English prepositions and prepositional phrases. Use of prepositions in English

At the school for new Russians they teach English. Teacher:
- Listen, guys, if there is no article, then it is translated as “type”, if there is a definite article, then it is translated as “specifically”!
This anecdote perfectly reflects the essence of the use of articles in English.

First, let's find out what an article is:
If we talk in simple words, article is a kind of “label”, a companion to a noun. He stands in front of it and makes it clear that this is a noun, and not a verb or an adverb. Sometimes the article is very difficult to understand. Because there is no article in the Russian language, and therefore it cannot be translated into Russian. To do this, you need to feel very well the nuances of the meaning of a sentence that speaks of an object as “type” or still as “specifically” in order to understand which article will be used.

In general, this is an acquired taste; over time, you will feel which article to use without even thinking, as if it were a matter of course.

Where do articles come from?

There are two articles in English: the indefinite articles “a” and “an” and the definite “the”. The article “a” used to mean “one”; in fact, it came from the numeral “one”. Knowing this, it is easy to remember that indefinite article used before nouns exclusively in the singular.

The article “the” used to have the meaning “this, this, this”, etc., and was a demonstrative pronoun. Nowadays demonstrative pronouns “this, that” are used. And to the article “the” you can add some clarification “exactly this one”. Those. Knowing the origin and original meaning of the definite article, it is easy to remember that “the” should be used if you want to emphasize that we're talking about EXACTLY about this object.

By the way, if you are in doubt about which article to put and whether to put it, then you can get by with modern demonstrative pronouns “this, that, those, these”.

In grammar you can sometimes come across such a concept as "zero article". This means that the article does not need to be placed before the noun, it is omitted. Most often the article is not placed before uncountable nouns, such as sugar, salt, flour, fish, etc., although in some cases the article can be omitted before countable nouns.

For example: A cat runs across the street.
A cat is running across the street.
One cat runs across the street.
And now like this:
Now the cat is sitting on the bench.
Now the cat is seating on the bench
How to understand the context:
Now (exactly that) cat (which just crossed the road) is sitting on the bench.
In any case, there are several rules that will make it easier for you to learn where and what article to use.

Memo: Frequently used phrases with “to have”, “to have got”, “there is”, “there are”.
I have a beautiful doll.
He has got a hockey-ball.
There is an apple on the tree.
There are dogs in the yard.
The article is omitted because there are some dogs in the yard. Sometimes you can use the definite article “the” before the noun “dogs”. But if in doubt, you can use the words “substitutes”; they are very helpful. For example:
There are several dogs in the yard.
There are many dogs in the yard.
There are six dogs in the yard.

There are several more expressions that are learned by heart. This: A lot of - a lot
The rest of – the rest
You also need to remember that “the” is used with circumstances of place, i.e. objects where a person (animal, thing, etc.) is, where he is going, etc. For example:
I came into the room to take my notebook.
Here “room” is an object where a person has entered.
Or like this: There are a lot of birds in the garden.

The definite article is also used with the names of objects that are somehow related to water:
Lakes: the Loch Ness;
Rivers: the Thames;
Seas: the Mediterranean Sea;
Oceans: the Pacific Ocean.

The definite article is also placed before names that are used only in the plural:
Netherlands - the Netherlands;
A chain of mountains, for example, the Alps - the Alps;
Or so the Black family – the Blacks. Or maybe the Ivanov family – the Ivanovs.
In any case, you can figure it all out, especially if you read more. Because the more you read, the faster you learn different phrases and the better you feel the language.

The topic of articles in English is one of the most difficult for a Russian-speaking person. This lesson will help you deal with 99% of the difficulties when using articles.

Basic rules

Indefinite article

A/an used when "we don't know which one" because the thing or person:

one of many.
He's an artist.(= there are many artists, he is one of them)

not unique.
I"ve just bought a Ferrari.

not mentioned before.
There was a new student in class today.

Definite article

The used when "we know which one" because the thing or person:

unique (or unique in a given context).
The Australian Prime Minister(= he is the only one)
I looked inside - the engine was in a terrible state.(in this case, there is only one engine)

mentioned earlier.
The man gave me a ticket. I looked at it, and saw that the ticket was a single.

is determined by the phrase that follows it.
What's the new student's name?

No article / Zero article

Articles are not used when talking about something All in all:

using uncountable nouns or plural nouns.
Do you like sport?

with names of people and places, but there are many exceptions (see below)
a book by Professor Jones

Fixed phrases

There are many fixed phrases that are used with and without articles. You just need to remember them. For example:
at home, at work, at the beginning, at the end, go to bed, go to the cinema/shops/station, in the world, once a week, sixty kilometers an hour, the other day, the same etc.

There may be problems with

Work (who doesn't have problems with it? :)

If there are many people doing a particular job, use a/an

My husband is an architect.(= there are many architects, he is one of them)

But if the work is typical for only one person, it is used the .

He is having conversations with the French foreign minister.(= he is the only one)

In general, everything here complies with the basic rules.

Superlative

The used for superlative adjectives.

She's the best person for the job.

last and next

These adjectives can be used with articles the , and without it, but with a difference in meaning.

I saw James last night.(= night before this night, previous)
It's the last night of our holiday.(= last night)
I"ll see you next week. (= next behind the current one)

Institutions: school, prison, university, church, home, hospital

With words school, prison, university, church, home, hospital, etc., the article is not used when we think of them as institutions intended for a specific purpose (study, get treatment, etc.)

My sister had to stay in hospital overnight.

However, if we think of a building as physical object, the article is used the .

Our flat is opposite the hospital.

Use of definite articles with marks of time and place

Time notation

The used in

Dates: the 25th of December / December the 25th
Parts of the day: in the afternoon, in the evening, in the morning(But at night, at lunchtime)
Decades/Centuries: the 1980s, the 21st century

Other tenses are used without an article.

Years/Seasons: in 2002, in summer
Months/Days: in August, on Friday, see you tomorrow

Place names

The names of countries, continents, islands, states, provinces, cities are used without articles.
in Asia, to Sydney, from Texas, in Turkey

Exceptions:
the Czech Republic, the Netherlands, the UK, the Arab World, the USA

When talking about any area, use the article Not need to.
North west India, Northern Europe

But:
in the east of the country, in the south of Italy, on the coast

Most names of roads, streets, parks, bridges, shops and restaurants Not use articles.
Central Park, Harrods, Oxford Street, Tower Bridge

The names of theaters, cinemas, hotels, galleries and museums use the article the .
the Hermitage, the National Theatre, the Odeon, the Ritz

The names of rare mountains and lakes are used without article
Lake Victoria, Mount Everest

Mountain systems, rivers, seas and canals are used with the article the .
the Atlantic, the(River) Danube, the Himalayas, the Panama Canal

Additionally, it is highly recommended that you complete Lessons 76 -78 of this English Grammar section (if you have not already done so).

Now let's test your General Knowledge.

Lyrics this lesson Not belong to the "Beginners" category, so if you have difficulty completing them, then you can limit yourself to only the theory of this lesson, applying it to texts of your level.

Exercise 1. Complete the General Knowledge test with the correct articles.

Exercise 2. Fill in the correct articles in place of the blanks.

Count how many correct answers you got in % (there were 50 answers in total). If it is less than 80%, then you have not mastered the topic of articles. Consult the theoretical part of the lesson when learning English, and when you feel confident, return to these exercises again.

Exercise 3. Correct errors, if any, in the sentences. (there is no need to rewrite the entire sentence).

She was determined to be author one day.

She recently became the minister in the new government.

A: What make is your computer? B: It's Mac.

I found myself talking to George Clooney! Not George Clooney, of course, but someone with the same name.

I didn't even know Clara was interested in art until I heard that she owns Van Gogh.

I've been offered the position of Director of Personnel.

We're going on holiday with Nielsens.

He's really keen on athletics. He likes to think of himself as the Usain Bolt.

27.11.2014

An article is a word that defines a noun.

There are two types of articles in English: the definite (the) and the indefinite (a/an).

Based on the names, the indefinite article is used when we are talking about a phenomenon that we encounter for the first time, an object in general, and the definite article is used when we are talking about something specific, or something that has already been encountered in conversation.

The concept of the article is present in many languages of the world, but in the same number of languages it is absent.

Therefore, do not panic if articles are not used in your native language.

The data will help you make fewer mistakes when speaking English.

It is very important to be able to use the correct articles in your speaking or writing.

1. With the names of countries and continents

In this case we do not use articles at all, BUT if the name of the country consists of parts, such as, USA, UK, UAE, then our article appears the, and will be: the USA, the UK, the UAE, the Czech Republic, the Netherlands.

This also applies to continents and islands: usually we do not use the article, but if the name is a composite name, the definite article takes place.

For example: Africa, Europe, Bermuda, Tasmania BUT the Virgin Islands, the Bahamas.

She lived in America.
They live in England.
My friend is from the Czech Republic.

2. With the words breakfast, dinner, lunch

When talking about eating in general, there is no article. But if you're talking about a specific breakfast, dinner or lunch, use the.

For example:

I don't eat breakfast.
We didn't like the dinner.

3. With names of work, profession

In this case the indefinite article is used a/an.

For example:

I want to be a politician.
My younger brother wants to be a vet.

4. With the names of the cardinal points

Usually the names of the cardinal directions are written with a capital letter, so they are easy to recognize: the North, the South, the East, the West .

True, if a noun indicates a direction, then it should be used without an article and written with a small letter.

For example:

They went east.
The North is cooler than the South.

5. With the names of oceans, seas, rivers and canals

Remember that the definite article is always used with the names of these bodies of water.

For example: The Amazon, the Indian Ocean, the Red Sea, the Suez Canal .

I would like to swim in the Red Sea, and you?
The Amazon is the longest river in the world.

6. With names of unique phenomena

This means that a phenomenon or object exists in one copy, one of a kind, in particular, the sun, the moon, the inter net , the sky , the earth.

For example:

The sun is a star.
We looked up at all the stars in the sky.
He is always on the internet.

7. With uncountable nouns

This category of nouns implies those units and concepts that we cannot count. Plus how identification mark in most cases, they have no ending –s– plural indicator.

But do not forget that there are ten exceptions to one rule, that is, if you are talking in general about some uncountable concept, there will be no article, but again, if the case is particular, use the.

For example:

I like bread/milk/honey.
I like the bread/the milk/the honey. (Specifically this and nothing else.)

8. With last names

If we are talking about members of the same family, you can put the article the before the surname. This way you define a group of people, a family, in one word.

For example:

The Smith are coming for dinner today.
Have you seen the Johnson recently?

These are not all the uses of articles in English. However, first remember these rules, gradually deepening your knowledge

Despite the fact that initially the category of articles is absent in the consciousness of a Russian-speaking person, for the vast majority of modern European languages it is extremely significant and is absorbed literally with mother’s milk. Therefore, today we will look at how to use the article a/an, the in English correctly so that you never make mistakes in the future.

Rules for using the article a

This article is called an indefinite article and always accompanies countable nouns in the singular, that is, those that can be counted or listed. The very essence of the article is expressed in the fact that it, together with an, is a remainder of the Old English word meaning "one". That's why the article a used exclusively with words in the singular. In addition, cases of using this particular article include the following:

First mention of the item. For example, if the speaker is talking about his new notebook to a friend, he will say: Yesterday I bought a nice notebook. The notebook is green and pink. As you can see, the indefinite article was used for the first time a, in the second already definite article - everything is in accordance with the established rules.
When naming a profession or type of activity, for example: She’s a doctor. I am a teacher.
After designs there is, it is, that is, this is, for example: This is a beautiful dress. There is a computer on the table.
If a noun is preceded by an adjective describing it, then the article will not destroy their connection, but will come before the adjective, for example: I’m a young boy. In that vase there was a beautiful red rose.
After the words quite, such: Such a smart woman!
In expressions denoting quantity, namely: a lot of, a couple, a dozen, a way too, a great many, a great deal of.
In structures where a replaces the preposition per(in, for): 7 Euros a kilo, twice a day, etc.
IN exclamatory sentences like this: What a nasty weather! What a good puppy! What a tasty pancake!
Sometimes accompanied by proper names, namely: Two days ago I met a Mrs. Black, which translates to “Yesterday I met some Mrs. Black."

Article an

It should be noted right away that this article is not independent and is only a form of the article described above a. Therefore for an The same rules of use are characteristic, but the main condition for its use is the presence of a situation in which the countable word in the singular begins with a vowel. Example: I’ve bought an apple. In his bag there is an orange. An umbrella is what I really need now!

Combinations you need to learn

For each article ( a/an, the) there is a set of certain stable combinations, remembering which you can be sure that you will not fall flat on your face. Often it is on them that the compilers of all kinds of exams like to catch people learning the language.

For articles a/an You need to remember the following basic stable phrases:

To be in a hurry - to be in a hurry, to hurry.
To be at a loss - to be in difficulty, perplexed.
To be in a rage - to be furious, furious.
To have a headache - to have a headache.
To have a toothache - to have a toothache.
In a loud voice - in a loud voice.
In a low voice - in a quiet, low voice.
In a whisper - in a whisper.
It’s a pity - what a pity; It's a pity that...
It’s a shame - shame.
It’s a pleasure - it’s a pleasure (to do something).

Definite article

The definite article is identical to the demonstrative pronoun “this” and “that” and is used with nouns in both singular and plural in the following situations:

If we are talking about an object that has already been mentioned in the conversation, or the context allows us to understand which specific object from the set is being spoken about, for example: Yesterday I went in the cinema and saw a film. The film was absolutely not interesting.
With words that serve as a nomination for unique objects, things or phenomena, one of a kind, namely: sun, sky, Earth, moon.
After prepositions indicating a place, for example: There is a dog in front of the door.
With adjectives in the superlative form.
If one object implies a whole category, for example: The dog is a mammal (a dog is a mammal; this means not just one dog, but their total set).
With ordinal numbers, namely: the second grade, etc. However, it is important to note here: if the numeral denotes a number, the article is not used at all, for example: Lesson 3, Section 6, page 172, etc.
When mentioning cardinal directions: in the south.
With a surname, if the whole family is meant, and not an individual member: the Petrovs (Petrovs).
In sustainable designs that need to be remembered: in the morning/evening/afternoon, to the theater/cinema, to the market/shop.
Always with the words: same, next, only, very, previous, last, left, right, upper, very, central, following, main.
Together with adjectives that have passed into another part of speech, to nouns (such words are called substantivized), namely: The rich (rich people) and others.

The definite article is also used with geographical names of all:

rivers (the Neva);
oceans (the Pacific Ocean);
seas (the Red Sea);
lakes (the Baikal; however, if there is the word lake, for example Lake Superior and etc., the use of the article is not required at all);
channels;
straits and bays;
mountain ranges (the Alps);
deserts (the Victoria Desert);
archipelagos and islands (the British Isles);
states, if their name contains the words Kingdom, Federation, Republic (for example, the Dominican Republic), if the name is in the plural (the Netherlands) or is an abbreviation (the USA);
in two cases of exceptions: the Gambia and the Bahamas;
with the names of cinemas, theaters, newspapers (The New York Times), magazines, hotels.

And again idioms

Another portion of stable phrases, actively used in everyday speech by the British and everyone who can speak their language, but with an article the, looks like this:

To tell (or speak) the truth - to tell the truth. You can remember with the help of association: there is only one truth, there are many lies (that’s why they say a lie).
To play the piano - play the piano.
In the day-time - in the daytime, during the day.
To read in the original - read in the original (i.e. not in translation).
On the one hand… on the other hand... - on the one hand (one opinion)..., on the other hand (another opinion).
It’s out of the question - there can be no question of this.

So, when the basic rules for how the article is used a/an, the, considered, it’s time to deal with the zero article and find out why these categories were formed in the English language, but not in Russian. In addition, it is also necessary to develop the theoretical basis through practical exercises.

Without article

There is a certain set of situations when the use of an article is not required (zero article, or “zero”). This includes the following cases:

If the word is used in the plural and in a general sense, for example: Children like bonbons (in general, all children (any) love candy).
With uncountable nouns, if no determiners or descriptive units are given: My father likes music.
With proper names (countries, cities, human names).
With nominations for days of the week and months, for example: September, monday.
With the words breakfast, lunch, dinner.
When a word already has determiners in the form of possessives and demonstrative pronouns, and also words any,every,some.
Along with the names of the means of transport: I prefer traveling by plane.
With words denoting sports.
With nouns denoting parents, family, educational institutions (if there is no specification and clarification): Are you at college?
With words expressing insufficiency: few, little.
With names of holidays (Easter, Christmas).
With nominations of diseases (flu, cancer).
And also in a number of stable combinations.

How English developed. Articles a/the: history of appearance

It must be said that articles did not exist in languages immediately. In addition, even foreigners who have a system of articles in their native languages cannot always understand the system of this functional part of speech in another language. For example, the article system of the German language is considered the most sophisticated and complex, but many German residents admit that they absolutely cannot understand the pattern of using English articles, and vice versa.

Article a/an, the, as well as zero - all this is natural for a native English speaker today, and it’s clear why. The fact is that the history of the English language as a whole is the history of a grammatical revolution. At a certain period of its development, this representative of the Indo-European language family took and changed the “pronoun + noun” connective, so characteristic, for example, of Slavic languages, with the “noun + article” connective.

Resources that can help you practice the material

Today articles a/the, the rules of use of which were discussed above, sometimes become a stumbling block at the very beginning of the journey of learning English. Therefore, this article has collected resources and materials that will help solve the difficulties that have arisen:

Duolingo is a site where all topics, including articles a/the, the use and examples of which have already been covered in detail in the article, are provided with visual tables and explanations.
Njnj is a seemingly unremarkable service, but useful at least for a one-time visit. Here anyone can practice articles a/the; the exercises contain the keys.
Lim-english - site for the final stage. Here you can fix articles a/the; The tests, among other rules, cover this section and ask you to test yourself by answering 20 questions.

Afterword

As you can see, there is nothing wrong with articles. Yes, for a Russian-speaking person who is just starting to get acquainted with foreign languages, it is extremely unusual to use them, but here, as you know, the main thing is experience and practice. Regular practice, watching films and listening to original music will quickly help you accept and understand the category of articles.

First of all, thank you so much for your letters and reviews! We are very pleased that our work helps you in learning English! :)

Especially at your request, we have prepared material on the use of the indefinite article A(AN).

What is an article? This is an auxiliary part of speech that is placed before a noun to show the definiteness or uncertainty of the subject. In other words, articles make it clear whether the interlocutors are familiar with the subject or not. The function of articles is to define, therefore the part of speech to which they refer is called Determinants or Determiners.You can learn more about them from this article.

The article A (AN) comes from the numeral ONE (one) and is therefore called indefinite, which does not denote a specific object known to the interlocutors (unlike the), but one of many, some, no matter what, indefinite.

Why does the article A have two forms?

You may know that the AN form is used when the noun after the article begins with a vowel:

An apple, an egg, an elephant

But be careful, because the choice of the article form depends not on the letter (what we see in the letter), but on the sound. For example, take the word university. The first letter u conveys two sounds: . The first one, as you can see [j]. It is a consonant, so the article a should be used before the word univercity. In the same way with the words hour or the adjective honest (in combination honest man). In both words, the first h is unreadable, so we start pronouncing the word with a vowel and use the article AN.

There are quite a few words in English that have silent consonants or diphthongs at the beginning, so when choosing an article, be guided by the pronunciation of the word, not its spelling.

Let's take a look at the main cases in which we use the article A. They are all somewhat similar and complement each other in many ways, but if you understand the basic idea of using the article, you can always use it correctly.

Article A is used in the following cases:

1. If there is only one subject and it is uncertain. To check, you can substitute the following words instead of the article: some, one of many, one of, any

I work in an office. - I work in an office. (I work in some office / in one of the offices).
She bought a car. - She bought (one) car. (She bought one car / some kind of car).
They passed an exam. - They passed (one) exam. (They passed some kind of exam / one of many exams).
I would like a cup of coffee. - I would like (one) cup of coffee. (Not two, one).

2. If an object belongs to a certain class, it is “one of many” representatives of this class. Therefore, A is always used before the names of professions and nationalities:

I am a teacher. - I'm a teacher. (There are many teachers and I am one of them).
She wants to become a student of this university. - She wants to become a student at this university. (There are many students in this university and she wants to become one of them).
He is a Republican. - He is a Republican. (He is one of the Republicans, belongs to this category).
We want to buy a flat in the center. - We want to buy an apartment in the center. (There are many apartments in the center and we want to buy one of them).

3. When we give a definition, we explain what this or that object is. At the same time, we mean that this definition applies to any representative of this category:

A doctor is a person who treats sick people. - A doctor is a person who treats patients. (Any doctor treats patients).
A penguin is a bird that can’t fly. - A penguin is a bird that cannot fly. (Any penguin cannot fly.
A penguin is one of the birds that cannot fly).
A bear is a wild animal. - A bear is a wild animal. (Any bear is a wild animal / one of the wild animals).

You can object and say that not every doctor treats and not every wild bear, but we are looking at special cases, but general ones.

4. In type descriptions: A + adjective + noun to describe an item. In this case, the choice of article A or AN is determined by the first sound of the adjective, not the noun:

This is an orange ball. - This is an orange ball.
He is a clever student. - He is a smart student.
We saw a very tall tree. - We saw a very tall tree.

5. When we talk about using things. Construction: use something as a ... :

He used a stub as a stool. - He used the tree stump as a stool.
She used a napkin as a note. - They used the napkin as a note.
Don’t use your fork as a pointer. - Don't use your fork as a pointer.

6. In negative and interrogative sentences and after turnover there is with a singular countable noun:

In this case, we know nothing about the object except that it is one of many.

7. Article A is used in measurements:

Once a day - once a day
Twice a week - twice a day
40 km an hour - 40 kilometers per hour

In words denoting one unit of measurement (for example: hundred, thousand, kilogram) A and one can be interchanged:

One hundred = a hundred
One thousand = a thousand
One kilo = a kilo One mile = a mile

8. In exclamations in combination with what, what a lot and such (to emphasize the severity of the attribute):

What a nice day! - What a wonderful day!
What a lot of books! - How many books!
He is such an intelligent person! - He is such a smart man!

9. We use A with paired nouns. Some nouns are considered in pairs, in which case the article a is placed before the first noun:

A knife and fork - knife and fork
A cup and saucer - cup and saucer

There is no need to confuse pairs with single nouns, which simply stand next to each other in a sentence:

I bought a pen and a book. -I bought a pen and a book.

10. With words indicating health problems:

A headache headache
a cold - a cold
a sore throat - sore throat
a broken arm/leg - broken arm/leg
a weak heart - weak heart
(a) toothache - toothache(possible without article)
(an) earache - pain in the ear (can be without the article)

11. Lastly, but perhaps most importantly, the indefinite article A is used when we mention something for the first time, when the interlocutor knows nothing about the subject:

I have got a cat. - I have a cat.
He met a beautiful girl. - He met a beautiful girl.

For further references, the definite article the should be used, but more on that in the next article.

Let's summarize the main points: The indefinite article A is used only with countable nouns in the singular, if the subject we are talking about is mentioned for the first time, is indefinite, one of many of its kind, any.