冠词是一种虚词，放在名词的前面，帮助说明名词的含义。冠词分不定冠词(The Indefinite Article)和定冠词(The Definite Article)两种。a (an)是不定冠词，a用在辅音之前，如a book, a man; an用在元音之前，如an old woman, an hour等。the是定冠词。

1.不定冠词的用法

1)指人或事物的某一种类。这是不定冠词a(an)的基本用法。例如:

I am a boy.

Pass me an apple, please.

2)指某人或某物，但不具体说明何人或何物。例如:

A boy is waiting for you.

He borrowed a story-book from the library.

3)表示数量，有“一”的意思，但数的概念没有one强烈。例如:

I have a mouth, a nose and two eyes.

警示 在“a…or two”结构中，a虽然表示“一”，但不能换成one。例如:

a day or two一两天。

4)用于某些固定词组中。例如:

a bit, a few, a little, a lot of, a piece of, a cup of, a glass of, a pile of。

2.定冠词的用法

1)特指某(些)人或某(些)事物。这是定冠词the的基本用法。例如:

Beijing is the capital of China.

The book on the desk is mine.

(特指桌上的那本书。注意名词book被短语on the desk所限定。)

2)指谈话双方都知道的人或事物。例如:

Where is the teacher? (双方都知道指的是哪一位教师。)

Open the window, please. (双方都知道指的是哪一扇窗。)

3)指上文提过的人和事物。例如:

There was a chair by the window. On the chair sat a young woman with a baby in her arms; the baby was thin.

4)用在世界上独一无二的事物前。例如:

The earth is bigger than the moon, but smaller than the sun.

5)用在序数词和形容词最高级前。例如:

Mr Green taught the first class.

Alice is the tallest in her class.

6) 用在某些专有名词前。例如:the Great Wall, the Summer Palace, the History Museum, the Science Museum, the Capital Stadium, the Childrens Palace, the East Street Hospital, the Party。

警示 “某些专有名词”指的是由普通名词构成的专有名词，独立的专有名词如France, South Korea则属于“不用冠词”的第一条。

7)用在一些习惯用语中。例如:in the day, in the morning (afternoon, evening), the day after tomorrow, the day before yesterday, the next morning, by the way。

3.下列情况中一般不用冠词

1)在专有名词和不可数名词前。例如:China, Grade Two, Class Three, science, chalk, ink, paper, water, tea, milk。

2)名词前已有作定语用的this, that, my, your, some, any等代词。例如:

The letter is in her basket.

Go down this street.

3)复数名词表示一类人或事物时。例如:

My father and mother are teachers.

She likes reading stories.

4)在节日、日期、月份、季节前。例如:

Today is New Years Day.

It is Sunday(Monday, Tuesday, etc.)

March 8 is Womens Day.

It is cold in winter.

注意 “春节”是the Spring Festival, 前面一般要加the。

5)在称呼语或表示头衔的名词前。例如:

Whats the matter, Granny?

This is Comrade Wang.

6)在某些习惯用语中的名词前。例如:at noon, at night, at first, at last, by bus, in bed, in time, in front of, go to school, go to bed。

7)在三餐和球类运动名称前。例如:

He goes to school after breakfast.

We are going to play football.

应用 在下列句子需要的地方填入冠词a, an或the。

①____ elephant is much stronger than ____ horse.

②There are ____ hundred and eighty-eight students in ____ Grade Eight, and there are forty-seven students in ____ class.

③Beijing is ____ capital city of ____ China.

④My grandpa usually goes out for ____ walk in ____ evening.

⑤Could you tell me ____ way to ____ nearest post office?

⑥Would you like ____ milk or ____ tea?

⑦____ second bell was already ringing when he went into ____classroom.

⑧____ child saw ____ ball on ____ ground and picked it up.

⑨____ doctor has been working for five hours without ____ rest.

⑩There is ____ lake at ____ foot of ____ hill. By ____ lake stand many apple trees.

Key(3)

赵巧果 河北衡水市第三中学