Words · pillar 3 of 16

Articles & determiners

a/an/the/zero · this/that · quantifiers · numbers

17 lessons from A1 to C2 · 72 grammar points

Mindmap: Determiners from A1 to C2

Starts folded: recall each level's points, then open the branch to check.

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Drawing the mindmap…

# 3 Articles & determiners ## A1 - a or an: decided by the sound (an hour, a university, an MBA) - a / an with jobs (She's a doctor) - a vs one (a coffee, please / one coffee, not two) - the for specific things the listener knows - the with unique things (the sun, the internet) - a first, the second time (I saw a dog. The dog…) - this, that, these, those (near and far) - this / that as pronouns (This is Ali. What's that?) - this / that for time (this morning, that day) - Cardinal numbers and how to write them (twenty-one, a hundred) - Ordinal numbers (first, second, twenty-first) - Saying and writing dates (May 5, the fifth of May, in 2024) - Telling the time (half past six, a quarter to nine, 6:30) - Prices and amounts ($3.50 = three fifty) ## A2 - the vs no article: specific vs general (I like music / the music in this film) - No article in set phrases (at home, go to bed, go to work, by bus, have breakfast) - No article with meals, days, months, sports, languages and school subjects - much and many - a lot of / lots of in positive sentences - a few (countable) and a little (uncountable) - too much / too many - some in offers and requests (Would you like some tea?) - any meaning 'it doesn't matter which' (Call me any time) - no + noun and none (There's no milk. None left.) - something, anyone, nobody, everywhere… - everyone / somebody + singular verb (Everyone is here) - one / ones to avoid repeating a noun (the red one) - another, other, others, the other(s) - all and both (all the students, both of them) - each and every + singular noun - every day vs all day - something / anything / nothing + to-infinitive or adjective (something to eat; nothing interesting) - more as a determiner and pronoun (more coffee; more of the book) ## B1 - Articles with places: the Nile, the Alps, the UK; no article for most countries, cities, lakes, single mountains - go to school / hospital / prison (purpose) vs the school (the building) - the + adjective for groups (the rich, the elderly) - the + nationality (the French, the Japanese) - the with musical instruments and inventions (play the piano, the phone) - the with superlatives, ordinals, same, only, next, last - each vs every (each of, every one of) - either and neither (+ of; + singular verb) - both, all, whole (all of us, the whole day) - none of + noun - a hundred vs hundreds of; two thousand (no -s); millions of - Fractions, decimals and percentages (two-thirds, 2.5 = two point five, 40%) - Verb agreement with quantities (Half of the cake is… / Half of the students are…) - Approximate numbers and amounts (about, roughly, -odd, a dozen, a couple of) ## B2 - Generic reference: The tiger is… / A tiger is… / Tigers are… - Articles with abstract nouns (Life is short / the life of Mozart) - the + comparative, the + comparative (the sooner, the better) - next / last with and without the (next week / the next week) - the with parts of the body after a preposition (hit him on the head) - few vs a few, little vs a little - quite a few, quite a lot, plenty of - a great deal of, a large amount of, a large number of - hardly any, scarcely any - most / most of / the most - half (of) + noun - kind of / sort of / type of + noun and agreement (these kinds of problem) ## C1 - Determiner order: pre-, central and post-determiners (all the six big…) - Pre-determiners: half, all, both, double, twice, such a, quite a, what a - Floating quantifiers (We all agreed / We have all agreed / all of us) - Zero article in fixed phrases (at night, by car, in prison, on foot, from top to bottom) - a / an with abstract nouns + of (a good knowledge of, a fear of heights) - Articles with names (the Smiths, the late Mr. Hosseini, a Mr. Brown called) - No article with unique roles (He was elected President) - Semi-determiners: same, other, certain, various, numerous, several - so / too / how / as + adjective + a + noun (too good a chance; as big a problem as) ## C2 - any = whichever you choose (Any doctor will tell you…) - no vs not a (He's no expert / He's not an expert) - Stressed the /ðiː/ = the best or most famous (the place to eat) - none of + singular or plural verb

Decision trees

a, an, the or no article?

Answer three quick questions to choose the right article.

Show the whole tree

Is the noun countable and singular (one chair, one idea)?

Lessons in this pillar

A1.9a or an?MiniSoonComing soon
A1.10the: first stepsCoreSoonComing soon
A1.11this, that, these, thoseMiniSoonComing soon
A1.35Numbers, dates, times & pricesCoreSoonComing soon
A2.30the or no article?CoreSoonComing soon
A2.31much, many, a lot of, a few, a littleCoreSoonComing soon
A2.32some, any, no; something, anyone, nowhereCoreSoonComing soon
A2.35one, ones; another, other, the otherMiniSoonComing soon
A2.36all, both, each, everyMiniSoonComing soon
B1.37Articles 2: places, institutions, the richCoreSoonComing soon
B1.40each, every, either, neither, both, all, whole, noneCoreSoonComing soon
B1.42Numbers & quantities: hundreds of, two-thirds, 50%MiniSoonComing soon
B2.32Articles 3: generic and abstractCoreSoonComing soon
B2.36Quantifiers 3: few or a few?CoreSoonComing soon
C1.26Determiner order & pre-determinersCoreSoonComing soon
C1.27Articles 4: fixed phrases & namesCoreSoonComing soon
C2.13Determiners & quantifiers: fine pointsCoreSoonComing soon

Every grammar point

The complete checklist for this pillar. Nothing is left out.

A1

a or an: decided by the sound (an hour, a university, an MBA)
a / an with jobs (She's a doctor)
a vs one (a coffee, please / one coffee, not two)
the for specific things the listener knows
the with unique things (the sun, the internet)
a first, the second time (I saw a dog. The dog…)
this, that, these, those (near and far)
this / that as pronouns (This is Ali. What's that?)
this / that for time (this morning, that day)
Cardinal numbers and how to write them (twenty-one, a hundred)
Ordinal numbers (first, second, twenty-first)
Saying and writing dates (May 5, the fifth of May, in 2024)
Telling the time (half past six, a quarter to nine, 6:30)
Prices and amounts ($3.50 = three fifty)

A2

the vs no article: specific vs general (I like music / the music in this film)
No article in set phrases (at home, go to bed, go to work, by bus, have breakfast)
No article with meals, days, months, sports, languages and school subjects
much and many
a lot of / lots of in positive sentences
a few (countable) and a little (uncountable)
too much / too many
some in offers and requests (Would you like some tea?)
any meaning 'it doesn't matter which' (Call me any time)
no + noun and none (There's no milk. None left.)
something, anyone, nobody, everywhere…
everyone / somebody + singular verb (Everyone is here)
one / ones to avoid repeating a noun (the red one)
another, other, others, the other(s)
all and both (all the students, both of them)
each and every + singular noun
every day vs all day
something / anything / nothing + to-infinitive or adjective (something to eat; nothing interesting)
more as a determiner and pronoun (more coffee; more of the book)

B1

Articles with places: the Nile, the Alps, the UK; no article for most countries, cities, lakes, single mountains
go to school / hospital / prison (purpose) vs the school (the building)
the + adjective for groups (the rich, the elderly)
the + nationality (the French, the Japanese)
the with musical instruments and inventions (play the piano, the phone)
the with superlatives, ordinals, same, only, next, last
each vs every (each of, every one of)
either and neither (+ of; + singular verb)
both, all, whole (all of us, the whole day)
none of + noun
a hundred vs hundreds of; two thousand (no -s); millions of
Fractions, decimals and percentages (two-thirds, 2.5 = two point five, 40%)
Verb agreement with quantities (Half of the cake is… / Half of the students are…)
Approximate numbers and amounts (about, roughly, -odd, a dozen, a couple of)

B2

Generic reference: The tiger is… / A tiger is… / Tigers are…
Articles with abstract nouns (Life is short / the life of Mozart)
the + comparative, the + comparative (the sooner, the better)
next / last with and without the (next week / the next week)
the with parts of the body after a preposition (hit him on the head)
few vs a few, little vs a little
quite a few, quite a lot, plenty of
a great deal of, a large amount of, a large number of
hardly any, scarcely any
most / most of / the most
half (of) + noun
kind of / sort of / type of + noun and agreement (these kinds of problem)

C1

Determiner order: pre-, central and post-determiners (all the six big…)
Pre-determiners: half, all, both, double, twice, such a, quite a, what a
Floating quantifiers (We all agreed / We have all agreed / all of us)
Zero article in fixed phrases (at night, by car, in prison, on foot, from top to bottom)
a / an with abstract nouns + of (a good knowledge of, a fear of heights)
Articles with names (the Smiths, the late Mr. Hosseini, a Mr. Brown called)
No article with unique roles (He was elected President)
Semi-determiners: same, other, certain, various, numerous, several
so / too / how / as + adjective + a + noun (too good a chance; as big a problem as)

C2

any = whichever you choose (Any doctor will tell you…)
no vs not a (He's no expert / He's not an expert)
Stressed the /ðiː/ = the best or most famous (the place to eat)
none of + singular or plural verb