An occasion in speech or writing where a noun ornoun phrase is not

preceded by an article (a, an, or the).

In general, the zero article is used with proper nouns, mass
nouns where the reference is indefinite, and plural count nouns where
the reference is indefinite. Also, the zero article is generally used with
means of transport ("by plane") and common expressions of time and
place ("at midnight," "in jail").

In Articles 1 we looked at the 3 golden rules of articles:

1.
2.
3.

Peoples jobs have a/an. Hes an architect.

Singular countable nouns have an article. Thats the woman I met last week.
Things in general no article. Cats like mice.

Here we look at some other rules for the use of articles.

Special places

My sons at university but my daughter still goes to school.

He was sent to prison for 10 years.
Now that winters here I find it difficult to get out of bed.
I go to work by bus but I go home on foot.
In expressions with a number of places there is no article after a preposition.
These places include: to/at school, to/at university/college, to/in church, to/in/out of prison, to/in
hospital, to/in/out of bed, to/at work, at home.
NOTE: While we say go to school and go to work etc, the expression go home has neither the nor
to.
Transport

I go to work by bus but I go home on foot.

I hate travelling by train.
Modes of transport (by bus, by train, by car, by plane, by bicycle) dont have an article. Notice that on
foot is different.

Geography
No article continents (Africa, Asia etc.) countries (France, Germany, Slovakia etc - but the Slovak
Republic, the United States, the United Kingdom) towns & cities (Bratislava, London
etc.) lakes (Lake Victoria, Lake Balaton etc.)universities (Oxford University, Nitra University etc.)
With the seas & oceans (the Atlantic, the Mediterranean etc.) mountain ranges (the Himalayas,
the Tatras) rivers(the Amazon, the Danube etc.)
Other expressions

I dont watch television very often but I listen to the radio all the time.
Ive got a headache.
Ive got a stomach-ache
Ive got a cold.
BUT

Ive got flu.

Ive got earache.
Ive got toothache.

When we talk about how we travel, we use by without an article:

by boat / by car / by bus / by plane / by bike
The exception to this is when we walk. In this case we say 'on foot'.
"headache" is a count noun in English, and so when it is in the singular, you must use an article
before it. Our indefinite article page might be a useful resource for you if you haven't seen it already.
There are a lot of rules about when we don't use articles. Here are four of them:

We don't use an article:

1. to talk about plural and uncountable nouns or when talking about things in
general:
I'm terrified of heights
I'm into drum and bass.
I hate cheese.
2. before countries, towns, streets, languages and single mountains:
I'm from China.
I've climbed Mount Everest.

She speaks French.

3. Before some places and with some forms of transport:
I live at home with my parents.
I came here by car.
He goes to work by bus.
4. In exclamations with what + uncountable noun:
What beautiful weather!
What loud music!
What disgusting food!
no article
No article, or zero article as it is usually called, is definitely a form of article. We use zero
article with plural and uncountable nouns when we are referring to things in general:
Tennis is a beautiful game.
French chefs make the best cooks.
Cheese in France is usually made from cows' or goats' milk.
But note, when we want to be specific, the definite article is needed:
The tennis played by Maria Sharapova at Wimbledon this year was awesome.
The French chef at La Caprice is one of the best in the south east.
I'm still eating the cheese I bought in France last month. It's delicious.
common nouns: no article
With commonly used nouns when there is general reference and when they are used with
prepositions there is normally no article:
school, college, university
By law in England you have to go to school when you reach the age of five.
At college or university you have more time for self-study.
work, home, bed
After work I like to meet my friends before I go home.
She was not at home or she was in bed asleep when I called.
prison, hospital, church
If you commit a crime, you may have to go to prison.
If you have a serious illness, you will get the best care in hospital.
I used to go to church every Sunday when I was a child.
breakfast, lunch, dinner
For breakfast I need lots of orange juice and strong coffee to get me going.
After lunch I always have a snooze before starting work again.
And then I can work on without a break until dinner.
spring, summer, autumn
In winter I always seem to need more sleep than in summer.
You can harvest strawberries in early spring in Spain and Morocco.

Christmas, New Year, Easter

After Christmas with my parents I like to spend New Year with my friends.
On New Year's Eve there are lots of fireworks on the river in our town.
bike, train, foot
You'll get there faster by bike than by bus or car.
It's probably safest, though, to go on foot.
Note, however, that for specific reference, the definite article will be necessary:
The church I went to as a child has been converted into a bingo hall.
The lunch they prepared to celebrate my birthday was stunning.
The summer of 1979 remains one of the wettest on record.

Zero article
1. General meaning life, water
2. Abstract nouns education, love
3. Places in general France, Peru
4. Streets, squares Newton Street
5. Place (person)+airpot/ station/ university Yezin Agricultural University
6. Games / sports tennis
7. Language English
8. Academic subject Physics
9. Meals breakfast
10. Noun + number Platform 5
11. A place we always go to to school, at home, in bed
12. Days, months Sunday, January
13. Movement or transport by bus, on foot, by plane, by air
14. Exclamination with countable / uncountable noun- What sad news!
Hope that help you

Zero Article in English

Grammar
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The Zero Article does not exist. It is a useful term, however, to use when
describing how to use articles . Essentially when we talk about the zero
article we mean that we do not use any article in front of a noun . In other
words, we do not use a/an or the.
This article (excuse the pun) talks about when we do not use an article with
a noun.

General/Non-Countable Nouns
We don't use an article if we're talking about things in general (i.e. we're not
talking about a specific example) or with non-countable nouns :
Do you like cheese?
He adores dancing.
But if we want to talk about a specific piece of cheese we can say:
Pass me the cheese please!
OMG the dancing in the show was terrible!

Proper Nouns
Proper Nouns - or names - don't usually take an article:
I saw Rhianna in the high street!
* I saw the Rhianna in the high street!
* An asterisk denotes an ungrammatical sentence.

However, if we want to distinguish a specific person (as oppose to someone

else with the same name) then we can use the definite article :
A: I met Jennifer Lopez this morning.
B: What? The Jennifer Lopez?
A: No! My flatmate is called Jennifer Lopez; I'm not talking about the singer!

Noun + Preposition
When we use a noun with a preposition we often do not use an article (that
is, we just use the noun on its own):
I went to school but left my books at home. Mother was in church and
father at sea; Grandfather came to dinner later by train and Grandmother
managed to escape from prison to join us.

Institutions
When we talk about an institution, we use the zero article. When we talk
about it as a physical building, however, we use the:
He was taken to court to be tried; in the court he met an old friend.
Nouns in this group include: bed, church, class, college, court, home,
hospital, market, prison, school, sea, town, university, work .

Also...
We also don't use an article with:

years

1961, 1995, 2000

seasons & months

Winter, February

festivals

Easter

continents

Africa, Asia, America, Europe

days

Monday, Tuesday

parts of day/night

midnight, midday, noon, night

magazines

Cosmopolitan, Time

countries

America, Britain, Arabia

cities & towns

London, New York, Tokyo, Sydney, Cairo

streets

Acacia Avenue, Pall Mall, Sunset Boulevard

named buildings

Buckingham Palace, number 10

airports

Heathrow, Gatwick

mountains

Everest, K2, Mont Blanc

games

football, tennis, bar billiards