一、單數可數名詞單數可數名詞前必須加冠詞，a(an)表示泛指或類指，the表示特指或類指。例句： Washington, who had begun to believe that all men were created equal after observing the bravery of the black soldiers during the Revolutionary War, overcame the strong opposition of his relatives to grant his slaves their freedom in his will. (選自2008年Text 4)分析： 該句是複合句，其中主句是Washington overcame the strong opposition...， who引導的非限制性定語從句修飾Washington，該句中又有一個that引導的從句作believe的賓語。譯文： 在美國獨立戰爭期間目睹了黑人士兵的勇敢之後，華盛頓才開始認為人生來平等。他克服了親人的'強烈反對，在遺囑中給自己的奴隸們自由。例句： While the quality of legal journalism varies greatly, there is an undue reliance amongst many journalists on interpretations supplied to them by lawyers. (選自2007年Part C)分析： 該句是複合句，其中supplied to them by lawyers作定語修飾interpretations，undue reliance意為“過分依賴”。譯文： 雖然法律報道的質量各不相同，但是許多新聞記者都過分依賴律師提供給他們的解釋。
二、定冠詞the的用法在下述幾種情況下須用定冠詞the:表示世界上獨一無二的名詞，用在可數名詞單數或某些形容詞前代表一類人或事物，用在形容詞、副詞最高階和序數詞和only之前。樂器名稱前要加定冠詞the。如：the sun the moon the universe the camelthe blind the largest island the only student the piano例句： The universe works in a way so far removed from what common sense would allow that words of any kind must necessarily be inadequate to explain it. (1998年第19題)分析： 該句是複合句，what common sense would allow...作介詞from的賓語從句，該句中還包含一個...從句。譯文： 宇宙執行的方式與常識所允許的構思相距甚遠，因此任何一種語言也必然不足以把它解釋清楚。例句： But somewhere from the 19th century onward, more artists began seeing happiness as meaningless, phony or, worst of all, as we went from Wordsworth?s daffodils to Baudelaire?s flowers of evil. (選自20xx年Text 4)分析： 該句是複合句，主幹結構是more artists began seeing happiness as...， 而as we went from Wordsworth?s daffodils to Baudelaire?s flowers of evil是一個狀語從句。譯文： 但是從19世紀的某個時候開始，當我們從華茲華斯的《水仙花》轉向波德萊爾的《惡之花》時，越來越多的藝術家開始把快樂看做是毫無意義的、虛假的甚至是令人厭倦的東西。
三、人名、地名等專有名詞人名、地名等專有名詞前一般不用冠詞，但在海洋、河流、山脈、群島以及含有普通名詞的專有名詞前一般加定冠詞。如：the Atlantic Ocean (大西洋)the Red Sea (紅海)the Society for Anglo?Chinese Understanding (英中瞭解協會)the Special Economic Zone (經濟特區)例句： The four special economic zones(SEZS) in Guangdong and Fujian provinces, 14 coastal cities and Hainan island have specifically designed tax and other incentives for the foreign investor. (選自Far Eastern Economic Review)分析： 該句是簡單句。譯文： 廣東與福建兩省的四個經濟特區、14個沿海開放城市及海南島都有專門為外國投資者制定的稅收及其他鼓勵投資政策。四、抽象名詞和物質名詞抽象名詞和物質名詞表示一般概念時，前面通常不用冠詞。