冠词是一个虚词，本身无词义，也不能单独使用，它用在名词之前，限定名词的意义。冠词可分为定冠词，不定冠词和零冠词三类。 二、零冠词的用法：（Zero Article）
1. ―人名、地名、国名‖等专有名词前通常不用冠词： 1). Mary; Tom; Jim; Miss Li; Mr. Zhang; Lei Feng 2). Beijing; Shanghai; London; Paris
3). England; China; Germany; South Africa 但如后有定语修饰表特指，需加定冠词：
1). He is not longer the Brown we knew ten years ago. 他不是我们十年前认识的那个布朗。
2). The Beijing of today is different from what it was. 今天的北京不同与从前的北京了。
2. ―街名、广场名、公园名、大学名‖等专有名词前通常不用冠词： 1). Wang Fu Jing Street 王府井大街; Naking Road 南京路 2). Tian An Men Square 天安门广场
3). Pei Hai Park 北海公园; Hyde Park海德公园
4). Beijing University 北京大学; Zhejiang University 浙江大学 但也可说：the University of Beijing; the University of Zhejiang
3. 正职或表示独一无二的官衔，职位，称号‖的专有名词作表语、补语、介词的宾语或同位语时，前一般不加冠词：
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The guards took the American to General Lee. 士兵们把这个美国人送到李将军那里。
Lincoln, president of the United States, was murdered in 1864. In 1860, Lincoln became President of the United States. We made him head of our class.
但这个名词后有短语―of‖时，有时也可加―the‖：
He is (the) captain of the basketball team. 他是篮球队的队长。 He is chairman of the Students‘ Union. 他是学生会主席。 They elected him president of the U.S. 他们选他当美国总统。 如不是独一的要加不定冠词：
She is a teacher of English in our school. 她是我校的一位英语教师。 4. ―个体名词复数‖表泛指一类人或事物时不用冠词：
1). My mother and father are school teachers. 我母亲和父亲都是教师。 2). Horses are useful animals. 马是有用的动物。
5. ―抽象名词、物质名词‖表示一般概念时，通常不加冠词： 1). Failure is the mother of success. 失败乃成功之母。
2). Man cannot live without water. 人离开水就无法生存。 3). He is fond of music. 他喜欢音乐。 但如后有定语修饰表特指，需加定冠词：
1). The news that you heard is true. 你听到的消息是真的。 2). The water in this well is fit to drink. 这口井里的水能喝。
3). The music of the film is very beautiful. 这部影片的音乐很动听。 6. ―节日、季节‖等名词前不用冠词：
1). New Year\'s Day 新年，元旦;Women‘s Day 妇女节;Labour Day 劳动节; Children\'s Day 儿童节; April Fools‘Day 愚人节; National Day 国庆节; Thanksgiving Day falls on the 4th Thursday in November. 感恩节在每年十一月的第四个星期四。
Christmas Day 圣诞节; 但我国的节日前用定冠词：
the Spring Festival 春节; the Mid-Autumn Festival 中秋节 2). in spring (summer, autumn, winter)
Winter has come, is spring still far away? 冬天来了，春天还会远吗？ 但如后有定语修饰表特指，需加定冠词： in the spring of 1945 一九四五年的春季
7. ―年份、月份、星期、日期‖等名词前不用冠词： in 1988; in August; on Thursday; on August 8th
We go to school from Monday to Friday. 我们从星期一到星期五都上课。 8. ―一日三餐‖等名词前不用冠词： have breakfast (lunch, supper) I have breakfast at 7 every day.
但如前面有形容词修饰，需用不定冠词；后面有定语修饰，需用定冠词： He had a big breakfast today. 他今天吃了顿丰盛的早餐。
The breakfast he had today was good. 他今天吃的早餐不错。 9. 球类运动和娱乐运动的名称前，不用冠词：
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1). play football (basketball; volleyball; tennis; tennis ball) 2). play chess
10. 当―bike, car, bus, train, boat, ship, plane‖等与―by‖连用，表示一种交通手段时，不用冠词：
by bus，by train；
He goes to work by bike. 他骑车去上班。
Did you come back by plane or by train? 你坐飞机还是坐火车回来的？
―by water, by land, by sea, by air‖以及―on foot, on horseback‖也属同种情况： She said they would go there by air. 她说他们将坐飞机去那儿。 Two men on horseback —— nothing else. 有两个人在马背上，别的一无所有。 但当这些名词特指某一交通工具时，则要与冠词连用： The assistant went on a bike. 助手骑一辆自行车出去了。 After the school the girl returned home on the 9:30 train. 放学后，这女孩坐9：30的火车回家去。 11. 序数词作副词时，前不用冠词： He came first in the race. Work must come first.
12. 一些固定词组中：go to bed, go to school, by bus, at night
三、在有些词组中，有冠词和无冠词意思不同，请注意区别： 1. in front of 在…前面, in the front of 在…范围内的前部
2. 有些个体名词―school，college，prison，market，hospital，bed，table，class，town，church，court‖等词表―深层含义‖不用冠词： go to hospital 去医院看病
go to the hospital 去医院 (并不是去看病，而是有其他目的) in hospital (生病)住院, in the hospital 在医院里 3. 当两个或两个以上名词并用时，常省去冠词：
I can‘t write without pen or pencil. 没有钢笔和铅笔，我就写不了字。 He looked at me from head to foot, as if he didn‘t know me at all. 他从头到脚打量我，好像根本不认识我似的。
They are father and son, both of whom are good at acting. 他们俩是父子，都擅长表演。