Mastering English Articles and Vocabulary

English Article Usage Rules

The Article "The"

Use "The":

• When there is only one of something in existence.
• When we have mentioned a person or thing before.
• When it is clear who or what we are referring to.
• With superlative adjectives.
• With some adjectives.
• With some countries, before national groups, before nationalities ending in –sc, -ch.
• With plural names of countries, rivers, seas, oceans, etc.
• With musical instruments, newspapers, inventions, and parts of the body after a preposition.

The Articles "A/An"

Use "A/An":

• Before single countable nouns when we talk about a thing or person (or professions).
• Before some non-serious illnesses.
• Before certain fixed expressions.
• With expressions of quantity.

No Article (–)

Use No Article (–):

• Before plural, countable nouns.
• Before serious illnesses.
• Before sports, games, school subjects, and languages.
• Before meals.
• Before certain institutions like hospitals and prisons.
• With the names of continents, cities, mountains, names of streets/roads, squares, and parks.
• With most shops and restaurants.

Exceptions to Article Rules

Note these common exceptions:

• To/at school, university, college, work.
• In class.
• To/in/into/out of bed, hospital, prison.
• Go home.
• By car, bus, plane, boat, taxi, ferry, bicycle, by accident/mistake.
• On foot/holiday/business/time/TV.

Entertainment and Performance Vocabulary

Music and Stage Terms

Album, Appearance, Audience, Audition, Backstage, Ballet, Band, Celebrity, Choir, Contestant, Debut, Fan, Flop, Gig, Live, Opera, Miss (error, failure), Musical, Performance, Producer, Show, Single, Stadium, Stardom, Superstar.

Media and Film Terms

Cartoon, Documentary, Drama, News, Reality TV, Soap opera.

Performance and Descriptive Words

Bring the house down (to receive much applause), Cynical, Episode, Get nowhere, Middle-of-the-road, Number one spot, Onlookers, Participant, Phenomenal, Song-writing, Trial, Unaffected.

Prefixes for Forming Negative or Opposite Meanings

Common Negative Prefixes

• -DIS: able (capable) $\rightarrow$ disable; approval $\rightarrow$ disapproval; approve $\rightarrow$ disapprove.
• -IN: expensive $\rightarrow$ inexpensive.
• -IL: legal $\rightarrow$ illegal.
• -IM: possible $\rightarrow$ impossible.
• -IR: regular $\rightarrow$ irregular.
• -MIS: understand $\rightarrow$ misunderstand.
• -UN: acceptable $\rightarrow$ unacceptable.

Essential Phrasal Verbs

Phrasal Verbs for Action and Change

• *Come along (to accompany/arrive)
• *End up (to finish/conclude)
• *Get through (to complete something)
• *Go for (to attack someone; to choose)
• *Set out (to propose/depart)
• *Come about (to occur)
• *Come across (to encounter)
• *Come back (to return)
• *Come from (to originate from)
• *Come up to (to reach a certain level)
• *Cut down (to reduce)
• *Give up (to quit something)
• *Go back (to return)
• *Go on (to continue)
• *Run out of (to exhaust the supply of)
• *Throw away (to discard)