Grade 10 Grammar Lesson 27 A, an and the: the only one
- When do we use ‘the’?
What do we use to say a person’s job: the articles ‘a/an’ or the article ‘the’?
- We normally use a/an with a singular noun to say what someone or something is.
- We use the when we say someone or something is unique – that it’s the only one of its kind.
- We use a/an to say what a person’s job is, was or will be.
- However, when we talk about a person’s job title, or their unique position, we use the.
- After the position of, the post of, or the role of, we use zero articles.
- We use the before a superlative adjective.
- We also use the before a comparative adjective followed by of…
- We use the when we know that there is only one of a particular thing.
- The same applies to the following when we refer to them in a general sense.
the weather, |
the climate, |
the atmosphere, |
the sea, the public, |
the environment, |
the ground, |
the wind, |
the future, the past. |
- However, when we mean to say a particular instance of these, we use a/an.
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