigan They live near lake Michigan.

but They live near the lake.)

• Mountain rangesthe Rocky Mountains, the Alps, the Bohemian-Moravian Highlands(X Mount Everest, Ben Nevis)

2. května 2013

8

• Groups of islandsthe Canary Islands, the Bahamas, the Hebrides(X Corsica, Tahiti)

• Deserts the Mohawe Desert, the Sahara

• Countries when they include nouns like republic, kingdom, etc.the Czech Republic, the United States of America,the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland+ the Netherlands, the Vatican, the Lebanon, the Sudan(X France, Spain, South Carolina)

• The North/South Pole, the Middle East, the Far East• (in) the north of England (X northern England), (on) the south-west coast

2. května 2013

9

Without the • Uncountable or plural countable nouns in general

Children like chocolate. Fish live in water.

• Names of sports, games, days, months, drinks, meals, languages, subjects

I play chess on Monday.We speak French. (X The French language is difficult to learn.)He likes Chemistry and whiskey.

• Names of continents, countries, citiesEurope, North America, Paris (X the Hague)

2. května 2013

10

• Names of streets, squares, bridges, parksOxford Street, Fifth Avenue, Broadway (X the Mall)Times Square, Piccadilly CircusTower Bridge, Hyde Park

• Two-word names when the first name is the name of a person or a place

Gatwick Airport, Windsor Castle, Cambridge University, London ZOO, Buckingham Palace, Victoria Station (the White House)

• Names of pubs, restaurants, shops, banks and hotels named after the people who started them, churches

Lloyds Bank, Harrods, McDonalds, Jack´s Pub,St Paul´s Cathedral, St Wenceslas´ Chapel

2. května 2013

11

• Names of companies, airlines etc.Sony, IBM, British Airways

• With by + means of transportgo by bus, by train(X take a bus, get on the train…)

• With the words work, homego home, be at work

• With the words bed, church, college, court, hospital, prison, school, university when we refer to the purpose for which they exist

He is in hospital (as a patient). (X He went to the hospital to visit his granny.)Peter is at school. (X Mr Green is in the school.)He is in prison. (The Minister arrived at the prison at 11 o´clock.)

• With the names of illnessesHe died of leukemia. flu/the flu, mumps/the mumps, measles/the measles

2. května 2013

12

I Fill in a, an, the or nothing.

1 I take …… bus to school every day. I leave …… house at 7.30 in …… morning. It is …… five-minute walk from my house to …… bus-stop. …… journey to …… school takes about …… quarter of …… hour.

2 …… Queen is going to visit …… Bridgeford next week to open …… new hospital which has been built in …… town. It will be …… exciting event which all …… local people will attend.

3 Stuart has got …… cold, so he has to stay in …… bed. His mother has made him …… bowl of soup and he has got …… box of ……tissues on …… bedside table. He will probably spend most of …… day sleeping.

the

-aa

the The - aan

The -

a/thean -

the

a -a

- the

a

the

2. května 2013

13

II Fill in a, an or the where necessary.

1) … Breakfast is … most important meal of … day.2) … Villages in this part of … country are very beautiful.3) There was … accident as I was going … home at … night. … Ambulance took … injured people to … hospital.4) I want to go to … university when I leave … school.5) … Duponts, who live next door to us, are … French.6) Do you buy … newspaper every day? No, I buy … Independent only

once … week.7) … Historian is … person who studies … history.8) … Panda is … large mammal which lives in … China. … Pandas have …

black and white fur and eat … bamboo shoots.9) Susan doesn´t believe in … ghosts. She thinks that … supernatural is …

product of … people´s imagination.10) Carol is … economist. She used to work in … investment department of

… Lloyds Bank. Now she works for … International Court of Justice in … Hague.

2. května 2013

14

KEY II Fill in a, an or the where necessary.

1) - Breakfast is the most important meal of the day.2) - Villages in this part of the country are very beautiful.3) There was an accident as I was going - home at - night. An ambulance took the injured people to - hospital.4) I want to go to - university when I leave - school.5) The Duponts, who live next door to us, are - French.6) Do you buy a newspaper every day? No, I buy the Independent only once

a week.7) A Historian is a person who studies - history.8) The Panda is a large mammal which lives in - China. - Pandas have a black

and white fur and eat - bamboo shoots.9) Susan doesn´t believe in - ghosts. She thinks that - supernatural is the

product of - people´s imagination.10) Carol is an economist. She used to work in an investment department of -

Lloyds Bank. Now she works for the International Court of Justice in the Hague.

2. května 2013

15

III Read the following proverbs and put a, an, the where necessary.

1) … actions speak louder than … words.2) … still water runs deep.3) … apple … day keeps … doctor away.4) When in … Rome, do as … Romans do.5) Where there is … will there´s … way.6) You can´t teach … old dog … new tricks.7) You cannot make … omelette without breaking … eggs.8) … more you get, … more you want.9) … home is where … heart is.10) Fire is … good servant but … bad master.

-

-theAn a

- the

a a

an -

an -

theThe

A the

a a

-

2. května 2013

162. května 2013

Použité zdroje• Tryml, Sergej: Moderní učebnice anglické gramatiky pro středně pokročilé

a pokročilé, EKOPRESS, s.r.o., K Motelu 124, Praha 4, vydání I - 1999, ISBN 80-86119-18-1

• DOOLEY, Jenny a Virginia EVANS. Grammarway 4. Newbury: Express Publishing, 2006. ISBN 978-1-84216-368-9.

Všechny objekty použité k vytvoření prezentace jsou součástí SW Microsoft Office nebo jsou vlastní originální tvorbou autora.