Ask yourself two questions: can you count it? and does the listener know which one?
| situation | article | example |
|---|---|---|
| one thing, mentioned for the first time / any one | a / an | I bought a car. |
| already mentioned, or clear which one | the | The car is red. Close the door, please. |
| only one exists | the | the sun, the internet, the government |
| superlatives, ordinals, “same”, “only” | the | the best, the first time, the same |
| things in general (plural or uncountable) | nothing | Cars are expensive. Life is short. |
the also goes with rivers, seas, mountain ranges and plural or “union” countries: the Rhine, the Alps, the Netherlands, the United States; instruments: play the piano.
No article with lakes and single mountains (Lake Geneva, Mount Everest), streets (in Oxford Street), sports (play football), transport with “by” (by train), and places used for their purpose: go to school, be in hospital, go to bed, at work. Compare: He's in prison (he is a prisoner) / She went to the prison (to visit).
a / an depends on the sound, not the letter: a university (“you”), a European, an hour (silent h), an MP (“em”).
Translate the words from your reading, review them as flashcards and practise with gap-fill sentences.
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