Do I need a in this sentence?
Which is the correct sentence in each pair?
a) I went to party last night
b) I went to a party last night
a) Oxford is a very old city
b) Oxford is very old city
We use a with singular countable nouns: I want to buy a camera for my mother.
We use an before singular countable nouns beginning with the vowels a, e, i, o: I eat an apple every day.
We also use a and an before an adjective + countable noun: Budapest is a beautiful city. It’s an interesting place
We do not use a and an before an adjective if there isn’t a noun: Budapest is a beautiful city. It is an interesting place because it’s old
We use an before most nouns and adjectives that begin with u (an umbrella / an uncle, an uncomfortable chair, an ugly building). However, when a word begins with a /j/ sound, we use a and not an: We’re studying a unit about “a” and “an”. I don’t wear a uniform at work. A dishwasher is a useful machine.
Do I need the in this sentence?
Which is the correct sentence in each pair?
a) I work in an office in Milton Street
b) I work in an office in the Milton Street
a) New York is the largest city in USA
b) New York is the largest city in the USA
We use the:
- with the names of café, hotels, restaurants, cinemas, theatres and museums: I’ll be at the ABC café. When I went to the Playhouse. I like the British Museum.
- with names which include of: you can go to the Bank of England and the Houses of Parliament.
- with some famous places: the White House, The Empire State Building, the Parthenon, The Vatican, the Kremlin, the Eiffel Tower, the London Eye
- in the United Kingdom (the UK) and the United States (the USA)
We also use the with seas (the Mediterranean Sea), oceans (the Pacific Ocean), rivers (the [River] Amazon), islands (the Bahamas) and mountains (the Andes).
We use the with north/south/east/west for locations. We don’t use the for direction: Verona is in the north of Italy. It is east of Milan and west of Venice.
We don’t use the with street names or the names of stations, churches, airports, etc.: King’s Cross Station is in Euston Road. Westminster Abbey is in Parliament Square.
A or THE?
Which is the correct sentence in each pair?
a) I like the living room in my house because is very big.
b) I like a living room in my house because is very big.
a) I go to the dentist twice a year.
b) I go to a dentist twice a year.
We use a:
- after there is: There’s a park and a swimming pool near my house.
- to mention a person or a thing for the first time: I’ve got a friend from Rome.
- to describe what we do: I’m a student. My dad is a teacher.
- to describe ourselves: I’m a Chelsea supporter. My brother’s a clever boy.
We use the:
- to mention a person or a thing for the second time: I walk through the park every day, but I don’t go to the swimming pool very often.
- when it is clear which person or thing we are talking about: I like my class. The teacher is very good.
- when there is only one person or thing: I do my homework in the living room.
- for places in a town (but not after there is): the cinema / the theatre / the bank / the post office / the library / the station / the airport
- for services: the doctor / the dentist / the optician / the hairdresser