Grammar · B2
Articles: a, an, the, and none at all
Use a or an when the listener does not yet know which one you mean, the when they do, and no article when you are talking about something in general or about an uncountable idea. Life is short uses no article; the life of a translator uses the, because the phrase that follows says exactly which life.
Articles are decided by what the listener already knows, not by the noun itself. The first time something appears it takes a or an; after that it takes the, because now both of you know which one is meant.
No article at all is the right answer more often than learners expect. Plural and uncountable nouns used in a general sense take nothing: life is short, information is expensive, cats sleep.
The moment you add words that pin the noun down, the returns: the life of a translator, the information you sent, the cats next door.
A few patterns simply have to be learned. Musical instruments take the. Superlatives take the. Mountain ranges and plural country names take the. And a role that only one person can hold takes no article after verbs such as appoint, elect and make: she was appointed editor.
Now use it
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She has just been made head of department.