Theres a word on a page.

The page is in a book

The book is on a table The table is in a room

The room is in a house The house is in a street

The street is in a city

 Theres a worm in an apple

Theres a flea on a dog

Theres a bee on a flower

Theres a fish in a pond

 When to use a/an

To refer to something for the first time

Id like to talk to you today about an exciting development
To refer to one from a group of several
Climate protection is a challenge for our entire society (one of many challenges)
To classify people or things as belonging to a group
Envisat is a fully equipped observation satellite (there are different kinds of
satellites)
To say which job somebody does
My brother is an engineer
 We can only use a/an with singular countable nouns
When to use the

When the listener/reader knows which thing we mean (it may

have been mentioned before)
Envisat is a fully equipped observation satellite The satellite was
launched in 2002
Or it is understood which thing we mean:
As part of the conference on environmental awareness.. (we are
at the conference now so it is clear which one I mean)
 To compare:
I went to a conference on environmental awareness last week (the
person I am talking to does not know which conference I am
talking about)
 When there is only one of this thing

The eart
The sun
The 20th Century
The sixties
The Government
The Prime Minister
(There is only one government and prime minister in each country)
When to use the

For superlatives
The best
The most
The same
The least
The worst
When to use the

To talk about playing a musical instrument

He plays the piano and she plays the guitar

 With certain proper nouns
Nationalities
(the British, the Chinese, the Egyptians)
Rivers
(The Thames, the Yangtze, the Nile)
Island groups
(the Seychelles, the Maldives, the Phillipines)
Mountain ranges
(the Alps, the Himalayas)
Seas and oceans
(the Black Sea, the Mediterranean, the Pacific)
Country names that represent a group
(the United Kingdom, the U.S.A)
Many famous historical buildings
(the White House, the Tower of London)
Noun phrases with of
(the Great Wall of China, the Temple of Heaven)
With University names we can say either the University of Bath, or Bath University
Geography Quiz

Each team chooses a continent

Make a note of one example belonging to the continent you choose

e.g. A mountain range The Blue Mountains
Im going to name some different geographical features

Score a point for every correct example you name

When to use the Zero Article

When referring to a noun in general (this is common in academic

writing). Usually the noun is in the plural:
Jobs are essential if you want to make money
Economics is an essential part of politics
When to use the zero article

With uncountable nouns, when the noun is not a specific group

Jobs are essential if you want to make money

With most proper nouns (names)

She works for Google
I have another bank account in Switzerland
 These rules cover most article usage, but so often in grammar,
there are exceptions.
Practice

Economic advisors to ___ government warned against not

regulating larger businesses.

I believe that there should be ___ system to manage economic

instability

___ inflation is a constant worry for ___ employers

 ___ Toyota has one of ___ highest revenues for any company in
Japan.

Every company needs ___ good staff.

My father is ___ employment lawyer.

___ world economy although presently unstable, will soon recover.