- if the reader has enough information to identify the noun specifically
| count: Please turn on the lights. We're going to the zoo tomorrow. |
| noncount: The food throughout Italy is excellent. |
- if the noun refers to one item and if the item is singular but not specific
| count: Bring a pencil to class. Charles wrote an essay about his first job. |
note: Do not use a or an with plural or noncount nouns.
Use a quantifier (enough, many, some, etc.)
- if the noun represents an unspecified amount of something
| count (plural): Amir showed us some photos of India. Many turtles return to the same nesting site each year. |
- if the amount is more than one but not all items in a category
| noncount: We didn't get enough rain this summer. |
note: Sometimes no article conveys an unspecified amount: Amir showed us photos of India.
- if the noun represents all items in a category
| count (plural): Students can attend the show for free. |
- if the noun represents a category in general
| noncount: Coal is a natural resource. |
note: The is occasionally used when a singular count noun refers to all items in a class or a specific category: The bald eagle is no longer endangered in the United States.