When are we not to going to use any articles? There are so called rules that could help us with this. But before going any further, may I remind you of this, "In every rule, there is an exception."
1. Do not use an article before general nouns.
Criminals are thrown to jail.
The nouns criminals and jail here both refer to general ideas. Compare this with the next sentence.
The criminals caught last night were thrown to a jail in Manila.
2. Do not use an article before proper nouns.
Tokyo is the capital of Japan.
I prefer Sony when it comes to appliances.
Sarah likes Nescafe.
Filipinos are known to be hospitable.
The most common surname in Korea is Lee.
But there are also proper nouns that need articles, especially the. Click here to learn more of them.
3. Do not use an article before names of months and days.
I will buy a new car in June.
Sunday is the first day of the week.
4. Do not use an article before names of sports.
I love playing basketball.
Table tennis is my favorite sport.
5. Do not use an article before names of diseases.
My friend has been suffering from malaria.
Prostate cancer is common to men nowadays.
But we can use articles before names of diseases that are not really serious.
She has a cold.
My baby has a cough.
6. Do not use an article before names of meals.
Breakfast is the most important meal of the day.
Come, dinner is ready.
but say,
The breakfast we had yesterday was really delicious.
7. Do not use an article before uncountable nouns.
Sugar is not at all bad for your health.
We really do not need an article before an uncountable noun. Another thing is, sugar here is considered a general noun (Rule # 1). But we can say,
Please get the sugar on the table.
(specific sugar)
Another example
I really like milk, but the milk you gave me tastes bad.
8. Do not use an article before a noun followed by a number or a letter.
Please open your book on page 10.
My little brother belongs to section A.
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