冠词的用法详解英语中冠词分为定冠词the 和不定冠词a/an两种。
冠词一般不单独使用，往往放在名词前面，表示不同的意义。
一：a 和an区别A用于辅音前，an用于元音前。
特别注意的是an用于元音因素（发音）而不是字母前。
1. 拼写以辅音字母开头读音却以元音开头的单词hour, honest, honor等单词的拼写虽然以辅音字母h开头，但其读音却以元音开头，因此，前面要用an。
可熟记下面这句话：An hour ago, an honest man accepted an honorable task. (一小时前，一位诚实的人接受了一项光荣的任务。
)2. 拼写以元音字母开头读音却以辅音开头的单词useful, university, usual, European, united, one-eyed, one-way等单词的拼写虽然以元音字母开头，但其读音却以元音开头，因此，前面要用a。
可熟记下面这句话：In a university, a European and a one-eyed man walk along a one-way road with a usual tool. This is a usual thing. (在一所大学里，有一个欧洲人和一个独眼龙拿着有用的工具沿着一条单行道行走，这是件平常的事。
)如：Five years ago her brother was ________ university student of ________ physics. (上海卷) A. a; the B. an; the C. an; / D. a; /【分析】答案选D。
因为university是以辅音[j]开头的要用a，排除B和C；physics是学科名词，前面不用冠词。
3. 英文字母前用a还是用an的问题在26个英文字母中，A [ei], e [i], f [ef], h [eitf] I [ai], l[el] m [em] , n [en] o [ou] r[a] s[es]x [eks]等12个字母的读音是以元音开头的，因此前面要用an。
其余字母则是以辅音开头的。
如：Please pay attention to your spelling. You have dropped ________ ”m”here. (全国卷) A. an B. the C. / D. aThere is a “u’,an ‘m’and a ‘p’in the word “jump:.【分析】答案选A。
因为字母m的发音是以元音[e]开头的，所以用an；这里的an的意义与one相当，表示“一个”。
an NBA star 一个篮球明星an MIT student. 一个麻省理工的学生二：不定冠词的用法1：表示“一个”与“one ”相同Rome wasn’t built in a day.He put a finger in his mouth, tasted it and smiled.2:与专有名词连用，表示“某一”。
“一个叫----的人”。
The little boy wants to be a Le Feng.A professor from Qinghua University will give us a lecture.A Mr smith is waiting for you at the school gate.3：表示“每一”相当于per，用于某些表示时间、重量、长度等的单位前。
500 dollars a day , four times a day , twice a day ,8 hours a dayWe go swimming four times a week.4: a +most 表示“非常”。
Though it is a most interesting book in these books ,it is not the most interesting one. This is a most troublesome case.5: a+序数词，表示“再一”、“又一”You can try it a second time if you failWhen I sat down a fifth man rose to speak.6:a(n)+名词，作表语表职业。
He is a professor .She is a engineer.但是 He turned sailor after he grew up.= He became a sailor after he grew up7：表示“同一”“相同”，等于“the same”They are of an age.=They are of the same age.Birds of a feather flock togetherThe two shirts are much of a size.8:在感叹句中What a splendid performance it is .How serious a problem it is .9:在so, as ,too ,how+形容词之后He is so famous a poet that he is admired by othersIt is as fine a day as I have ever spent,It is too difficult a book for you to read .He doesn’t know how precious a thing it is.10:在half, many , quite ,rather 之后Half a dozen of apples , many a flower ,quite a good idea ,rather a clever boy ,such a funny expressionHe is quite a good actor.Don't be in such a hurry.11: 第一次提到的人或事物，但不特别指明是哪一个Long long ago there was an old king who had a very beautiful daughter.12; 表示一类人和东西A tiger can be dangerous.A teacher must love his students.A bad workman quarrels with his tools.A dog is a faithful animal.=Dogs are faithful animals.13:物质名词的具体化，The people in China like tea and green tea is a wonderful tea.We don’t have much rain here ,but last night we had a heavy rain.Please give me a coffee .( a cup of coffee)14:抽象名词的具体化The sports meet was a great success.It is an honour to be invited to the party.Reading is a pleasure for me.15：世界上独一无二的东西前有修饰语时：We hope we can see a full moon tonight.China hopes to see a peaceful and friendly world in the 21st century.16:在表示季节、月份、日期、三餐前有修饰语时：We had a very cold winter last year.This happened on a cold night.We had a wonderful lunch at that party.17:首次提到的单数可数名词前There is a man and an animal at the gate.18:某些固定短语中：a great/good deal of ,a good many of ,a number of ,a lot of ,as a result of ,all of a sudden ,get in a word ,have a cold ,go for a walk, in a hurry ,after a while ,once in a while ,as a matte of fact ,once upon a time ,have a word with ,one at a time ,a waste of三：使用定冠词的情况：1：表示特定的人或物The book on the desk is mine.The girl in blue is my sister.2:上文提到的人或物前面I bought a shirt yesterday .The shirt was very beautifulThey have a son and a daughter .The song is a lawyer and the daughter is a nurse. 3:表示谈话人双方都知道的人或物Jack，close the window please.The manager is in the office.3：用于单数可数名词前表示类别，相当于不定冠词表示类别A lion is a dangerous animal.=The lion is a dangerous animal.=Lions are dangerous animals.5:在表示整个类别的名词前The tiger is in danger of dying out.The lion is more fierce than the wolf.6:在表示世界上独一无二的事物的名词前，但是前面有修饰语时可以用不定冠词The sun /moon/star/earth/world/sky /universe/seaThe moon cast a shadow on the wall.A bright moon hangs over the garden.7:在表示方向、方位的名词前In the east/west/south/north. On the right/left ,in the middleThe wind is blowing from the east.Turn (to the )left, and you will find the cinema.8:在表示自然现象的名词前The weather/climate /wind.但是nature前不用冠词The farmers are complaining about the weather.9:用于形容词之前表示一类人或物The poor/sick/rich/wounded/dead/deaf/blind/public/living /youngThe rich are not always happier than the poor.Soon he would be among the unemployed.You can’t expect them to do the impossible.10:表示乐器、娱乐场所名词前I like playing the piano/violin/flute/guitar.I used to go the cinema/concert/theater/party.11:表示某项发明单数名词前The compass was invented in China 2000years ago. Who invented the telephone?12:用于序数词或形容词最高级前The earliest coins in the world were used in China.He is always the first to come to school.13:在only, same ,right ,very之前just之后He was the only person invited to the ball in the office. Don’t make the same mistake again.比较：This is the very book that I’m eager to read.This is just the book that I’m eager to read.14：用在复数的姓氏前表示一家人或者夫妇The Jones will come to the party tonight.The smiths love animals.15：与民族、国籍的名词连用指全体The Chinese are a hardworking people.The English ‘re proud of their sense of humour.16:在“越来越”的结构中The more he has ,the more he wants.The more learned he is ,the more modest he is.17：用在世纪或者逢十进位的复数年代前In the 19th century, in the 1980s,in the 1980’s18：在抓打人体某部位名词前Pat/strike/hit sb on the head/nose/shoulder/backTake /catch/seize sb by the arm/hand/collar/sleeve19:在表示剂量的名词前By the dozen/ton/pound/month/day/week/hourBy dozens /hundreds/inches但是，by weight/volume, 按重量、体积计算不用the20：用于特指的不可数名词前Did you take the advice that he gave you about the matter?The air in the room is fresh.21:用于江、河、湖、海、洋、运河等专有名词前the Yangtze River .the West Lake ,the Red sea the Atlantic Ocean .the Panama Canel 22:用于山脉群岛等专有名词前，但是孤岛孤山前不用冠词the Alps, the Philipines , Mount Tai23:用于表示海湾、海峡、沙漠等专有名词前The T aiwan Straits, the English Channel, the Sahara Desert24:含有普通名词的专有名词前the People’s Republic of China, the United Stated of American25:表示公共建筑的专有名词前the Great Wall, the Summer Palace the children’s palace26：用于阶级、党派、组织机构等专有名词前the United Nations， the Chinese Communist Party27:报纸、杂志、会议、条约、历史事件、时期、朝代前the Times the xi’an Incident the Middle Ages the Ming Dynasty/period the Atlantic Pact大西洋公约顺口溜：特指重提和唯一方位顺序和乐器姓氏复数国全名岛屿海峡和海湾年代团体和机关海洋党派最高级沙漠河流与群山船名建筑和组织会议条约和报刊请你记住用定冠四：不用冠词的情况：1：表示一类人或事物的复数名词前Children begin school at the age of six.We must tell friends from enemies.2 当man 表示人类，或者当man ,woman表示全体时Man can’t live without water.Man is stronger than woman.Man has existed for thousands of years.3:在表示家人称谓或称呼前Come in ,boy.Mother is not at home.4：不含普通名词的专有名词前Zhou Lan was performing in her first competition.Russia is the largest country in the world.The building stands on Linclon Street.China is no longer the China（特指）of the past.5：当抽象名词表示一般概念时Failure is the mother of success.Health is better than wealth.He has no sense of humour.I can’t catch the humour (特指)of his talk.6：当物质名词表示一般概念时：Paper is made from wood.Clothes are made of cloth.比较：We can’t live without air.The air in the room is fresh.7：当名词前有指示代词、不定代词或名词所有格时，序数词前有物主代词修饰时：Paul remembers one of his first lessons from this teacher.His heart is beating wildly with fear.A bomb exploded and destroyed his house.8:在表示季节、月份、日期、星期等的名词前In summer/autumn/spring/winter 但是in the spring(特指) of 1949In January/February/March/ , on Sunday/Monday/Wednesday9:在节日、假日等名词前on Christmas Day on New Year’s Day on National Day但是与festival连用，要用theThe Middle-Autumn Festival the spring Festival the Dragon Festival the Lantern Festival10:在语言名词前一般不加冠词。