1. 冠词
1. 什么时候用 a/an
几个要注意的首字母: u, o, h.
- a 用于辅音前
- a university student
- a uniform
- a useful book
- a one-hour documentary
- a one-bedroomed apartment
- a human
- a European country
- an 用于元音前
- an umbrella
- an unknown man
- an hour
- an honest girl
- an 11-old girl (eleven)
- an eleven-mile walk
- an e-mail
- an x-ray machine (x-ray / apple)
- an outcast (被抛弃的人)
- Buy a house in an hour.
(Even though "house" and "hour" start with the same three letters ("hou"), "house" attracts "a," and "hour" attracts "an.")- An unknown goblin killed a unicorn.
(Even though "unknown" and "unicorn" start with the same two letters ("un"), "unknown" attracts "an," and "unicorn" attracts "a." Remember that it is the sound of the first letter that determines whether to use "an" or "a.")
1.1. PS. 关于 hotel (不用看)
hotel 之前通常是 a, 不过 h 可以不发音, 变成 an hotel.
Some speakers do not pronounce the ‘h’ at the beginning of hotel and use ‘an’ instead of ‘a’ before it. This now sounds old-fashioned. 有人说 hotel 时不发 h 音，前面用 an 而不用 a，现在听起来过时了。
—OALECD 8e
Also see 薄冰英语语法 p54, (17).
2. 用哪种冠词
2.1. 不定冠词 a/an
- 在序数词前
- ask a third man
- go there a second time
- 固定搭配
- have a cold/toothache
- have a walk/swim
- 特殊
- I think this is a most useful book to you.
- A Mr. Chen is waiting for you.
Mr. Chen likes playing football.
2.2. 定冠词 the
- 乐器
- play the piano/guitar/violin
- 方位
- Jiangsu lies in the east of China while Japan is to the east of China.
- 一类人 (形容词前)
- the elderly
- the disabled
- the public (公众)
- 一家人 (名字前)
- The Smiths were watching TV when I got there.
- 年代
- in the 1980s
- over the past few years
- 固定搭配
- at the age of
- at the same time
- all the time
- in the end
- in the daytime (在白天)
- in the open air (在户外)
- 特殊
- This dress is my nicest one. (我的最好的)
This dress is the nicest one. (最好的那件)
- This dress is my nicest one. (我的最好的)
2.3. 零冠词
- 日期 & 星期 (非特指)
- I thought we might go for a drive on Sunday. (我想星期天我们可以开车去兜兜风)
- have breakfast on Sunday
- 特指: in the spring of 1999
- 三餐
- What's for breakfast? (早餐吃什么)
- have breakfast/lunch
- Shall we meet somewhere for lunch?. (我们找地方见面一起吃个午饭好不好？)
- If anyone wants me, I'm at lunch with a client. (有人找我，就说我在跟客户吃午餐。)
- 学科
- don't like physics
- 球类, 棋牌类
- play basketball/baseball/ping-pong
- play chess
- play Go (围棋)
- a game of Go (一场围棋比赛)
- the game of Go (围棋比赛)
- by + 交通工具
- by car/train/bike
- 除 by, 其余都要 the/a
- on the bike
- in a car
- take the car
- 名次
- He came first/second/third/last in the match.
2.4. 一些其他的
- the Yellow River
- vs. a yellow river
- the Ming dynasty (明朝)
- the Great Wall
- 节日
- the Spring Festival
- the Mid-Autumn Festival (中秋)
- New Year's Day
- New Year's Eve
- National Day (国庆节)
- Halloween
- Christmas
- the first time
the second time
a second time - 固定搭配
- It's a pity …
Have (no) pity on sb.
- It's a pity …