Don't use the articles ...

  1. before most proper nouns

    A proper noun is the name of a person, place or thing and is spelled with a capital letter.

    Examples:

    • Tokyo is the capital of Japan.
    • Mike is a good graphic designer.

    Exceptions:

    • countries that indicate a group

      the United States, the Netherlands, the Philipines

    • mountain ranges, rivers, groups of lakes, seas and deserts

      the Himalayas, the lps, the Singapore River, the Great Lakes, the South China Sea, the Pacific Ocean, the Sahara Desert

    • monuments, memorials, parks and shrines

      the National Library, the War Memorial Park

    • educational institutions with the words "of" or "for" in their names

      the University of Singapore, the Singapore Institute of Management, the Singapore School for the Deaf


  2. with uncountable nouns

    Example: In many Asian countries, the rice is preferred to bread.

    The word "rice" is an uncountable noun and we do not use the definite article ("the") or indefinite article ("a" or "an") with uncountable nouns.

    Exception: uncountable nouns treated as countable

    • Jean gave me a chocolate. (referring to "a specific")
    • I fell into the water. (referring to "a specific")
    • Do you have a shampoo for oily hair? (meaning = "a type of")


  3. with plural nouns when talking about them "in general"

    • The books Books are expensive.
    Meaning = All books are expensive.
    When talking about things (plural) in general, we should not use "the".

    • The books are expensive.
    Meaning = Not all books are expensive, just the ones I'm talking about.

    Note: As the indefinite article ("a" or "an") is singular in meaning, it is never used with a plural noun.


  4. with expresssions related to diseases, places, transport, meals and time

    • She is dying of the cancer.
    • Who smoked in the class?
    • I go to the school by a bus.
    • I had some cereal for the breakfast.
    • We traveled mostly by the night.

Which article to use