ARTICLES IN THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE

1. What is the use of article with names of seasons in the year?

Generally speaking, the names of seasons in the year are used with zero articles in general sense. When the names of seasons are definite by the context, they are used with definite article. Indefinite article is used before the name of season to denote a particular time when something happened.

Eg: It's often hot in summer and cold in winter.

The victory of the spring 1975 went down into our national history.

As long as I can remember, she was born in an autumn.

2. What is the use of definite article "the"?

- "The" is used when the noun is definite by the situation or context.

Eg: The book you gave me is very interesting.

- "The" is used for classifying a certain class from other classes.

Eg: The tiger is dangerous.

- "The" used with plural name can refer to the group as a whole like: families, races, politics...

Eg: The Smiths, the Beatles

- "The" is used with collective nouns or plural countable denoting specific groups, particular groups or community.

Eg: The police, the army

- "The" is used with a certain part of body, object, place.

Eg: The head, the heart

- "The" is used to express time and time expressions.

Eg: The beginning, at the moment

- "The" is used with superlatives and ordinal numerals.

Eg: The most, the first

- "The" is used with unique objects, positions, items...

Eg: The Sun, the Titanic

- "The" is used with musical instruments, with fixed phrases "The + Adj + ER ... The + Adj + ER" and with certain idiomatic expressions.

Eg: The sooner the better

Carlos plays the guitar

- "The" is used with adjectives to form substantivized nouns or abstract nouns.

Eg: The poor, the blind

- "The" is used with plural name of countries, and full name of countries.

Eg: The Philippines, The Socialist Republic of Vietnam