article the and no aticle

Article the

The definite article the is the most frequent word in English.
We use the definite article in front of a noun when we believe the hearer/reader knows exactly what we are referring to.
 Because there is only one:

The Pope is visiting Russia.
The moon is very bright tonight.
The Shah of Iran was deposed in 1979.

This is why we use the definite article with a superlative adjective:

He is the tallest boy in the class.
It is the oldest building in the town.

The definite article with names:

We do not normally use the definite article with names:

William Shakespeare wrote Hamlet.
Paris is the capital of France.
Iran is in Asia.

But we do use the definite article with:
• countries whose names include words like kingdom, states or republic:

the United Kingdom; the kingdom of Nepal; the United States; the People’s Republic of China.

• countries which have plural nouns as their names:

the Netherlands; the Philippines

• geographical features, such as mountain ranges, groups of islands, rivers, seas, oceans and canals:

the Himalayas; the Canaries; the Atlantic; the Atlantic Ocean; the Amazon; the Panama Canal.

 

No aticle

 

No article, or zero article as it is usually called, is definitely a form of article. We use zero article with plural and uncountable nouns when we are referring to things in general:

Tennis is a beautiful game.

French chefs make the best cooks.

Cheese in France is usually made from cows' or goats' milk.

 But note, when we want to be specific, the definite article is needed:

 The tennis played by Maria Sharapova at Wimbledon this year was awesome.

The French chef at La Caprice is one of the best in the south east.

I'm still eating the cheese I bought in France last month. It's delicious.

 common nouns: no article

With commonly used nouns when there is general reference and when they are used with prepositions there is normally no article:

school, college, university

By law in England you have to go to school when you reach the age of five.

At college or university you have more time for self-study.

 work, home, bed

 

After work I like to meet my friends before I go home.

She was not at home or she was in bed asleep when I called.

prison, hospital, church

 

If you commit a crime, you may have to go to prison.

If you have a serious illness, you will get the best care in hospital.

I used to go to church every Sunday when I was a child.

breakfast, lunch, dinner

 

For breakfast I need lots of orange juice and strong coffee to get me going.

After lunch I always have a snooze before starting work again.

And then I can work on without a break until dinner.