A/an andthe: meaning

A/an and the are articles. They are a type of determiner and they go before a noun.

A/an 和 the 是冠词，属于限定词的一种，用在名词前面。

A/an before a noun shows that what is referred to is not already known to the speaker, listener, writer and/or reader (it is the indefinite article):

A/an 在名词前面表示所指的“名词” 不是 说话人、听话人、作者和/或读者已经知道的内容 （ A/an 是不定冠词）：

Do you have a car?

A: Do you live in a house ?

B: No, actually, I live in an apartment .

The before a noun shows that what is referred to is already known to the speaker, listener, writer and/or reader (it is the definite article):

the 在名词前面表示所指的“名词” 是 说话人、听话人、作者和/或读者已经知道的内容 （ the 是定冠词）：

Where did we park the car? (The speaker and the listener know what car is being referred to.)（说话人和听话人都知道所指的是哪辆车。）

We had to paint the apartment before we sold it. (The speaker and the listener know what apartment is being referred to.) （说话人和听话人都知道所指的是哪个房子。）

The makes a noun specific.

the+名词，所指的名词是特定的、具体的、或者明确的。

Have you been to an ice rink? 你去过溜冰场吗？

（说话双方不是指哪个具体的溜冰场，而是指任何一个溜冰场。）

（an 不是指一个特定的溜冰场。）

Have you been to the ice rink? 你去过那个溜冰场吗？

（说话双方都知道在说哪个溜冰场（例如，他们所在的城镇或者本地的溜冰场）。the 指某个特定的溜冰场。）

Would you like an apple? 你想吃个苹果吗？（不特定）

Would you like to try the apple pie?

你想尝尝这个苹果派吗？（特定（你我皆知））

Do you have a cat? 你有只猫吗？（不特定）

Have you seen the cat? 你看到过那只猫吗？（特定（你我皆知））

How do we pronouncethe?

the 的发音

We pronounce the in two ways depending on whether the sound which comes after the is a vowel or a consonant:

根据 the 后面的名词开头发音是元音还是辅音的不同，the的发音有两种：

/ði:/ before vowel sounds

元音发音开头的词，前面的the发音是/ði:/

/ðə/ before consonant sounds

辅音发音开头的词，前面的the发音是/ðə/

When do we use articles? 什么时候使用冠词？

A/an andthe with types of nouns

A/an 和the搭配的名词种类

Countable nouns

可数名词

We only use a/an with singular countable nouns:

a/an 仅用于单数可数名词：

I have a sister and a brother.

That was an excellent meal.

We can use the with singular and plural countable nouns:

the 可用于可数名词的单数和复数。

Uncountable nouns

不可数名词

We don’t use a/an before uncountable nouns:

不可数名词前面不用 a/an ：

Could I have rice instead of potatoes with my fish?

Not: Could I have a rice

I hope we have nice weather.

Not: I hope we have a nice weather.

We can use the before uncountable nouns when they refer to a specific example:

指特定的示例的时候，不可数名词前面可以用 the

The rice we bought in the Thai shop is much better than the supermarket rice.

The weather was awful last summer.

To talk about an individual quantity or more than one quantity of an uncountable noun, we use expressions such as a bit of, a piece of or a [specific measure] of :

指个体数量，或者不可数名词的多个量指的时候，我们用这样的表达

a bit of ...

a piece of ...

a [specific measure(具体量指] of...

That’s an amazing bit of news. 这是一个惊人的消息。

Not: That’s an amazing news.

We just made a big bowl of pasta.我们刚做了一大碗意大利面。

Not: We just made a pasta.

Could I have a litre of milk, please?请给我一升牛奶好吗？

Not: Could I have a milk, please?

General nouns 普通名词/概括性名词

We only use the with general plural nouns when we are referring to a specific set within a general class of people or things.

指一类人或物中的某个具体类别的时候，在普通名词/概括性名词前用 the。

Have you been to an ice rink? 你去过溜冰场吗？

（说话双方不是指哪个具体的溜冰场，而是指任何一个溜冰场。）

（an 不是指一个特定的溜冰场。）

Have you been to the ice rink? 你去过那个溜冰场吗？

（说话双方都知道在说哪个溜冰场（例如，他们所在的城镇或者本地的溜冰场）。the 指某个特定的溜冰场。）

Would you like an apple? 你想吃个苹果吗？（不特定）

Would you like to try the apple pie?

你想尝尝这个苹果派吗？（特定（你我皆知））

Do you have a cat? 你有只猫吗？（不特定）

Have you seen the cat? 你看到过那只猫吗？（特定（你我皆知））

History sometimes repeats itself. (history in general)

历史有时会重演。（通常所说的历史）

He wrote a book on the history of boxing. (specifically the history of boxing)

他写了一本关于拳击历史的书。（特指拳击的历史）

The country has a history of going to war. (one specific history of one country)

这个国家有开战的历史。（一个国家的一段具体历史）

When do we usea and when do we usean?

In speaking, we use a /ə/ before a consonant sound:

a car a house a big truck a wheel a grey day

Warning:

Some words that begin with a vowel letter in writing have a consonant sound:

/ə ju:ˈnaɪtɪd …/ /ə ju:niˈvɜ:sɪti/ /ə wʌn …/

a united group a university a one-year-old child

We use an /ən/ before a vowel sound:

an apple an old shoe an orchestra an umbrella

Warning:

Some words that begin with a consonant letter in writing have a vowel sound:

/ən aʊə(r)/ an hour

/ən empi:θri: …/ an MP3 player

关于a/an的使用，请参考下列链接：a? an? why?Inventions, musical instruments and cultural institutions

发明、乐器和文化机构

When we talk in general about inventions, musical instruments or cultural institutions (such as the cinema, the theatre, the circus, the opera, the ballet), we often use the:

在提到发明、乐器或文化机构（例如，电影院、剧院、马戏团、歌剧、芭蕾舞）时，我们常常用 the：

The computer must be the greatest invention ever. (The computer as an invention in general, not a specific computer)

计算机一定是有史以来最伟大的发明。（计算机在这儿指一项发明，不是特指的某台计算机）

The violin sounds different to the viola. 小提琴和中提琴听起来不一样。

I love a night at the opera. 我喜欢在歌剧院度过一个夜晚。

No article before determiners (any, some, my, this,that, those, these)

在限定词( any, some, my, this,that, those, these )前面不用冠词

We don’t use an article with other words that specify a noun (determiner),

冠词不与具体说明名词的其他词（限定词）连用，如下举例

e.g. any, some, my, her, this, that :

The with things that are universally known

the 用于众所周知的事物前面

We use the with things known to everyone (the sun, the stars, the moon, the earth, the planet) because they are a part of our physical environment or part of the natural world:

the 用于众所周知的事物（the sun, the stars, the moon, the earth, the planet）前面，因为这些事物是我们生活中真实环境的一部分或者自然界的一部分：

The earth moves around the sun . 地球绕着太阳转。

We lay on the grass and watched the stars . 我们躺在草地上看星星。

The with everyday things

the 用于日常生活中的事物前面

We use the with things that we know as part of our daily lives. The does not refer to particular things in this context.

the 用于日常生活中的事物前面，在这样的语境中并不特指具体的某个事物。

I don’t buy the newspaper these days. It’s free on the Internet . (newspapers in general) 如今我都不买报纸，互联网都免费提供新闻。（一般所说的报纸）

They always take the train . (trains in general) 他们一直坐火车。（一般所说的火车）

Jobs and professions工作和职业

When we talk about a person’s job, we use a/an :

表达一个人的职业/工作，用 a/an ：

She’s a gardener. 她是园丁/花匠。

He’s an ambulance driver.他是救护车司机。

She is a teacher. 她是老师。

I'm a student. 我是学生。

My dad is an engineer. 我爸爸是工程师。

Places 地点

We use the with mountain ranges and some mountains ( the Alps, the Eiger ), groups of islands ( the West Indies ), rivers ( the Danube ), deserts ( the Gobi Desert ), seas ( the Black Sea ), geographical regions or habitats ( the Amazon rainforest ), motorways ( the M42 ), the names of some countries ( the People’s Republic of China ).

the 用于山脉/山脊和一些山峰名称前面 ( the Alps 阿尔卑斯山脉, the Eiger 艾尔格峰)、岛屿群 ( the West Indies 西印度群岛 )、河流 ( the Danube 多瑙河 )、沙漠 ( the Gobi Desert 戈壁沙漠 )、海洋 ( the Black Sea 黑海 )、地理区域或动植物的生活环境、栖息地 ( the Amazon rainforest 亚马逊雨林 )、高速公路名称 ( the M42 )、国家名称 ( the People’s Republic of China 中华人民共和国 )。

We don’t usually use articles with individual mountains or lakes when the name includes Mount or Lake : Mount Fuji , Lake Victoria . We don’t use articles with continents ( Asia ), countries ( Romania ), towns ( Edinburgh ), and streets ( Lombard Street ).

山峰或湖泊的名称中包含单词 Mount 或 Lake 的时候，通常不用冠词:

Mount Fuji富士山 , Lake Victoria维多利亚湖 。

以下情况也不用冠词：

各大洲名词 ( Asia亚洲 ), 国家名称 ( Romania罗马尼亚 ), 市镇名称 ( Edinburgh爱丁堡 ), 和街道名称 ( Lombard Street伦巴底街 )。

The with groups within societythe用于社会群体

When we talk about particular groups or people within society, we use the + adjective: 表达社会中的特定团体或人群，用 the + 形容词

I think the rich should pay more tax and that the poor shouldn’t pay any.

我认为富人应该缴纳更多的税，而穷人不应该缴纳任何税。

The young need to be encouraged and supported in society.

年轻人需要得到社会鼓励和支持。

he with datesthe在日期表达中

When we say a specific date, we use the , but when we write it, we don’t use the :

我们在说一个具体日期的时候，用 the， 但是在书面写的时候不用。

Speaking（口语中）: ‘I’ll see you on the twenty fourth of May.’

Writing（书面语中）: I’ll see you on 24th May .

When we talk about months, we don’t use the :月份前面不用the：

My birthday is in September . 我的生日在九月。

May is my favourite month of all. 五月是我最喜欢的月份。

When we talk about seasons in general, we can use either in or in the. In without the is often used in more formal or literary contexts:

表达通常所指的四季名称的时候，前面可以加 in 或者 in the。 较为正式的场合或文学作品中多数情况下不加 the：

These birds arrive in Britain in summer , and leave as the winter begins.

这些鸟儿在夏天飞到英国，冬天降临的时候飞走。

In the summer , we usually go to the mountains. 夏天我们通常去山里。

We rarely get snow in the winter .冬天我们这儿几乎不下雪。

When we talk about a specific season, we use the :

表达具体的某个季节时，加the:

The winter of 1947 was one of the coldest in Britain.

1947年冬天是英国最冷的冬天之一。

We’ll definitely visit you in the summer . (meaning next summer)

我们夏天一定去看你。（指明年夏天）

The with Internet, radio and newspaper but mostly not with TV

internet, radio, newspapaer 前面加the, TV前面不加the.

I looked it up on the Internet . 我在网上查的信息。

Not: on internet

She was on the radio once. 她上过一次广播。

Not: on radio

Did you see that story about parrots in the newspaper ? 你在报纸上看到关于鹦鹉的报道了吗？

Not: in newspaper

There’s usually nothing on TV . (TV means television)

There’s usually nothing on the television . (less common 很少这样使用)

The withgo to,be at,be in hospital,school,prison

When we talk about the activity that happens in a building rather than about the building itself, we don’t use the .

在表达一个建筑中发生的活动，而不是指建筑本身的时候，不用the。

Compare 对比

She didn't want to be in hospital but she was too ill to go home.(in hospital means being there as a patient)

她不想住院，但是病得太严重了不能回家。（in hospital 指作为病人住院）

She didn't want to be in the hospital. ..(in the hospital means being in the buidlling)

她不想待在医院里……（in the hospital 指待在医院的建筑里）

When I was at school , we didn't have computers. ( at school means being there as a student)

我上学的时候，我们没有计算机。（at school 指作为学生在校上学）

When I was at the school ... (at the school means being in the building)

我在学校的时候……（at the school 指在学校的建筑里）

We don’t use the with bed when we go there to sleep:

表达上床睡觉的时候，不用the：

I always go to bed at eleven o’clock. 我总是11点上传睡觉。

Not: I always go to the bed …

We don’t use the before work when we talk about the place where we do our job:

表达我们工作的地方的时候，work前面不加the：

They go to work at 8 am every morning. 他们每天早上八点去上班。

Not: They go to the work …

Possessive expressions 所属表达

We don’t use the to refer to an individual’s behaviour or to parts of an individual’s body:

在表达个人的行为或者个人身体部位的时候，不用the：

He spends most of his free time playing computer games.

他大部分空闲时间都在玩电脑游戏。

Not: He spends most of the free time …

I must wash my hands. 我必须得洗洗手了。

Not: I must wash the hands.

This,that and articles

We can use this instead of a/an or the , and these instead of zero article or some when we tell stories and jokes to create a sense of the present:

我们在讲故事、讲笑话，营造一种当下氛围的时候，用this 代替 a/an 或 the， 用these代替零冠词（零冠词指不用冠词的情况）或者some。

[beginning of a joke] （笑话的开头）

There was this chicken who wanted to cross the road … (compare 对比： There was a chicken who wanted to cross the road … )

These tourists came into the restaurant once and they ordered fifteen Irish coffees. (compare 对比： Some tourists came into the restaurant once and they ordered …)

Spoken English: 英语口语：

In informal speaking, we can use that as an alternative to the in stories when we refer to something familiar or known to the listener. That highlights the fact that the thing being referred to is known to the speaker and listener:

在非正式口语中，表达一些听者熟悉或已知的事情的时候， 用that 代替the。 that 强调说话双方都已知的事实。

A: Where did you buy your skirt? I really like it . 你在哪里买的裙子？我挺 喜欢的。

B: I got it at that new shop next to Green’s Hotel . (compare 对比： I got it at the new shop next to Green’s Hotel .)

我在格林酒店旁边的那家新店买的。

A/an andthe: typical errorsa/an 和the：典型错误

We don’t use the with plural nouns when we are referring to things in general:在我们表达一般事物（普遍事物）时，复数名词前面不用the：

We have to protect wild animals. (referring to wild animals in general)

我们必须保护野生动物。（指一般所指的野生动物）

Not: the wild animals.

We don’t use the when we refer in general to something abstract or uncountable: 在我们表达通常认为抽象的事物或者不可数名词时，不用the：

I love Japanese food. (all Japanese food/Japanese food in general)

我喜欢日料。（所有日本食物/通常所指的日本食物）

Not: I love the Japanese food.

We don’t use the when the noun is not known to the listener or reader:听者或读者不知道所指名词的时候，不用the：

Last Sunday, we saw a film called ‘Nightmare’. (The speaker doesn’t think that the listener knows of this film.)

上周日，我看了一个叫‘噩梦’的电影。（说话人认为对方并不知道这个电影。）

Not: … we saw the film called ‘Nightmare’.

We don’t use the instead of a possessive pronoun:不用the 代替所有格代词(my, his, her, its, their, our, your):

The police asked us to put our hands up.

警察要求我们把手举起来。

Not: The police asked us to put the hands up.

We don’t use an article with go to bed :表达上床睡觉不用冠词：

I go to bed at eleven most nights.大部分时候我晚上11点睡觉。

Not: I go to the bed at eleven most nights.