No Article
Zero Article
(When
to use no article)
Navigation:
1.
We usually use no article to talk about
things in general.
Examples:
Milk
is good for you.
Men
are always fond of soccer.
2.
We do not use an article when talking
about sports and games.
Examples:
Let’s
go and play basketball.
Badminton
is an indoor game.
He
loves to play table tennis.
3.
We do not use article before the names
of countries unless the name suggests that the country is made up of smaller
units or constituent parts.
Examples:
Japan
France
Italy
Bolivia
England
Exceptions:
the
UK (United Kingdom)
the
USA (United States of America)
the
Irish Republic
(Kingdom,
state, republic and union are nouns, so they need an article.)
4.
We use no article before the name of
languages.
Examples:
We
are learning English.
Can
you speak English?
They
speak French at home.
5.
We do not use article before the names
of meals if they refer to the meals generally, as a part of the daily routine.
Examples:
They
invited some friends to dinner.
We
had beef steak for dinner.
***
‘the’ must be used when the meal is a particular one. We use ‘a’ when there is
an adjective before breakfast, lunch, dinner etc.
Examples:
I
had a late dinner yesterday.
The
lunch we had at the restaurant was very good.
The
wedding breakfast was held in a beautiful garden.
6.
We use zero/no article before noun +
number.
Examples:
You’ll
be leaving from Gate 5 on the eastern concourse.
The
laboratory is in room 6 on the third floor.
7.
We do not use articles before
uncountable and abstract nouns used in a general sense.
Examples:
Honey
is sweet.
Sugar
is bad for your teeth.
Wisdom
is better than riches.
Virtue
is its own reward.
Note
that uncountable nouns take the article ‘the’ when used in a particular sense.
Examples:
Would
you pass the sugar? (the sugar on the table)
8.
We do not use articles before plural
countable nouns used in a general sense.
Examples:
Children
usually rush about.
Computers
are useful machines.
***Plural
nouns take the article ‘the’ when they are used in a particular sense.
Where
are the children? (Which children? Our children)
9.
We do not use articles before the names
of countries, people, continents, cities, rivers and lakes.
Examples:
India
is a democratic country. (NOT ‘The India …’)
Paris
is the capital of France. (NOT ‘The Paris …’)
10.Before school,
college, university, church, bed, hospital, prison etc. no article is used.
Examples:
His
dad is still in hospital.
We
learned English at school.
He
is at university.
***‘The’
is used before these words when the reference is to the building or object
rather than to the normal activity that goes on there.
Examples:
I
met her at the church. (Here the reference is to the building)
I
went to the hospital to see my friend.
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