DEFINITE ARTICLE:
The definite article the is the same for all genders in singular and in plural.
Example:
the boy, the girl, the cat, the computers.
USES:
* General words (definite):
I like the flowers in your garden.
* family names in the plural:
The Smiths live in Chicago.
* public buildings, institutions, means of transport (definite):
The school that Mandy goes to is old.
The bus to Dresden leaves at 7.40.
The round church in Klingenthal is famous.
* names of countries in the plural; mountain ranges; regions
the United States of America, the Netherlands; the Highlands, the Rocky
Mountains, the Alps; the Middle East, the west of Australia
* groups of islands
the Bahamas, the British Isles, the Canaries
*
name with of-phrase; oceans; seas; rivers
the Statue of Liberty, the Tower (of London), the Isle of Wight;
the Atlantic (Ocean);
the Mediterranean (Sea);
the Nile, the Rhine, the Suez Canal
*
months, days of the week (definite)
I always remember the Monday when I had an accident.
The August of 2001 was hot and dry.
USE OF THAN:
Use than as a word indicating comparison. When you are talking about a noun (thing, person, place or concept) being more, less, better, cooler, dumber, etc. in relation to another noun, the word than is necessary.
Examples:
There are more onions than scallions in your fridge.
Scott was sicker than a dog last week.
Mary is taller than Rosa.
Holidays in middle of classes are better that at the end of the course.
Wladimir is more intelligent than Marco.
ZERO CONDITIONAL:
We use the so-called zero conditional when the result of the condition is always true, like a scientific fact.
Notice that we are thinking about a result that is always true for this condition. The result of the condition is an absolute certainty.
We are not thinking about the future or the past, or even the present.
We are thinking about a simple fact. We use the present simple tense to
talk about the condition. We also use the present simple tense to talk
about the result. The important thing about the zero conditional is that
the condition always has the same result.
We can also use when instead of if, for example:
When I get up late I miss my bus.
Examples:
If you heat ice it metls.
I am late for workifI miss the 8 o'clock bus.
My boss gets angryifI am late for work.
People get hungryifthey don't eat.
Does ice melt if you heat it?
FIRST CONDITIONAL:
We are talking about the future. We are thinking about a particular
condition or situation in the future, and the result of this condition.
There is a real possibility that this condition will happen.
Examples:
If I see MaryI will tell her.
If Tara is free tomorrowhe will invite her.
If they do not pass their examtheir teacher will be sad.
If it rains tomorrowwill you stay at home?
If it rains tomorrowwhat will you do?
SECOND CONDITIONAL:
The second conditional is like the first conditional. We are
still thinking about the future. We are thinking about a particular
condition in the future, and the result of this condition. But there is not a real possibility that this condition will happen.
Examples:
I would be happy if I married Mary.
She would marry Ram if he became rich.
Would you be surprised if it snowed next July?
What would you do if it snowed next July?
If Ram became rich she would marry him.
