Special Article Uses: Ordinals, Superlatives, Instruments, Decades
Practice fixed article patterns beyond the basics: 'the' with ordinals, superlatives, musical instruments, decades, and 'the + adjective' for groups of people.
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___ rich should help ___ poor.
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The ... the
'The + adjective' = a group of people. The rich = rich people, the poor = poor people. Always plural.
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She was ___ first person to arrive.
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the
'The' with ordinals: the first, the second, the third, the last. Ordinals point to a specific position.
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He plays ___ guitar in a band.
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the
Musical instruments use 'the': play the guitar, play the piano. But sports: play tennis (no article).
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Rock and roll became popular in ___ 1950s.
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the
Decades always need 'the': the 1950s, the '60s, the 1990s.
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She's ___ student at art school.
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a
Jobs and roles need 'a/an': She's a student, He's an engineer. 'Art school' has no article (institution for purpose).
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She is ___ tallest girl in her class.
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the
Superlatives always use 'the': the tallest, the best, the most interesting.
Special Article Uses
Beyond the core a/an/the/zero system, English has a set of fixed patterns that always take 'the', regardless of first or second mention. These must be learned as a group because they don't follow from the general identifiability rule in an obvious way — 'the' is simply obligatory in these grammatical positions.
Ordinals and Superlatives
She is the tallest girl in her class. (superlative)
Musical Instruments and Decades
Rock and roll became popular in the 1950s. (decade)
'The + Adjective' for a Group of People
Jobs and Roles Take 'A/An'
Common Mistakes
✗ He plays a guitar in a band. → ✓ He plays the guitar in a band.
✗ Rock and roll became popular in a 1950s. → ✓ ...in the 1950s.
Last updated: · Satori Editorial