The use of articles with the names of months and days, seasons, meals, languages

The nouns	As a rule no article	When modified by a particularizing attribute: The	When modified by a descriptive attribute: A	In set expressions
1. The names of months and days (May, Monday)	– Mayis a spring month. – I met her on Tuesday.	– We’ll always remember the May of 1945. – She came on the Friday when David was born.	– A cold May is a usual thing in St. Petersburg.
2. The names of seasons (summer, winter)	– I like winter. – It was summer when we first came here.	– It happened in the spring of 1990.	It was a beautiful spring. But: no article early/late spring, winter
3. Nouns: day, night, evening, morning, afternoon	– Day is meant for work, night for sleep. – It was evening.	– He’ll never forget the day when he met her. – The night was warm and beautiful.	– I spent a sleepless night. But: no article early/late afternoon, night, broad day, high noon	by day/night; at night/ dawn/ daybreak/ sunrise/ sunset/ noon; frommorning till night; in themorning/ night
4. The names of languages (French, English)	– She knows French well.	– The English of America differs from the English of Great Britain. – the English language		What is the English for...?
5. The names of meals (lunch, dinner, tea)	– Did you have dinner? – Lunch is ready.	– The dinner we had today was very good. – The lunch was a success.	– After a heavy breakfast we started for... But: no article early/late dinner, supper	to have lunch (tea, breakfast) But: to have a gooddinner

2) the use of articles with the nouns school/college, prison/jail, bed, town, church

The nouns	When the noun lose the concrete meaning and express the purpose for which they serve: no article	When the nouns denote concrete objects the articles are used in accordance to the general rules
School/ college/ university	to be at school/college/university to go to school/college/university to leave school/college – After I left school I went to university (as a student) – Why aren’t the children at school today? (as pupils)	to go to the/a school (the building is meant) to leave the school (to leave the building) – Mr. Kelly went to the school to meet his daughter’s teacher. – Is there a school near here?
Church	in church / to church – Mrs. Kelly goes to church on Sundays (for a religious service).	– The church was built in the 17th century. – There is a church in the village.
Prison/jail	to be in prison to be sent to prison/jail to be put in prison – Ken’s brother is in prison for robbery. – Fred robbed a bank but he was caught and sent to prison.	– Ken went to the prison to visit his brother. – They lived near a prison.
Bed	to go to bed to be in bed to stay in bed – It’s time to go to bed. – Is Tom still in bed?	– Her portrait was on the wall beside the bed. – There is a table, 6 chairs, a bed and a cupboard in the room.
Work	to go to work to be at work to start work – Why isn’t Ann at work today?	– I like the work I’m doing now. – A new work of modern art. – The works of Shakespeare.
Home	to go home to come / arrive home to be at home / to stay at home to feel at home – Let’s go home.	Institution or place: an orphans home, anursing home, amaternity home. Place where an animal or a plant is native: thehome of the tiger
Town	to / in town – You can’t go to town tomorrow. – What are you going to do in town. – He spent 20 years in town, he is not used to country life.	– I want to go to the town I was born in. – Would you rather live in a town or in the country? – The whole town was talking about it.
Hospital	to go to hospital to be in hospital – Jack had an accident. He had to go to hospital. He is still in hospital now.	– when Ann was ill we went to the hospital to visit her. – Is there a hospital near here?

Of-phrases:

Quality –a book of interest a feeling of relief

a sense of humor a question of importance

quantity or measure –a temperature of 20

a distance of three miles

a box of two tons

composition –a group of children a party of 12 people

a flock of birds a team of hockey-players

age –a boy of 5 a man of middle age

material –a wall of glass a ring of gold

a scarf of thick wool

content –a cup of tea a bottle of milk

a box of cigarettes

size –a sailor of middle height a building of enormous size

When the noun manis used in a generic sense, no article is found with it:

Surely he had suffered everything that mancan endure.

The noun woman in a generic sense may be used with the definite article or without any article:

He had always been interested in that mysterious being- the woman.

Woman is man’s helpmate.

There is often no article with homogeneous parts of a sentence:

Horse & riderstood as if posing for a statue.

Are husband & wife so much one flesh that if one hates the wife one has to hate the husband too?

She keeps her diary under lock & key.

Boy or man, I have never loved any other woman.