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At a glance 10 rules

1. 1A or anGo by the first sound, not the letter: an honest man, a university, a one-day match. Short forms too: an MP, a UPSC topper.
2. 2New, then known'A' brings in something new; 'the' points to one the reader already knows: 'I ordered a dosa; the dosa was cold.'
3. 3General senseUncountable and plural nouns used in general take no article: 'Milk is good for you', but 'the milk in this jug' is a specific one.
4. 4Most or the most'Most' meaning the majority takes no 'the': 'most people'. 'Most of' needs the, my or them after it: 'most of my friends'. A superlative takes 'the': 'the most famous'.
5. 5Place names'The' for rivers, seas, bays, oceans and ranges: the Ganga, the Bay of Bengal, the Himalayas. None for single peaks, most countries, cities: Mount Everest, India.
6. 6Games, meals, languagesNo article before games, meals and languages in general: 'play chess', 'have lunch', 'speak Tamil'. A particular one takes it: 'The lunch at the fest was cold.'
7. 7School or the schoolNo article when a place is used for its purpose: 'go to school', 'go to bed'. A visit to the building takes 'the': 'went to the college to collect a form'.
8. 8The + adjective'The poor', 'the rich' and 'the elderly' mean all such people: they take a plural verb, and the adjective never takes an 's'.
9. 9Few or a few'A few' (countable) and 'a little' (uncountable) mean some; 'few' and 'little' mean hardly any: 'a few friends came' is good news.
10. 10Such a, what a'Such a' and 'what a' need a singular countable noun: 'such a long queue', but 'such heavy traffic', 'what lovely music'.