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- The substantivized adjectives denoting abstract notions are always used with the definite article, e.g. the present, the past, the future, the singular, the plural, e.g.
They didn't expect anything cheerful in the future.
Note: The expression in future means ‘from this time on’, while in the future means ‘after a period of time’:
In future try to be more careful.
You will need it in the future.
ARTICLES WITH NOUNS IN SOME SYNTACTIC FUNCTIONS AND PATTERNS
Articles with predicative nouns
- The indefinite article with the singular countable nouns and zero articles with the plural countable nouns and singular uncountable nouns have the classifying meaning:
He is a student. They are students. This is love.
- The definite article is used when the predicative noun is modified by a limiting attribute:
He is the person to help you. He is the authority you look for.
Articles with nouns in apposition
- The indefinite article with the singular and a zero article with the plural has the classifying meaning:
Jane, a girl of 17, is already a student.
John and Nick, young sportsmen, will take part in the competition.
- The definite article is used when the noun is modified by a limiting attribute or the noun refers to a familiar object:
Mr. Smith, the owner of the house, met us on the steps.
R. Burns, the famous Scottish poet, is well known to Russian readers.
- Nouns denoting titles and ranks are used without article if they are followed by personal names: President Bush, Queen Mary.
- Nouns denoting family relations are used without articles if they are followed by personal names: Aunt Mary, Uncle John.
- Other appositive nouns take the definite article if they are followed by personal names: the painter Hogarth, the writer Dickens.
- The definite article is used with names of books, films, etc.: the novel "A Farewell to Arms".
Articles in parallel structures
Nouns used in parallel structures take no article:
He went from house to house asking the same question.
Remember: arm in arm, hand in hand, man to man, shoulder to shoulder, from beginning to end, from north to south, from floor to ceiling, from right to left, from head to foot.
Articles with nouns used as address
Nouns used to address a person take no article:
Do you hear me, officer?
Articles after the verbs to appoint, to elect, to make
No article is used as a rule with nouns after these verbs:
Last year he was appointed secretary of the council.
6. Articles after “as”
Both articles can be used with nouns introduced by as. The article can be left out as well:
She allowed it as an exception.
As the headmaster she had to do it.
She started to work as teacher last year.
7. Article after the exclamatory “what”
After the exclamatory what the indefinite article is used with countable nouns in the singular. In other cases nouns do not take any article:
What a pity! What nice weather we are having this autumn!
SPECIAL CASES OF THE USE OF ARTICLES
ARTICLES WITH THE NAMES OF SEASONS
Names of seasons (winter, spring, summer, autumn) are usually used without article if they have general sense:
Summer is the best season for travelling.
It is autumn now, but the days are as cold as in winter.
Note: In the American English the definite article is used in this case.
The indefinite article is used when names of seasons are modified by descriptive attributes:
It was a rainy summer and we didn't go out much.
Names of seasons take no article if they are modified by the adjectives late or early:
