One of the first “rules” that English students learn is that uncountable nouns can’t be used in the plural form.

As you continue studying English, you start seeing foods and fruits, and you wonder, “is the rule wrong?”

There are some nouns that are both countable and uncountable nouns. In this English grammar lesson, you will learn when you should use food and fruit, and when it’s OK to use foods and fruits.

What are countable and uncountable nouns?
In English, there are countable nouns (also known as count nouns) and uncountable nouns (also known as non-count nouns).

Countable nouns are things that you can count:
1 plant, 2 plants, 2 plants
1 tooth, 2 teeth, 3 teeth

Uncountable nouns are things that you cannot count, or nouns that represent a group:
information
advice
homework
furniture
clothing
research

Uncountable nouns have NO plural form. You can’t make these uncountable nouns plural.

Food vs foods
Food is what people and animals eat. That’s easy to remember! Food is an uncountable noun. You can’t count one food or two foods. Use food as an uncountable noun when you are talking about food in general.

People need to eat food to survive.

I can’t eat all this food!

However, you can also talk about specific kinds of food, and this is where you can sometimes use foods.

Chinese food and Italian food are examples of foreign foods.

The doctor said you need to eat more fruits, vegetables, and other healthy foods.

I have intolerances to a lot of foods. I can’t eat wheat, dairy, soy, almonds and a lot of other things!

I’m having frozen food for dinner tonight. I looked in the freezer and I found all kinds of frozen foods, so I took one and put in the microwave.

If you are not sure if you should use food or foods, use food.

What is your favorite food?
Many students ask if they can use foods in the sentence “My favorite foods are … “ It is grammatically correct to say “My favorite foods are …” but it is not a natural sentence. It sounds weird to me to say “My favorite foods are …” It is more natural to say “I like pizza, nachos & hamburgers!” or “I love Italian food!”

Fruit vs fruits
Fruit is a type of food that grows on a plant, bush, or tree. Usually fruit is an uncountable noun. You can count fruit by saying 1 piece of fruit, 2 pieces of fruit, or a bowl of fruit. Use fruit when you are talking about the entire group in general.

I need to eat more fruit.

I had a sandwich for lunch and then fruit for dessert.

Use fruits when you are talking about many different kinds of fruit:

You can find bananas, grapes and other fruits in the produce section.

Make sure to eat five servings of fruits and vegetables daily.

We grow different kinds of fruits on our farm: apples, pears, blueberries, cherries, and peaches.

If you are not sure if you should use fruit or fruits, use fruit.

Fruits and vegetables or fruit and vegetables?
Both are fine. You will find both in the dictionary.
Macmillan online dictionary: “Eat plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables.”
Merriam-Webster’s Learner’s Dictionary: “The doctor said I should eat more fruits and vegetables.”

What is your favorite fruit?
Again, this question is not something a native speaker would say. It is more common to say “Do you like fruit?” or “What kind of fruit do you like?”

The post Food or Foods? Fruit or Fruits? When is It OK to Use Foods and Fruits? appeared first on english teacher Melanie.

(Photo by Orengo Photography)

1. Dating
Usually, the 1st step in a relationship is going out on a date with someone. Here are some verb phrases you can use to talk about a date:

to go on a date (with someone)

I went out on a date with him once. It was kind of boring.

to have a date (with someone)

I have a date with Jamie tonight! We’re going out for dinner and then to a movie.

to go out (with someone)*

I’m going out with Fred tonight. We’re going to the U2 concert.

In the above verb phrases, date is used as a noun. In this case, with is used to indicate that there is someone else on the date too. However, when you want to talk about how long you have been in a relationship with someone, date is used as a verb. With is NOT used with the verb date.

to date (someone)

I’ve been dating him for 4 months.
X: I’ve been dating with him for 4 months.

She’s dating Ken.

I’m dating an incredible guy right now!

I’m tired of dating losers – I want a real man!

*To go out (with someone) can be an ambiguous phrase. It could mean …
– you are spending time with friends:

I’m going out with the girls tonight!

– you are on a date with someone:

I’m going out with Adam tonight. It’s our first date!

– you have been in a relationship with someone for a long time:

I’ve been going out with him for 2 ½ years.

2. Marriage
When two people decide to get married, the man usually proposes to the woman, and asks “Will you marry me?”

After the proposal but before the wedding, the couple is engaged. They are engaged to be married.

They are engaged! They got engaged last month.

They plan to marry next month.

I intend to marry my current boyfriend.

The verb phrase to get married (to someone) is used to refer to the actual day of the wedding or the act of getting married.

They’re getting married on June 16th.

I really want to get married and have a family.

We got married when we were very young.

We got married on May 5th.

After the wedding, you can use be married (to someone):

We were married on May 5th.

I am married.

We are married.

She is married to Jim.

In ALL of the above sentences, with is NOT used with marry or married. This is a common mistake that English learners make.

Jim is my uncle. He’s married to Samantha.
X: Jim is my uncle. He’s married with Samantha.

3. The End of a Relationship
Not all relationships end in marriage. Often couples break up. Sometimes the break-up is easy, sometimes it’s heart-breaking.

It was not an easy break-up.

Did you hear that Jane and Kevin broke up last week?

Sometimes it takes people a long time to get over a break-up. They feel sad that the relationship is over, and it will take them awhile to feel better about it.

I’m still getting over Sam.

I’m still getting over my last boyfriend.

I’m still getting over my break-up with Sam.

You can refer to the person as your ex-girlfriend, or your ex-boyfriend, or just your ex.

Sadly, not all marriages last forever, either. Sometimes couples will separate. They don’t want to live together anymore, but they don’t want to get divorced yet.

We are separated. We’re working through our marital problems.

We’re not divorced yet. We’re just separated.

You can be divorced, you can divorce (someone), or you can get a divorce (from someone):

I want a divorce!

It’s just not working out. We’re getting a divorce.

I was married for 10 years, but now I’m divorced.

He and his wife divorced 5 years ago.

After the divorce, you can refer to the person as your ex-husband or ex-wife, or just your ex.

The post Vocabulary Spotlight on: Relationships appeared first on english teacher Melanie.

1. Sometimes is an adverb of frequency. Think of it as halfway between never and always.

Example sentences:

Sometimes I am so tired I can’t get out of bed!

He sometimes plays tennis instead of going to the gym.

We like to go to the beach on vacation sometimes.

2. Sometime (no ‘s’) is also an adverb, but it is used to talk about an unspecified point in the future or an unspecified point in the past.

Example sentences:

We should get together for coffee sometime!

Sometime soon I would like you to clean your room!

The accident occurred sometime before 6pm.

3. When you use some time, it’s like saying ‘some food’ or ‘some people’ – some is used to talk about how much of the noun time you have or want.

Example sentences:

Do you have some time to check my essay?

She has some time to spend in her garden now that she has quit her job.

Take some time to think about the offer before you accept or decline it.

He was able to buy some time by saying his wife was out of town & he can’t make a decision without her.
(idiom: to buy time = to get more time; he wanted more time to make a decision so he said he couldn’t make a decision without his wife.)

You might also like to read:
Vocabulary: Everyday or every day?.

The post Vocabulary – Sometimes, Sometime & Some Time appeared first on english teacher Melanie.

sed in this article.***

Bond. James Bond.

Agent 007 [double oh seven] in the British Secret Service MI6.

James Bond movies are known for a few things: action, danger, exotic locations, gorgeous women (Bond Girls), evil enemies, and double entendres.

A double entendre /ˈdʌbəl ɑnˈtɑ:ndrə/ is a word or phrase that has two meanings: a normal meaning and a sexual meaning.

In this article, you’ll learn about some of the naughty, sexual meanings of names and dialogue in James Bond movies!

First, let’s make sure that everyone knows some basic vocabulary. Sex organs and genitals are nice, non-offensive, formal words used to talk about the body parts used for sex. A woman has a vagina and a clitoris (the part just above a vagina). A man has a penis and testicles.

Okay?

Bond Girls

In every James Bond movie, there are always attractive, sophisticated women. A Bond Girl can be an ally or an enemy, but she is usually the woman who becomes Bond’s love interest (the woman Bond becomes interested in).

Some Bond Girls are eye candy, their only purpose in the movie other than to be attractive and pleasant to look at! Bond girls are often criticized as sex objects, women who are only valued because they are sexually attractive.

A few Bond Girls have very suggestive [=makes you think of sex] names!

Honey Ryder (Dr. No, 1962)

‘Ryder’ is pronounced the same as rider: /raɪdɚ/. A rider, of course, is someone who rides something, like an a animal (ride a horse), a vehicle (ride the bus), … or a man! When a woman is ‘on top’ during sex, she is ‘riding’ the man. This sexual position is also called the ‘cowgirl’ or ‘cowgirl position’ since it looks like a cowgirl riding a horse.

Pussy Galore (Goldfinger, 1964)

James Bond: “Who are you?”

Bond Girl: “My name is Pussy Galore.”

James Bond: “I must be dreaming.”

Pussy is a crude, offensive slang word used for a woman’s vagina. Galore is an adjective [always used after a noun, not before] that means ‘in large amounts, a lot of, many.’

Bond remarks that he must be dreaming, since she seems to say that there is a lot of pussy!

Plenty O’Toole (Diamonds are Forever, 1971)

Bond Girl: “Hi, I’m Plenty!”

Bond [looks at her chest]: “But of course you are.”

The woman’s first name is Plenty. Plenty means ‘a large amount’ or ‘a lot of’. As you can see in the video above, she has big boobs [=breasts] that are very visible. Bond jokes that ‘plenty’ is a good name for her since she has plenty of breasts!

Bond Girl: “Plenty O’Toole”

Bond: “Named after your father, perhaps?”

Her name is a quick way of saying “plenty of tool.” As a slang word, a tool can have many different meanings. Here Bond jokes that ‘plenty of tool’ is a reference to the size of her father’s penis (her father’s penis is his ‘tool’).

Holly Goodhead (Moonraker, 1979)

Head is slang for oral sex on a man, also known as a blow job.

Oral is an adjective used for things related to the mouth, so oral sex is when someone uses their mouth to stimulate another person’s sex organs & give them pleasure.

Head is the act of a woman using her mouth on a man’s penis to give him pleasure. ‘Goodhead’ implies that she is good at giving head.

Dialogue
“Well, tell him to pull out immediately!”
(The Spy Who Loved Me, 1977)

M: “Miss Moneypenny, where is 007 now?

Moneypenny: “He’s on a mission, sir. In Austria.”

M: “Well, tell him to pull out immediately!”

After this dialogue, the scene changes to show James Bond in bed with a woman.

In the dialogue, M wanted Bond to stop his work in Austria leave the country.

To pull out during sex is to stop having sex. The man ‘pulls out’ his penis from the woman’s vagina before he has an orgasm and ejaculates [=semen (liquid) comes out of his penis].

“You always were a cunning linguist, James.”

(Tomorrow Never Dies 1997)

James Bond is in bed with his language tutor. He gets a phone call from Miss Moneypenny, the secretary to M (M is James Bond’s boss). After a short conversation, Moneypenny ends the call by saying:

“You always were a cunning linguist, James.”

A linguist is someone who speaks and studies languages. Someone who is cunning is able to get what they want, usually because they are intelligent and clever and are able to trick or cheat people.

However, cunning linguist also sounds like cunnilingus /ˌkʌnɪˈlɪŋɡəs/. Cunnilingus is the formal name for ‘going down’ on a woman, or oral sex on a woman.

“I thought Christmas only comes once a year!”

(The World is Not Enough, 1999)

Bond: “I was wrong about you.”

Dr. Jones: “Yeah? How so?”

Bond: “I thought Christmas only comes once a year!”

The Bond Girl in this scene is named Dr. Christmas Jones. Christmas is a Christian holiday that happens every year on December 25. It only happens once a year. It is common to use ‘come’ as a synonym for ‘happen’: “Christmas is coming!”

To come is also a synonym for ‘to have an orgasm.’ An orgasm is the height of sexual pleasure.

This dialogue happens while Bond and Christmas Jones are having sex. He implies that she has had more than one orgasm, or that they have had sex more than once.

The post Learn Some English Words about SEX from James Bond Movies! appeared first on english teacher Melanie.

Often English learners feel more comfortable with rules to memorize [and we have lots of them in English!], but sometimes there is no rule. There is no rule why go is sometimes followed by to or to the. That’s just the way it is!

1. go …
*No ‘to,’ no ‘the’

go home
go downtown
go there
go away

I like going downtown Toronto, but I don’t like driving there.

We went to Bermuda on vacation last year! We go there every year.

You’re really annoying me. Go away!

2. go + gerund
*No ‘to’:

go shopping
go dancing
go sightseeing
go jogging
go hiking
go skiing
go running
go bowling
go camping

I love to go skiing in the Rocky Mountains.

My friends and I like going shopping after school.

We’re going hiking this weekend. Do you want to come?

3. go to…
*NO ‘the’

go to work
go to school
go to jail
go to bed

a country, a city
We went to Bermuda on vacation last year!

someone’s house
Let’s go to your parent’s house for dinner tonight.

Do you have to go to work tomorrow or do you have the day off?

4. go to the…
go to the movies
go to the bank
go to the post office
go to the hospital
go to the airport
go to the train station
go to the doctor
go to the dentist

We went to the movies last night. We saw ‘Iron Man 2.’

I’m going to the hospital this afternoon to visit my grandmother.

I have to go to the airport to pick up my friend. She’s visiting us for the next couple of weeks.

The post How to Use the Verb “Go” appeared first on english teacher Melanie.

“Teacher, can you explain me . . .?” or “Let me explain you what I mean . . .“

No, I cannot explain YOU anything nor can you explain ME anything because that is NOT the correct use of explain!

~

The definition of explain is:

to make something clear or easy to understand by describing or giving information about it; to give reasons for something.
(*from the Cambridge Advanced Learner’s Dictionary)

*Explain is used in a specific pattern:

You explain something TO someone.

(*most common)

-or-

You explain TO someone something.

Example Sentences:

Could you explain the meaning of the word ‘disaster’ to me?

Can you explain to me the difference between ‘borrow’ and lend’?

The teacher explained the rules to the children.

I explained my problems to my friends.

I understand now. She explained it to me very clearly.

I was disappointed with the way she explained the cutbacks.

After she explained her actions, everyone understood.

We asked him to explain his reason for leaving to us.

I don’t know how to explain her strange behavior.

No one has been able to explain crop circles.

How do you explain such horrible news to young children?

*Something could also be a clause with a wh- question:

Can you explain what ‘a harbour’ is?

Would you mind explaining why you’re so late?

We let her inside the house after she explained who she was.

He tried to explain how to play cricket to me, but I still don’t get it.

As soon as we got off the bus, our tour guide explained where the toilets were.

I will attempt to explain when to use the present perfect and when to use the simple past.

My mom explained to us how to use the washing machine.

*Something could also be a clause with that:

They explained that they were separating temporarily.

The trainer explained that your body needs to rest after each workout.

I explained to everyone that I would be checking my email while I was on vacation.

I explained to him it was a waste of my time to teach him if he wasn’t going to try!

(*that can be left out of the sentence)

*Or, if you are NOT explaining anything to anyone, then explain can be used by itself:

As I explained in my recent blog post, not everyone in Canada is bilingual!

Please, let me explain. / Give me a chance to explain.

If you’re still confused, I’ll be happy to explain further.

~

*You can also explain yourself (explain your behaviour/why you did something, or say something more clearly.)

You said what? Explain yourself!

It’s OK, I understand. You don’t have to explain yourself.

I don’t have to explain myself to you – you’re not my mother!

Let me try to explain myself more clearly.

Listen to me! I’m trying to explain myself!

He disappeared for two weeks with no explanation. I’m waiting for him to explain himself.

~

*Always remember:

You explain something TO someone.

The post How to Use the Verb “Explain”! appeared first on english teacher Melanie.

In English, there are a lot of great words to describe fashion. If you really want to learn a lot of new and interesting words in English, pay attention to fashion! Fashion writers and designers are always trying to think of unique ways to describe clothing, and magazines are full of colourful phrases and expressions!

This is the first in a 3-part series. In this post, you’ll adjectives you can use to talk about fashion!

Adjectives You Should Know:
stylish / fashionable
= wearing clothing that is popular now

Karen is so stylish! She must read all the fashion magazines to keep up with the latest trends.

chic
= the same as ‘fashionable’ or ‘stylish,’ but it sounds better because it’s a French word!

Have you seen Jenny’s chic new coat?

latest
= newest, most recent

Do you have the latest edition of Vogue yet?

in
= popular, fashionable; short for ‘in style’

Blue is the in colour right now.

Crocodile bags are very in this season.

hot
= wanted, everybody has to have it
The new Prada boots are so hot all the stores are sold out and there is a waiting list for them!

trendy
= what everyone else is wearing right now; a new, popular style

The internet makes it so easy to find trendy clothes! I really like to see what celebrities are wearing.

must-have
= something you absolutely must have!

The new Prada handbag is this season’s must-have accessory!

essential
= necessary, important, you must have it

Elle magazine has a great section on fall’s essential boots and bags.

vintage
= old, but high quality and valuable; the item of clothing may have been worn before by someone else.

Ellen was shopping at a thrift store last week and she found an amazing vintage Chanel jacket.

iconic
= famous, memorable, representing a certain time and place

Anna Nicole Smith will be remembered for her iconic Guess ad campaign in the early 1990s.

timeless
= something that is still beautiful no matter how much time passes, no matter what the current trends or styles are

Grace Kelly wore a beautiful, timeless gown on her wedding day. On the other hand, Princess Diana’s wedding dress is NOT timeless. When you see a picture of the dress, you know right away she was married in the 1980s!

classic
= traditional, always fashionable/stylish, popular for a long time

Ralph Lauren has put his unique touch on the classic little black dress.

fave
= informal, slang, short for ‘favourite’

Stella McCartney is my fave fashion designer.

The post Vocabulary – How to Talk about Fashion! (Adjectives) appeared first on english teacher Melanie.

Farm animals in North America are collectively called livestock (cows, horses, pigs, etc.). Poultry is the collective term for birds raised on a farm for meat and eggs (chicken, ducks, turkey, etc.).

Farm animals have been domesticated. They are animals that have been tamed and trained for work (or to live with humans). The opposite of tamed and domesticated animals is wild animals (or animals that live in the wild).

(Photo by Rick Harrison)

Cattle
(commonly known as ‘cows’)
– a male is a bull
– a male that has had its sex organs removed & is used mainly for meat is a steer
– a female is a cow
– a baby is a calf
– a group of cattle is a herd, (a herd of cattle, a herd of cows)
– meat from cattle is called beef, meat from calves is called veal
– the sound a cow makes is moo*

NOTES:
*Moo is an example of onomatopoeia, a word created to imitate a sound (in this case, a sound that an animal makes); in English there is often a verb to describe the way an animal makes a sound, and a noun to represent the sound

                                                                                         (Photo by Compassion in World Farming)

Chickens
– a male chicken is a rooster
– a female chicken is a hen
– a baby is a chick
– a hen lays eggs; when the chicks hatch (come out of the eggs), the hen has a brood of chicks
– a group of chickens is a flock, (a flock of chickens)
– a chicken clucks (verb) to make a sound, and the sound it makes is cluck (noun)
– meat from a chicken is … chicken

NOTES:
– chick is also a slang word for a young girl (it is sometimes considered offensive)
– a brood is also used to describe all the children in a big family

(0Photo by Klearchos Kapoutsis )

Donkeys
– a male donkey is a jack or a jackass
– a female donkey is a a jenny
– a baby donkey is a colt or a foal
– a donkey brays (verb) when it makes a sound, and the sound it makes is hee haw (in American English) or eeyore (in British English, where the ‘r’ is not pronounced)
– donkeys are kept on farms mainly for labour, not for their meat

NOTES:
– donkeys are thought to be dumb animals, so the term jackass now also means a stupid person in English (it is a very impolite & sometimes offensive word)
– Eeyore is also the name of the donkey in the stories of Winnie-the-Pooh

(Photo by Kevin Collins)

Goats
– a male goat is a buck or a billy (a billy goat)
– a female goat is a nanny (a nanny goat)
– a baby goat is a kid (yes, the same word for a young human!)
– a goat bleats (verb), but there is no word for the sound it makes
– meat from a goat is called … goat meat

(Photo by Milos Milosevic)

Horses
– a male horse is a stallion; if the horse is used to breed (to produce more horses), it is called a stud
– a female horse is a mare
– a baby horse is a foal (male – colt, female – filly)
– the sound horse makes is neigh; a horse also whinnies (makes a high sound)
– horse meat is not eaten in North America

NOTES:
– a pony is a small horse (it could mean a child horse, or it could mean a breed of horses that is smaller than others)
– stud is also a word used jokingly to describe a young, attractive man who has no problem finding women to have sex with; an even funnier term is stud muffin
– the word horse is used in a lot of idioms in English; here’s one of them:

Wild horses couldn’t drag it out of me! = I will not tell you my secret [‘it‘ = secret information]!

(Photo by Woodley Wonder Works)

Pigs
– a male pig is a boar
– a female pig is a sow
– a baby pig is a piglet; a female pig gives birth to a litter of piglets
– the sound a pig makes is oink
– pig meat is called pork

NOTES:
– pigs can’t fly, but a common expression in English is when pigs fly, meaning something will never happen!

He says he’ll get a Mac when pigs fly!

It can also be used to answer a question:

“Do you think you’ll get into Harvard?”
“When pigs fly!”

(Photo by Keven Law)

Sheep
*The singular & plural forms of sheep are the same: 1 sheep, 2 sheep, 3 sheep etc.
– a male sheep is a buck or ram
– a female sheep is a ewe
– a baby sheep is a lamb
– a group of sheep is a flock (a flock of sheep)
– when a sheep bleats (verb), the sound it makes is baa
– the meat from an adult sheep is called mutton; the meat from a lamb is … lamb

NOTES:
– in North American pop culture, counting sheep has become a common reference for sleep or insomnia (the inability to sleep); people who can’t sleep are told to imagine sheep jumping over a fence and then count them – a task so boring that it is supposed to put the person back to sleep!
– it doesn’t work, but in pop culture sheep have become a symbol for sleep!

(Photo by Amancay Maahs)

Turkey
– a male turkey is a tom
– a female turkey is a hen
– a baby turkey is a poult
– the sound a turkey makes is gobble
– meat from a turkey is … turkey

NOTES:
– a turkey is also a play or film that is failure or a flop, and it is also a silly, stupid, foolish person
– if you quit something cold turkey (like smoking), you just stop doing it, suddenly and completely, with no help
– here’s a Wikipedia article with a list of names for Turkey in different languages

The post Vocabulary – All About Farm Animals! appeared first on english teacher Melanie.

Here is what the author wrote about this poem in his book:

“In Appendix III I offer the reader a small collection of phonetical paradoxes. I gave it the form of a “poem,” so that rhyme and rhythm might have a soothing effect on the bewildered learner, and lead him into the right path, the former in many cases indicating sound, the latter stress. Thus even-Stephen, senator-spectator. The last line contains an advice; my advice is – don’t take it.”

After you watch the video, tell me in the comments below if you were surprised by the pronunciation of any of the words!

The post “The Chaos” (of English Pronunciation)! – A poem by Gerard N. Trenité (video) appeared first on english teacher Melanie.

This lesson is about when NOT to use the definite article the. Sometimes it’s easier to remember when NOT to use something instead of trying to memorize when to use something!

Here are some situations in which you don’t need to use the.

1. Things in general
You don’t need an article when you talk about things in general.

The does NOT = all.

Use plural count nouns:

Cats are great pets!
You’re not talking about one specific cat or one specific pet. You’re talking about all cats and all pets in general.

I love reading books.

Women love it when men send them flowers!

Houses are expensive in that neighbourhood.

Americans drive big cars.

Use non-count nouns:

I love listening to music.
You enjoy music in general, not any specific song or kind of music.

She’s afraid of heights, so we couldn’t go to the top of the Eiffel Tower.

I love chocolate!

Have you eaten lunch yet?

She’s a vegetarian. She doesn’t eat meat.

NOTE: Count nouns (or countable nouns) are nouns that have a singular and plural form because you can count them, for example one cat, two cats, three cats. Non-count (or uncountable nouns) are nouns that do not have a plural form. You cannot count non-count nouns. For example, you can’t say one music, two musics, three musics.

LEARN MORE: When to use “a” and “the” to talk about one of something

2. Names
Names of holidays, countries, companies, languages, etc. are all proper nouns. You don’t need to use an article with a proper noun.

a. Holidays

I got a beautiful new dress for Christmas.

I got my mom a necklace for Mother’s Day.

Everybody wears green on St. Patrick’s Day.

What are you doing on Valentine’s Day?

b. Geography
Articles are not used before countries, states, cities, towns, continents, single lakes, or single mountains.

I live in Canada.

Mt. Rosa is part of the Alps mountain range.
Mt. Rosa is one mountain. The Alps describe a group of mountains.

I’m going to Europe next month on vacation.

Lake Ontario and Lake Huron are 2 of the Great Lakes.
The Great Lakes are a group of lakes on the border between Canada and the US.

Mt. Fuji is the highest mountain in Japan.

NOTE: There is an exception to every rule in English. The is part of the names of these countries:
the United States
the Czech Republic
the Philippines

c. Companies

I use Twitter and Facebook every day.

Bill Gates founded Microsoft.

Wal-Mart is the largest employer in the U.S.

McDonald’s has restaurants in 119 countries.

d. Universities

Her son graduated from Harvard.

She goes to Oxford.

He applied to Cambridge, Yale, and Stanford.

However, if the name of the university begins with University, then you must use the:

He has a master’s degree from the University of Toronto.

e. Languages

I am studying Russian.

I speak French.

In Brazil people speak Portuguese.

I teach people how to speak English.

3. Places, locations, streets
Streets, some locations, and some places do not need an article:

I left my book at home.

I have to go to work early tomorrow.

He was found guilty of murder and sent to jail for life.

My office is located on Main Street.

I usually go to church on Sundays.

Good night everyone! I’m going to bed.

Did you go to school today?

When I was in high school, everyone had to study French.

She’s studying business at university.

NOTE: You don’t need an article for subjects you study at school: math, geography, business, history, science.

Places where you DO need to use an article:

I need to go to the bank.

Let’s go to the movies.

My dad is in the hospital.

She works at the post office.

What time do you have to be at the airport?

Please drop me off at the bus stop.

She doesn’t like to go to the doctor or the dentist.

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4. Sports
Sports and other physical activities do not need an article:

I love to go skiing in the winter.

I play football every day after school.

He loves watching hockey on TV.

She does yoga 3 times a week.

My daughter really enjoys dancing.

LEARN MORE:
Play, do, or go? Verbs used to talk about sports
Gerunds used for sports

5. Noun + number
He’s staying at the Hilton hotel in room 221.

The train to Paris leaves from platform 2.

My English class is in room 6 on the first floor.
First is an adjective in this sentence. It describes the floor.

6. Acronyms
An acronym is an abbreviation (a short form) of a name. It uses the first letter of each word to form a new word.

a. If the acronym is pronounced as a word, don’t use the.

NATO ambassadors met to discuss the situation.
NATO is the acronym used for the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. NATO is pronounced as one word, /’neɪtoʊ/.

UNESCO was formed in 1946.
UNESCO is the acronym used for the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. UNESCO is pronounced as one word, /ju’nɛskoʊ/.

You need to use the before acronyms when the letters are pronounced individually, not as a word.

The UN was created after the Second World War.
UN is used to represent the United Nations. UN is pronounced you-N /ju’ɛn/. It is not pronounced un /ʌn/, like in the word under.

Other acronyms that need the:

the EU
the US
the CIA
the FBI

b. The is not used before university acronyms:

John Smith got his MBA at UCLA.

She has a Ph.D. from MIT.

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