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1.
What kind of noun is it: collective, proper, or other? |
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1.1 Generic, proper and adjectival collective nouns (nouns made up
of parts) normally need “the”
(common collectives need a/an/the; see 3.1) |
the |
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1.2 Proper singular & plural nouns (except proper collective nouns)
DO NOT normally need an article (this includes one-day holidays,
magazines, universities and their abbreviations, and a few other
abbreviations) |
-X- |
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1.3 People groups ending in “s” DO NOT need “the” |
-X- |
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1.4 People groups that don’t end in “s” need “the” |
the |
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2. Does the noun refer to something
specific? |
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2.1 Singular but not specific nouns need “a/an”—including proper
nouns used in a general sense |
a/an |
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2.2 To specify ALL members of a set, use “the” |
the |
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2.3 For specific things your reader knows about, use “the” (whether
known by context, contrast to similar things, culture, or setting;
includes “the __ of”) |
the |
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3. Is the noun countable (singular/plural)
or uncountable? |
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3.1 Singular countable nouns and common collective nouns need an
article |
a/an/the |
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3.2 Uncountable and plural countable nouns DO NOT need an article
(in their general sense) |
-X- |
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4. Special cases and reminders |
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4.1 You can usually omit articles with home, school, work, church
or campus |
-X- |
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4.2 DO NOT use articles with “BY+a form of transportation” |
-X- |
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4.3 DO NOT use articles with the name of sports or school subjects |
-X- |
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4.4 Possessive pronouns and “one” can take the place of an article |
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4.5 Don’t forget articles in front of adjectives |
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