TIP3. The use and non-use of the articles

English has two types of articles: definite (The) and Indefinite (A, an) Their use depends mainly on whether you're referring to any member o a group, or the specific member of a group.

The indefinite articles a and an.

This rule is not difficult. look at this:


A + Words beggining with a consonant does not change! _A boy!
A + Words beggining with a vowel does change by adding a "N at the end._An apple.

"A boy eating an apple.

Examples:

An elepanth, an animal, an actor, an apricot, etc.
A fireman, a ghost, a criminal, a table, a boy, a girl, a dog, a cat, a ball.

Definite article: THE.

This is definite because it refers to a particular member of a group.

The is not used with noncountable nouns referring to something in a general sense:

[no article] Coffee is a bitter drink.
[no article] Spanish cames from Spain.
[no article] Intelligence is difficult to quantify.

The is used with noncountable nouns that are made more specific by a limiting modifying phrase or clause:

The coffee in my cup is too hot to drink. (Coffee made more specific)
The Japanese he speaks is often heard in the countryside.
The intelligence of animals is variable but undeniable.

The is also used when a noun refers to something unique: the White House

the theory of relativity
the 1999 federal budget

Do not use THE in these cases.

• names of countries (Chile, Mexico, Bolivia) except the Netherlands and the US
• names of cities, towns, or states (Viña del mar, Caracas, Miami)
• names of streets (Washington Blvd., Vicuña Mackenna.)
• names of lakes and bays (Lake Titicaca, Lake Villarrica) except with a group of lakes like the Great Lakes
• names of mountains (Mount Everest, Mount Chaitén) except with ranges of mountains like the Andes or the Rockies or unusual names like the Matterhorn
• names of continents (Asia, America)
• names of islands (Easter Island, Maui, Key West) except with island chains like the Aleutians, the Hebrides, or the Canary Islands

Do use THE in:

• names of rivers, oceans and seas (the Nile, the Pacific)
• points on the globe (the Equator, the North Pole)
• geographical areas (the Middle East, the West)
• deserts, forests, gulfs, and peninsulas (the Sahara, the Persian Gulf, the Black Forest, the Iberian Peninsula)

TIP2. IT, AT, ON (TIME)

Spanish speakers sometimes confuse this stuff by trying to translate them into spanish. That's a problem at the time to get an idea this way. There are concepts you'll have to learn from memory! but do not panic these prepositions are simple at all. yeah! I like how it sounds. Check them out!

1) The preposition IN

When talking about a part of the day, month or year you use IN.



a) It's a cold day IN winter. you'd better get a coat!
b) Someone is standing in middle of a way IN the evening.
b) In Chile the Winter is IN August.

2) The preposition AT.

When talking about an exact time (like exact point in the previously tip) you use at.




a) What time do you have dinner? answer; I have my dinner AT 7 o'clock.
b) What time do you arrive? Answer: I arrive AT 5 in the evening.
c) What do you do AT weekends? Answer: I like going out with my friends.

3) The preposition ON.

When we're talking about either an exact date or an exact day of a week, we use ON.


a) Would you like to go clubbing on Friday? (Not this) Oh, I'd love to.
b) The party will start at 7 o'clock ON March the first day.

On monday, tuesday, wednesday, thursday, friday, saturday and Sunday.

but!! On march 1st instead of IN March lacking of an exact date. In march but On march 21st.

Examples.

On Monday one.
On someone's birthday date.
On christmas, easter, on mother's day, father's day. (Special dates for you)

IN the Morning, afternoon, evening (but at night, at midday, at midnight)
IN January, february, March, April, May, June, July, August, september, etc.
IN Summer, Autumm, Winter, Spring.

AT 8 o'clock, 7: 45 am, etc.
At weekends.
At christams (The time that we have to get gifts for our family not the exact day)

TIP1. IT, AT, ON (LOCATION)

Tip 1. What's the difference between IT, AT & ON? (Location)

The meaning of this tree prepositions can be easily recognized . Beginners are supposed to learn large lists of this stuff in which are inhibit to know freely what they mean. Let's check them out.

AT indicates the specific location of something, the direction or destination. This called for further comments because it has a great variety of uses but these are the commonest.

Point at the map. Location.



Joe's waiting for me at the Restaurant. (She's aside the restaurant, opposite to)
She spent the whole evening at the Fair.

The place where we are going to. Destination.

We sit at the table to talk about the meeting.
My sister arrive at the house.

Direction.


The policeman leaped at the assailant.
The dog jumped at my face to give me its welcome.

IN & ON Nouns denoting enclosed spaces, such as a field or a window, take both on and in. The prepositions have their normal meanings with these nouns: on is used when the space is considered as a surface, in when the space is presented as an area:



The school football team is playing on the field. (Surface)
The lambs are grazing in the fields. (Area)

The frost made patterns on the window (Surface)
A face appeared in the window. (Area)

If you look at these examples attentively you'll notice that the things surrounded by something uses IN as a preposition.