Jokes and Anecdotes Only Programmers Will Get. Articles We use a/an

Lesson 14: Jokes and Anecdotes Only Programmers Will Get. Articles

We use a/an with singular countable nouns

• 
  to talk about something for the first time: I met an interesting person at the conference.
  
• 
  to talk about people’s jobs, usually after be/work as + a job: He works as a developer.
  
• 
  to talk about something or someone in a general way (a person or thing could be one of many/any): We’re looking for a business data analyst.
  

Use a when the word after it begins with a consonant sound, e.g., a manager, a company. Use an when the word after it begins with a vowel sound, e.g., an instructional designer, an app.

We use the

• 
  to talk about something for the second time: I met an interesting person at the conference. The woman has been working in IT for over 20 years.
  
• 
  to talk about specific things or people when it is clear from the situation what or who exactly we are talking about: What time’s the meeting? Have you read the report I sent you?
  
• 
  with superlatives: It’s the most interesting project I’ve ever worked on.
  
• 
  with regions and natural places: the Middle East, the Atlantic, the Amazon river
  

We use no article

• 
  to talk about plural nouns and uncountable nouns in a general way: _ Continuous training is essential. _ Programmers often work flexitime.
  
• 
  with countries, states and cities: Belarus, Kiev (But! the United States, the United Kingdom)
  
• 
  with days and months: The conference is in _ May. I guess it’s _ Tuesday, 21.
  

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