冠词分为不定冠词“ a, an”表示泛指、定冠词“ the”表示特指和零冠词三种，零冠词指的是不用冠词的情况。“ a”用在以辅音开头的词前，“ an”用在以元音开头的词前。判断一个词是以元音还是辅音开头，是根据读音而不是字母，例如： (a) university。现在我们就实际学习中遇到的一些常见冠词错误用法进行一个详细的辨析。
[误] Please turn off lights before you leave.
[正] Please turn off the lights before you leave.
[析]虽然是第一次提到某物但说话双方均知其所指，也应用定冠词。
[误] There are nine planets around a sun.
[正] There are nine planets around the sun.
[析]世上独一无二的天体等名词前应加定冠词，如： the earth, the moon, the sun, the sky, the sea.
[误] I live on a second floor of this building.
[正] I live on the second floor of this building.
[析]在序数词，形容词最高级前要用定冠词。如： He is the oldest in the family.
[误] I want to learn the second language this term.
[正] I want to learn a second language this term.
[析]在序数词的含意不是顺序中的第一第二，而其意在于再学一个，再来一个时，应用 a，本句的意思应为：这学期我要学一门第二外语。
[误] Mississippi is one of the longest rivers in the world.
[正] The Mississippi is one of the longest rivers in the world.
[析]在河流名称前应加定冠词，如： the Yellow River（黄河）。
[误] Look, there are Alp.
[误] Look, there are the Alp.
[正] Look, there are the Alps.
[析]具体的某一座山不加定冠词，如： Mountain Tai。但在山名称前加定冠词后，其山名要加 s，来表示山脉。 the Alps即为阿尔卑斯山脉，如： The Alps are in the center of Europe.
[误] Times is one of the oldest newspapers in the world.
[正] The Times is one of the oldest newspapers in the world.
[析]报刊名称前应加定冠词。
[误] Rich are not always happy.
[正] The rich are not always happy.
[析]在形容词前加定冠词表示一类人，而在姓的前面加定冠词，姓后加 s表示某一家，如： The turners are going to move to New York.
[误] I like to eat bread for breakfast. Bread sells in this shop is very good.
[正] I like to eat bread for breakfast. The bread sells in this shop is very good.
[析]物质名词特指时也应加定冠词。
[误] The sun rises in east.
[正] The sun rises in the east.
[析]在方向、方位前应用定冠词，如： in the east, in the west, in the north, in the south, in the direction及 in the past, in the future.
[误] Do you know who invented telephone?
[正] Do you know who invented the telephone?
[析]在特定和专有事物或名称前要加定冠词。如： the English Channel（英吉利海峡）, the Panama Canal（巴拿马运河）。
[误] I bought a same dictionary as she bought.
[正] I bought the same dictionary as she bought.
[析]在惯用法 the same, the only, the very前的定冠词不可换为不定冠词。
[误] The police caught the thief by his arm.
[正] The police caught the thief by the arm.
[析]这是英文表达法与中文的明显不同之处，也是初学者极易忽视之处。在英语中的某些动词，如： catch（抓）, take（拿）, strike（打）, pat（拍）, hit（击）, hold（握）, pull（拉）…动词后应加人，再加介词 on, by, in, with…之后要加定冠词，再加人体的某一部位。这时的定冠词千万不要换作 his, her, their等词。
[误] He was paid by hour.
[正] He was paid by the hour.
[析] by和计量单位之间要有定冠词。这句话应译为：他的工资是按小时计算的。
[误] I went to New York by his car.
[正] I went to New York by car.
[正] I went to New York in his car.
[析] by仅仅与交通工具相连表示应用某种工具，而加了别的修饰词后其前面的介词也应作相应的转换。如： by car（坐小汽车）, by taxi（坐出租车）, by bike（骑自行车）, by water（乘船）, by air（乘飞机）, by sea（乘船）等。
[误] Mary began to learn how to play piano when she was three.
[正] Mary began to learn how to play the piano when she was three.
[析]在乐器前要加定冠词，而在球类游戏之前则不要加冠词，如： They like to play bridge when they are free.（他们空闲时爱打桥牌。）
[误] The little boy wanted to go to cinema.
[正] The little boy wanted to go to the cinema.
[析]英语中虽有一些名词与 go to连用时不加定冠词，以表示该名词的内涵，如： go to school（上学）, go to bed（睡觉）等，但去看电影则例外，要用 go to the cinema这也是语言的一个特点。
[误] I live at 105 the Lake street.
[正] I live at 105 Lake Street.
[析]街道名称前不用冠词。
[误] Next summer holiday I will go to country to live on a farm.
[正] Next summer holiday I will go to the country to live on a farm.
[析] country既作国家讲也作乡村讲。作乡村讲时，一定要加定冠词，而且只有单数形式，作国家讲时则可有复数形式。如： Japan is a country. / Japan, China and India are Asian countries.
