When another determiner is used

In English there are quite a few situations where a singular noun does not require an article. One of the main situations is where another determiner is used.
A determiner shows which of 2 or more possibilities we mean. Determiners for singular nouns include words like:

this  that  each
every  any  no
either*  neither*

Therefore, the following sentences do not need an article:

I want to read this magazine.
He works at that desk.
Each person must write a report.
Every report must be checked.
You can go there on any day.
There is no reason to do that.

However, with *either and *neither there are exceptions. Look at these sentences:

Either road will take you there.

You may come on either day.

We can stay at either hotel.

We use either to make a choice between two equally possible things. No article is needed in these cases. However, look at the next sentence:

I can take either the bus or the train to get to work.

Here, there is a choice between two different or unequal things. The expression either/or is used here with the. We use the because of the SPECIFICITY rule. (The specific train service and the specific bus service that go in my direction). Compare this with:

You can use either a pen or a pencil to write your report.

Here we use the article a because the pen and pencil are not specific.

Look at these sentences:

Neither road will take you there.

Neither day is convenient.

Neither hotel is suitable.

In cases where two equal choices are both unacceptable we use the word neither. No article is needed. However, look at the next sentence:

There is a typhoon warning. Neither the bus nor the train are running today.

In this case two unequal choices are unacceptable. The expression neither/nor is used with the article the. As before, the is used because of the SPECIFICITY rule. Compare this with:

There is neither a pen nor a pencil in my desk--I'll have to go to the stationery store.

As before, a is used because the pen and pencil are not specific.

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My sister lives in England.

Her husband is a doctor.

His job is very difficult.

Their house is very beautiful.

Singular proper possessive nouns.

Bill's wife is Japanese.

Hiroko's husband is English.

However, if we use a common singular noun as a possessive, we need to use either a or the, depending on the situation:
e.g.

a man's suit / the man's suit

We need to consider the situation when deciding to use a or the.

e.g.
Singular possessive common nouns:

I dropped a can of paint from a ladder on to a man walking past. The man's suit was ruined and I had to pay for a new one. (Previous mention)

My son is sixteen next month. He is big enough for a man's suit now. (non-specific)

The 's possessive form shows something belongs to a person. When something belongs to a thing or a place we use the word of and the article the to show specificity:
e.g.

The roof of the house needs to be repaired.

We DON'T say:

???The house's roof needs to be repaired.???

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Mass nouns / Aggregates / Nouns naming Qualities, Emotions, Activities or Forces / Generic nouns /

Nouns naming Bodies of Knowledge

Mass nouns
e.g.
water  oil  air  bread
wood  steel  rice  coffee

We count these nouns by using a counter:
e.g.
a glass of water / a litre of water
a slice of bread / a loaf of bread
a bag of rice / a bowl of rice

We do not usually use a with uncountable mass nouns but there are some exceptions. Some people use a with a mass noun in everyday speech.
e.g.

Would you like a beer? (meaning a glass, a bottle or a can)

The is only used with mass uncountable nouns when we want to indicate PREVIOUS MENTION or SPECIFICITY.

Aggregate Nouns
e.g.

furniture  wildlife  equipment
food  machinery  clothing

Aggregate nouns represent a collection of things and do not take a. However, we can sometimes use expressions like:

It's a nice piece of furniture.
Tofu is a healthy food.

If there is PREVIOUS MENTION or SPECIFICITY the rules for the are followed.

Nouns naming Qualities
e.g.
sincerity  ignorance  modesty
honesty  patience  courage

These nouns describe human characteristics. We usually don't use a with these kinds of noun.
e.g.

Ignorance is no excuse for law-breaking.

Honesty is the best policy.

However, if we SPECIFY who has the characteristic, then we use the or another determiner.
e.g.

He has the patience of a saint.

His modesty is admirable.

We can also measure qualities:

A little bit of courage is all we need to succeed.

A little sincerity is not a bad idea when dealing with others.

Nouns naming Emotions
e.g.

happiness  sorrow  anger
jealousy  fear  cheerfulness

These nouns describe human feelings and usually don't take the article a.
e.g.

Happiness is often called the most important possession.

Sorrow is an unavoidable part of human life.

Again, if we SPECIFY who has the feelings, then we use the or some other determiner.
e.g.

He could not describe the anger he felt when he heard the news.

She could not hide her jealousy.

We can also measure or quantify emotions:
e.g.

He has a great fear of heights.

A little cheerfulness is good for office relationships.

Nouns naming Activities
e.g.

golf  shopping  football
fishing  baseball  reading

These nouns are all activities and don't usually take the article a.
e.g.

My father is always playing golf.

My sister loves shopping.

We use the article a with such nouns when we refer to an event.
e.g.

We went to a football match last week.

There is a fishing competition at the riverside today.

Or when we say how much is done:

I played a lot of baseball in college.

I often do a little reading in the evenings.

Nouns naming Forces
e.g.
progress  war  luck
rain  snow  peace

These are all things which affect our lives. They do not usually take the article a.
e.g.

Progress often has its problems.

I wish you luck in your new job.

War has broken out again.

If we refer to an event involving a force we can use a.
e.g.

We were caught in a heavy rain which soaked us to the skin.

Or we can indicate intensity:

There was a light snow  on the ground this morning.

Sometimes we can quantify a force:

Can we have a little peace and quiet, please?

Generic Nouns
e.g.
society  industry  disease  agriculture  crime  management

Nouns like this represent an aspect of human activity. They do not usually take the article a.
e.g.

Society in the Edo period was tightly controlled.

Industry is undergoing major changes at the moment.

Sometimes a GENERIC noun can also be used as a COUNTABLE noun and uses a.
e.g.

Disease is a major problem in Africa.

Cholera is a serious disease.

Some generic nouns cannot be used in a countable way:

Agriculture is important to the economy.

???Agricultures are an important export.???

Bodies of Knowledge
e.g.
chemistry / history / botany / mathematics / economics / poetry

Nouns like these describe bodies of knowledge. They do not usually take the article a.
e.g.:

Chemistry  was very difficult for me at school.

We cannot ignore the lessons of history.

However, we use the article a with someone who is an expert in one of these fields.
e.g.

#S/he is a/an botanist / mathematician / economist.

Moreover, if one of these nouns precedes another noun, we often use a because the article refers to the second (countable) noun.
e.g.

I failed a chemistry test.
#She read a history book.

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Which book do you want?

What time is it now?

Whose coat is this?

These are all wh-questions, formed by a clause marker (which, what, whose) + singular noun. In cases like these no article is necessary. We can also use clause markers in indirect statements.
e.g.
I'm not sure which book I want.

I don't know what time it is.

I don't know whose coat it is.

Again, no article is needed. However in exclamations, the article a follows the clause marker.
e.g.
What a beautiful day it is!

What a fool he is!

What a good time we had!

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However, if we use On + ... we must use a or the, depending on the situation,
e.g.

I went to Beppu on the ferry.

He goes to work on a bicycle.

He often studies on the train.

I was twenty years old before I travelled on an aeroplane.
Exception:
If we walk, we use the expression on foot. No article is used.

At + place
e.g.

My wife is at home.

My father is at work.

In these two cases no article is used. However, look at this sentence:

My brother is at school.

This can mean different things depending on whether the speaker is using a 'British' sense or an 'American' sense.

In Britain if someone says 'My brother is at school' it means 'he is there now--studying' (we hope). School is where we go before college.

In America, it would mean 'he is a student at a college'. It does not necessarily mean that he is there at the moment. The expression 'in school' means the same thing in America. It is not usually used in Britain or places where British English is used.

At + Time of day
No article is used in the following expressions:

At night / noon / midnight /daybreak / sunset

But we must say:
In the morning / afternoon / evening

To + Place
No article is used in the following expressions:

He went to town / to work / to school.

But with the nouns city or village, we must use an article:

He works in the city.
We visited a city in Kyushu.
My family live in a village.
I went down to the village last week.

Prepositions with meals.
e.g.

I didn't see them again until breakfast.

We discussed it over lunch.

I'll see you at dinner.

We all sat down to supper.

The game of cricket always stops for tea.

In + Object
e.g.
He is in school (but not in house).

#The government is in debt.

#He did it in anger.

#They live in an apartment in town (but not in city or in village).

Most nouns that follow prepositions follow the same rules as other nouns. The examples above are exceptions.

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A farmer was carrying a cow, a horse, a pig and a dog in his truck. He was taking the cow, horse and pig to market. The dog was sitting beside him while the other animals were in the back.

In the first sentence we use the non-specific a before each noun. In the second, we use the because of PREVIOUS MENTION.

However, we only need to use the before the first noun in the series.

If a noun does not normally take the article a, it will not take a in a series either.
e.g.

I got rice, bread and sugar at the supermarket.

The people felt fear, panic and helplessness in the earthquake.

His favourite sports are golf, baseball and tennis.

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Programming is hard work.

His hobby is sea-fishing.

She is fond of playing piano.

The dog's barking woke me up.

Smoking is not allowed here.

The italicised words are GERUNDIALS or noun forms of verbs and almost never take the article a.

However, we often use the article the with gerundials to show SPECIFICITY or PREVIOUS MENTION.
e.g.

John: 'What's the fishing like in that lake?' (specific)

Bill: 'I like to fish in that lake. The fishing there is much better than anywhere else around here.'

With gerundials, the first mention can be in the form of a noun or a verb.

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A lot of ailments (diseases) do not take the article a. This is especially true of rare or unusual illnesses.

e.g.

cancer  scarlet fever  gonorrhea

tuberculosis  cholera  syphilis

malaria  leprosy  polio

acne  appendicitis  colitis

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