General English B2 · Lesson 10B

Grammar Bank

The rules behind this lesson — form, use, model sentences and the mistakes to avoid.

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Grammar focus of this lesson

articles — A / AN, THE, and ZERO article

1 structure

Articles
Advanced choices: generic reference, unique reference and fixed phrases.
I've got this
Rules & form
- ›Generic: zero article with plurals and uncountables.
- ›the with unique things, superlatives, systems (the internet) and some names (the Netherlands).
- ›a / an in classification: as a manager, twice a month.
- ›Fixed pairs: in hospital / in the hospital, at sea / at the sea.
Examples
- “Investors want certainty; the investors we met want more.”
- “She's the head of the department.”
- “We travel by plane about once a month.”
Watch out · Article errors cluster in generalisations — check whether you mean all or these.
Your own example