Articles
When do I use the articles a or an, the and some and when do I leave them out?
no article
the
a/an
some, any or no article
no article
No article is normally needed when we use uncountable and plural nouns to talk about things generally:
A: What are your hobbies?
B: I like listening to music, playing tennis and collecting stamps.
the
We use the when it is clear which thing or person we are talking about:
We saw a tiger and an elephant at the zoo, but the tiger was my favourite. (the one I mentioned a second ago)
a/an
We use a or an when we don’t specify which things or people we are talking about:
Should I use a pencil (not a particular one) or a pen (not a particular one) to fill in this form?
some, any or no article
Some and any can be used with uncountable or plural nouns when we do not know (or say) how many /much:
I can’t understand why my bank balance is so low. I’m sure I paid some money into the account last week. (I can’t remember how much)
It sometimes makes no difference if we use some or any or no article:
I’ve bought (some) tomatoes (some) apples and (some) cream but I couldn't find (any) peaches.
However, because some and any usually suggest uncertain quantities, it would sound strange to say the following:
She’s really beautiful. She’s got some long blond hair (=I’m not sure how much), a lovely smile and some beautiful teeth. (=I’m not sure how many)
Back to top
| 
