Articles (advanced)

• 11 Articles (advanced)

  11.1

  Generic vs Specific Reference

  

  

  At B2 level, the difficulty with articles lies in distinguishing generic reference from specific reference:

  • Generic reference (whole categories): Plural / uncountable nouns, no the.
  • Specific reference (particular ones): Use the.

  老虎Tigers 是are 危险dangerous.

  *Tigers are dangerous. (Refers to tigers in general, no the)

  （特指）The 老虎tigers 在at （冠词）the 动物园zoo 是are 困倦sleepy.

  *The tigers in the zoo are sleepy. (Specific, use the)

  Note: Abstract nouns are also used without the for generic reference: Love is important. (Love is important.) But the love of a mother uses the when referring specifically.

  11.2

  Fixed Collocations

  In many collocations, article usage is fixed and must be memorized as a whole:

  • No article: go to bed / school / work, by car / bus, at home, have breakfast.
  • Use the: in the morning, play the piano, the same, listen to the radio.

  我I 去go （介词）to 上班work 乘by 公交bus.

  *I go to work by bus. (Neither go to work nor by bus takes an article)

  Note: These collocations lack much logical reasoning; memorizing them as fixed phrases is most effective.

  Common Errors

  • ❌ ~~the China / the Japan~~ → ✓ China / Japan; but ✓ the US, the UK, the Netherlands, the Philippines — Only countries with plural forms or "organizational" names take the.
  • ❌ ~~Most of people agree.~~ → ✓ Most people agree. / Most of the people in this room agree. — most goes directly before a noun; most of must be followed by the / my / these etc.
  • Distinguish (British English): be in hospital (admitted as a patient) vs. go to the hospital (go to the building, e.g., to visit someone). The same applies to in prison / at school.
  • the + adjective refers to a class of people: The rich should help the poor.

All topics · English Grammar · B2