1) When talking in general about people or things we don’t use the with plural nouns or uncountable nouns.
eg Planes transport people huge distances in short periods of time. (not specific planes but planes in general) eg Pilots have to do recurrent training every year. (not specific pilots but pilots in general)
2) When talking about jobs or types of things, use a / an with a singular noun to say what job a person has, what group something belongs to or what we use something for.
eg He’s a dispatcher. eg We have a checklist to remind us of everything we need to check.
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There are four basic rules to follow when using articles; ‘a’, ‘an’ and ‘the’.
Don’t use a / an with plurals.
a cars / an eggs = INCORRECT
a car / an egg = CORRECT
Don’t use ‘the’ to make general statements about things / people.
The trees are good for the environment = INCORRECT
Trees are good for the environment = CORRECT
Don’t use a / an / the with other words that make something definite or that indicate quantity.
Look at the my car! = INCORRECT (my already makes ‘car’ definite, this sounds strange to most people too)
Look at my car! = CORRECT
The some people on board the plane didn’t feel well = INCORRECT
Some people on board the plane didn’t feel well = CORRECT
Countable singular nouns always need an article or determiner.
Plane is on its stand = INCORRECT
The / my / his / her / our / your / their / this / that etc…. plane is on its stand = CORRECT (note: this sentences can only have ONE article or determiner)
Check out the diagram below to see a summary of the rules and try to create some of your own examples.
How to use a, an & the.
Tip: It can be difficult to learn these rules and ‘use’ them when speaking. As you read and listen more in English you will naturally start to have an idea when we use a / an / the. In some situations when you’re not sure it can be useful to check the rules, but you’ll correctly use these rules unconsciously as you read and listen to more English so don’t be concerned if they seem difficult.
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In the coming months you’ll notice a change to the design of this site. This change is essential to accommodate improvements happening to the site and to allow for future added features that are coming! All of the current content and information will still be available but the appearance of the site may seem a little different. This shouldn’t interfere with your ability to use this site.
Here are the answers to last Friday’s video, enjoy!
Suggested ICAO level for video: 5+
It gives the customers something they need; connection to the sky as it makes them feel more comfortable.
They place the seats at such a height, that when passengers are sitting, their heads are at the widest part of the cabin.
Lighting is used to draw attention to specific parts of the cabin, and coloured lighting is used to indicate different phases of the flight for passengers.
They want to draw you eye upward, where there’s more space.
They can create rainbows, crazy light shows or even an aurora borealis.
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