The zero article
The zero article - is used in the following cases:
| Explanation | Example |
|---|---|
| Before a singular countable noun when it is used to address someone | What is the matter, Doctor? Don't worry, Mother. I will be O.K. |
| Before plural countable nouns, when they are used to represent all individuals belonging to a class | Elephants are big animals. Oranges have vitamins in. |
| When a plural countable noun denotes a number of indefinite examples | There are people in the street. Students often stay at colleges. |
| When a plural countable noun occurs after be or become | The Browns are engineers. Mrs. Smith's daughters became actresses. |
| Before abstract nouns such as: beauty, truth, etc. | Beauty is truth. |
| Before the names of materials such as: wood, glass, etc. | Chairs are made of wood. This vase is made of glass |
| Some of these nouns may be used as countable nouns and then they are preceded by the indefinite article | a wood (i.e. "a small forest") a glass (i.e. "a mirror" or "a drinking vessel") There is a wood not far from my cottage. I got a glass as a birthday present. |
| Before such uncountable nouns as money, milk, etc.: | Lily needs money. One should drink milk. |
| These nouns may be preceded by such phrases as: some, a lot of, etc. | Lily needs some money. One should drink a lot of milk. |
| In exclamations, when uncountable nouns or plural countable nouns are used | What dirt! What flowers! except: What a waste! What a pity! |
| Before few and little which imply scarcity and lack respectively | I have few friends. (i.e. ‘almost no friends’) I have little sugar. (i.e. ‘almost no sugar’) |
| When a singular countable noun is used after be and become and it means a unique profession | John Kennedy was President. Karol Wojtyla became Pope. |
| When a noun occurs after turn | He turned musician and made a great career. He turned spy and was imprisoned. |
| When a noun refers to an institution which is considered to be the only one of its kind | When will parliament begin its session? When does school end? |
| Before two or more nouns when they refer to a human couple, or to a pair of inanimate objects | Father and mother went to the cinema. She was studying day and night before her final exams. |
| When a noun is used in notes, signs, newspaper headlines, telegrams, etc. | Private road. Design flaw feared. |
| Before some nouns of which there is only one | Heaven Hell Paradise |
| Before names of seasons, months, and days of the week | summer April Sunday |
| Before a noun preceded by a pronoun or an adjective | my shirt my white shirt |
| Before names of meals, except when these are preceded by an adjective: | We have breakfast at eight. He gave us a good breakfast. |
| The article is also used when it is a special meal given to celebrate something or in someone's honour | I was invited to dinner. (in the ordinary way) I was invited to a dinner given to welcome the new ambassador. |
| Before the following nouns, when these places are used for their primary purpose | bed goal school court church hospital sea prison college market university We learn at school. When he became seriously ill, he was taken to hospital. but: My bus stops opposite the school. Yesterday, I was allowed to go to the hospital to see my cousin. |
| We go to sea as sailors. | to be at sea = to be on a voyage as passengers or crew |
| But to go to or be at the sea = to go to or be at the seaside. We can also live by/near the sea. | |
| the can be omitted when speaking of the subject's or speaker's own town; | We go to town sometimes to buy clothes. We were in town last Monday. |
| Before personal names | Professor Smith Adam Brown |
| Before names of festivals | Christmas Easter |
| Before names of certain periodicals | Time Newsweek |
| Before names of some organisations | British Rail British Airways |
| Before names of some buildings, bridges, and streets | Welbeck Mansion London Bridge Regent Street |
| Before man and woman to denote "mankind" and "womankind": | Man constantly changes his natural environment. |
| continents | Africa South America |
| countries, counties, states | Poland Oxfordshire Vermont |
| cities, towns and villages | New York Tokyo Wilkowyje |
| single islands unless their names contain a preposition | Malta Corsica Crete Long Island The Isle of Wight The Isle of Man |
| lakes | Lake Baikal Lake Victoria |
| single mountains unless their names contain a preposition | Mount Everest Mount Blanc The Mountain of the Seven Sights |
| streets | Oxford Street Broadway |
| In a number of parallel structures | day by day from dawn to dusk hand in hand from beginning to end face to face from west to east |
| Before an abstract noun which is used in a general sense | Some people like risk. |
| Before home when it refers to the home of the speaker or the listener | It's late I have to go home. If you don't feel well, you should stay at home. |
| Before last and next when they refer to proximate days, weeks, months, etc. | I met him last week. (i.e. "the week before the present one") I hope to see you next week. (i.e. "the week after the present one") |
| Before a gerund when the action/state denoted by the gerund is not identified | Mrs. Thompson likes cooking. |
