Compare:
- I’ll see you on Saturday. (= next Saturday)
- They arrived on the Saturday as far as I can remember. (= we are only interested in the day of the week, not which particular Saturday)
- They arrived on the Saturday after my birthday party. (= a particular Saturday, specifying which one)
NOTE: With winter, summer, spring, autumn, and New Year (meaning the holiday period), we can often use either “the” or “zero article.”
Example:
- In (the) summer I try to spend as much time in the garden as I can.
- In Scotland, they really know how to celebrate (the) New Year.
Ø We use “the” when we understood which summer, spring, etc.
Example:
- ‘When did you meet Beth?’ ‘In the summer.’(= last summer)
- ‘When are you going to university?’ ‘In the autumn.’ (= next autumn)
- I first went skiing in the spring of 2008.
NOTE1: We say ‘in the New Year’ to mean at or near the beginning of next year.
Example: I’ll see you again in the New Year.
NOTE2: When we want to describe the features of a particular holiday, season, etc., we use “a/an.”
Example: That was a winter I’ll never forget.
Ø We use “the” and “a/an” in the usual way when we talk about the morning/afternoon/evening of a particular day.
Example:
- I woke up with a sore throat, and by the evening my voice had disappeared.
- We’re going in the afternoon.
- ‘You look upset.’ ‘Yes, I’ve had a terrible morning.’
NOTE: We use “zero article” with “at night” and “by night”
Compare:
- She kept us awake all through the night.
- I don’t like driving at night.
Ø We use “zero article” when we talk about meals.
Example:
- What have we got for dinner?
- I don’t like drinking coffee at breakfast.
NOTE1: We wouldn’t say, for example, ‘I had a/the breakfast before I went out’. However, if we want to describe a particular meal, then we can use an article.
Example:
- We didn’t get up until 10 o’clock and had a late breakfast.
- The dinner we had at Webster’s restaurant was marvelous.
NOTE2: When we talk about a formal dinner or lunch for a special occasion, we use ‘a dinner’ or ‘a lunch.’
Example: We’re having a dinner to welcome the new manager.
