Articles Quantifiers

The indefinite article: a / an

We use a / an in the following ways:

Before unspecified singular countable nouns.

- She works in an office.

With the names of professions.

- She´s an executive and he´s a manager.

In expressions of measurement.

- We charge $500 an hour.
- It sells at 1.75 a litre.

Before a noun to mean all things of the same type.

- A loss leader is an article that a store sells at a low price to tempt customers to buy other goods.

The definite article: The

We use the:

When it is clear from the context what particular thing or place is meant.

- I´ll meet you in the reception area.

Before a noun that we have mentioned before.

- They had a villa in Cannes and a chalet in Innsbruck but they sold the villa.

Before adjectives to specify a category of people or things.

- The rich, the poor, the French, the unemployed, the World Wide Web

Zero article: (0)

We do not put an article before mass nouns used in general statements.

· Money is the root of all (0) evil.

Usually there is no article before the names of places and people.

· Poland (0) Japan (0) Dr Spock
· President Clinton

Third conditional, Mixed conditional, Sentences extension: wish