Media and Culture — The Radio, The Piano, TV and Decades
Practice fixed article patterns tied to media, culture and time: 'the radio' and 'the internet' (always 'the'), 'television' (no article), newspaper names like 'the Guardian', musical instruments, and decades/centuries.
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She learned to play ___ violin when she was six.
Show answer
the
Musical instruments take 'the' — play the violin, play the piano.
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I read about the election in ___ Guardian.
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the
Names of newspapers take 'the' — the Guardian, the Times.
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My grandparents don't watch much ___ television.
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—
'Watch television' takes no article.
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My parents grew up in ___ 1980s.
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the
Decades take 'the' — the 1980s, the 1990s.
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I heard the news on ___ radio this morning.
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the
We say 'on the radio' — the radio takes 'the'.
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Shall we go to ___ cinema this evening?
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the
'Go to the cinema' is a fixed expression with 'the'.
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There was an interesting article in ___ Times yesterday.
Show answer
the
Names of newspapers take 'the' — the Times.
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We are living in ___ 21st century, after all.
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the
Centuries take 'the' — the 21st century.
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He can play ___ piano really beautifully.
Show answer
the
Musical instruments take 'the' — play the piano.
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I found the recipe on ___ internet.
Show answer
the
'The internet' always takes 'the'.
Fixed Article Patterns with Media, Culture and Time Words
A group of everyday nouns connected to media, culture and time periods each have one fixed, memorised article — the choice cannot be derived from a general rule and must be learned noun by noun. The radio and the internet always take 'the', but television takes no article when used as an activity ('watch television'). Newspaper names conventionally take 'the' — the Guardian, the Times — reflecting a wider pattern for named publications. Musical instruments after play always take 'the' (the violin, the piano), unlike sports and games, which take none. Decades and centuries behave the same way for a different reason: each names one unique, bounded historical period, so 'the' is grammatically required — the 1980s, the 21st century. Because none of these choices follow from a single logical principle, they are best learned as a set of fixed collocations.
Radio, Television and the Internet
My grandparents don't watch much — television. (no article)
Shall we go to the cinema this evening?
I found the recipe on the internet.
Newspaper Names
There was an interesting article in the Times yesterday.
Musical Instruments
He can play the piano really beautifully.
Decades and Centuries
We are living in the 21st century, after all.
Common Mistakes
✗ My grandparents don't watch much the television. → ✓ My grandparents don't watch much television.
✗ I read about the election in — Guardian. → ✓ I read about the election in the Guardian.
✗ He can play — piano really beautifully. → ✓ He can play the piano really beautifully.
✗ My parents grew up in — 1980s. → ✓ My parents grew up in the 1980s.
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