Talk about things in general and in particular

You have met articles since the first lessons: a and an (A1 #2), a and the (A1 #14), the article with place names and go to school (A2 #16). Each time — one small piece. Here they come together into a system that solves almost any case.

Many languages — Polish, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Finnish — have no articles at all, and to their speakers articles may look like decoration. Other languages have them, but use them in other places. In English they are not decoration: a car and the car are two different messages. The first one is "some car, you haven't heard about it yet"; the second one is "that very car, you know which one".

Three questions — in this order.

When the listener knows which one. The thing has already been mentioned: I bought a jacket and a scarf. The jacket is blue. It is the only one in this situation: Could you close the door?, the kitchen (in this flat), the station (in this town). It is the same one for everyone: the sun, the sea, the government. The words after it make it clear which one: the man in the grey coat, the book I'm reading, the history of Wales.

When a or an. The thing is named for the first time: There's a new café in our street. It is one of many: She works in a bank. It is a job or a description: She's a nurse. It's a lovely day. What a surprise! And in the meaning "per, each": twice a week, £12 an hour.

General against particular — the main pair of the lesson. In many languages "books" in "books are expensive" and in "the books on my desk are from the library" look the same: either both have no article (Polish, Japanese), or both have the definite article (French les livres, Spanish los libros, Italian i libri). In English these are two different cases. About things in general, about the whole class, you speak without an article — in the plural or with an uncountable word. About particular things — with the.

An adjective does not make a thing particular: modern art, British history, fresh bread are still general, with no article. But a description after the word — with of, with in, a clause — almost always does: the art of the Renaissance, the bread you bought. But life in London and life in a big city mean life there in general, so they still have no article.

No article by habit.

Always with the. Superlatives and ordinal numbers: the best film, the first time. The words the same, the only. Musical instruments: play the piano — but sports have no article: play football. Usual places of entertainment: go to the cinema, go to the theatre, listen to the radio — but watch TV. Parts of the day: in the morning, in the evening — but at night. A people as a whole: the British, the Romans.

another, the other, others — the same system. "Different", "one more" and "the rest" are split in English into several forms. The same three questions as for the article help you choose: inside these words the article is either already there, or it is missing for the same reasons.

another is an + other, so it is written as one word and, like a, means "one of many, any". It does not go with the plural; the exception is with a number: another two days — two more days. the other works like the: the listener knows which one, because only this one (or only these) are left. other with no article before a plural is like a general idea with no article: "other ones in general", it doesn't matter which. others and the others mean the same but stand instead of a noun: only a word that stands alone gets the ending -s. So other people or just others, but not others people. And there is no the another: another already has its article. each other (A2 #24) is a separate phrase.

Compare:

How to choose by the meaning. What you want to say usually gives the clue. "This one", "that very one", "the one we talked about" — this is the. "One", "some", "a certain", "one of" — this is a. If neither fits the meaning and you are talking about things in general, there is no article. And remember: my, your, this, that, Tom's take the place of the article, so they don't stand together with it — my car, not the my car.

Don't say this. ✗ What nice surprise! → ✓ What a nice surprise! After What with a countable word in the singular you need a.

Check yourself. How do you say that you love dogs — all dogs, in general? And how do you complain that in your street dogs bark all night — the particular dogs that live there? Do you need an article in ___ British history? You have two cars: how do you say that one is blue and the second one is red?