1. The Art of Articles

2. A / AN
With singular countable nouns when it is not clear which thing or person is being talked about.
We got an from Carla.
She’s renting an apartment.
The first time something is mentioned.
We have a problem.
In phrases of quantity or frequency.
Two times a week.
30 km an hour

3. NO ARTICLE
With plural and uncountable nouns to talk about things in general.
Tigers are amazing animals.
Children need at least ten hours’ sleep.
For continents, countries, towns, roads, stations, mountains and lakes.
Europe, Spain, Barcelona, Mount Everest, Loch Ness…
Holidays, companies, languages, universities.
Christmas, Facebook, Chinese, Yale.

4. THE
When it’s clear to the listener / reader what is being talked about.
She had the children with her. (Her children)
I liked the speech you made. (That one in particular)
When something is unique. Superlatives.
The first man on the moon. / The biggest fan.
When something has been mentioned before.
There is a phone on the table. The phone is blue.

5. THE
For oceans, rivers, organisations, deserts, mountain ranges, decades.
The Atlantic, the Thames, the United Nations, the Sahara, the Alps, the 90’s.
Fixed lexical phrases.
What’s the matter? / The more the merrier.
With an adjective or a singular countable noun for things in general.
The tiger could soon be extinct.
The city is devided between the rich and the poor.

6. Exceptions
Articles are often dropped in double expressions, particularly with prepositions. Examples are:
With knife and fork/ husband and wife / from top to bottom, inch by inch, on land and sea
Note that articles are not usually dropped when singular nouns follow prepositions.
You can’t get there without a car. (NOT You can’t get there without car.)
Kind of. The article a/an is usually dropped after kind of, sort of, type of and similar expressions.
What kind of person is she? (NOT What kind of a person is she?) What sort of bird is that?
Place names
We say: the People’s Republic of China, the United Kingdom, the United States, the Netherlands, the Hague.