A/an and the
A Introduction
Read this true story about an American tourist in Britain
A man from California was spending a month in Britain. One day he booked into a hotel in Cheltenham, a nice old town in the West of England. Then he went out to look around the place. But the man didn't return to the hotel. He disappeared, leaving a suitcase full of clothes behind. The police were called in, but they were unable to find out what had happened to the missing tourist. It was a mystery. But two weeks later the man walked into the police station in Cheltenham. He explained that he was very sorry, but while walking around the town, he had got lost. He had also forgotten the name of the hotel he had booked into. So he had decided to continue with his tour of the country and had gone to visit a friend in Scotland before returning to pick up the case he had left behind.
A/an goes only with a singular noun. With a plural or an uncountable noun we use some.
He left a case, (singular)
He left some cases, (plural)
He left some luggage, (uncountable)
The goes with both singular and plural nouns and with uncountable nouns.
He needed the case, (singular)
He needed the cases, (plural)
He needed the luggage, (uncountable)
B Use
When the story first mentions something, the noun has a or an.
A man booked into a hotel in Cheltenham.
These phrases are new information. We do not know which man or which hotel. But when the same thing is mentioned again, the noun has the.
The man didn't return to the hotel.
These phrases are old information. Now we know which man and which hotel - the ones already mentioned earlier in the story. We use the when it is clear which one we mean.
A/AN
Would you like to see a show? (I don't say which show.)
The cyclist was hit by a car. (I don't say which car.)
In the office a phone was ringing. (The office has lots of phones.)
Has Melanie got a garden? (We do not know if there is one.)
The train stopped at a station. (We don't know which station.)
We took a taxi.
We could hear a noise.
I wrote the number on an envelope.
THE
Would you like to see the show? (the show we already mentioned)
Whose is the car outside? ('Outside' explains which car I mean.)
I was in bed when the phone rang. (the phone in my house)
She was at home in the garden. (We know she has one.)
Turn left here for the station. (the station in this town)
We went in the car. (my/our car)
We could hear the noise of a party.
I wrote it on the back of an envelope.
C A man/he and the man/someone
We use a/an + noun or someone/something when we aren't saying which one.
A man/Someone booked into a hotel.
He left a case/something behind.
We use the + noun or he/she/it when we know which one.
The man/He didn't return to the hotel.
The case/It contained clothes.
D The sun, etc
When there is only one of the things we are talking about, we use the.
The sun was going down.
The government is unpopular.
A drive in the country would be nice.
We shouldn't pollute the environment.
Normally there is only one sun or one government in the context. We mean the government of our country and the sun in our solar system.
We normally say: the country(side), the earth, the environment, the government, the moon, the ozone layer, the Prime Minister, the sea(side), the sky, the sun, the weather
We also use the with cinema, theatre and (news)paper.
Do you often go to the cinema?
I read about the accident in the paper.
Note that we say a/the police officer but the police.
A police officer came to the hotel. NOT A police came to the hotel.
The police came to the hotel. (one or more police officers)
E A nice day, etc
A phrase which describes something has a/an.
It was a lovely day.
Cheltenham is a nice old town.
It's a big hotel.
This is a better photo.
But we use the with a superlative.
It's the biggest hotel in town.
This is the best photo.
We also use a/an to classify something, to say what kind of thing it is.
The play was a comedy.
The man's disappearance was a mystery.
We use a/an to say what someone's job is.
My sister is a secretary.
Nick is a car salesman.
F A or an?
The choice of a or an and the pronunciation of the depend on the next sound.
a or the + consonant sound
a cup the cup a poster the poster
a shop
a boiled egg
a record
an or the + vowel sound
an aspirin the aspirin an egg the egg
an Indian
an old photo
an umbrella
It is the sound of the next word that matters, not the spelling.
a one-way street an open door
a uniform an uncle
a holiday an hour
a U-turn an MP