Lesson The article. The indefinite article. The absence and omission of the article

The use of the indefinite article with nouns in set expressions.
in a hurry — второпях
Things done in a hurry are done badly.
to have a mind to do something (a great mind, a good mind) — иметь желание что-либо сделать, быть склонным что-либо сде­лать
I have a great mind to have a serious talk with her.
to fly into a passion — прийти в бешенство
If you contradict him, he will fly into a passion.
to get in a fury (in a rage) — прийти в ярость
If you contradict him, he will get in a fury (in a rage).
to take a fancy to (chiefly with names of living beings) — проник­нуться симпатией, почувствовать расположение
I wonder why she took a fancy to the little girl.
in a low (loud) voice — тихо (громко)
Don't speak in a low voice.
a great many (with countables) — много
I have spoken to him a great many times.
a great good deal (with uncountables) — много
They spent a great deal of money.
it is a pity — жаль
It is a pity you did not go to the concert last night.
it is a shame — стыдно; жаль
It is a shame not to know these elementary things. It's a shame she wasn't here to see it.
it is a pleasure — приятно
It is a pleasure to read beautiful poetry.
as a result — в результате
As a result of the inhabitants' strenuous efforts the damaged city was soon rebuilt.
to have a good time — хорошо провести время
Last night we went to an evening party and had a very good time.
to be at a loss — быть в недоумении She was at a loss what to say
at a glance — сразу, с первого взгляда
She saw at a glance that something had happened.
The use of the definite article with nouns in set expressions.
it is out of the question — об этом не может быть и речи
"Will you go to the theatre tonight?" "It's out of the question. I have lots of things to do."
to take the trouble to do something — потрудиться
You had a difficult text to translate and you did not take the trouble to consult the dictionary.
in the original — в оригинале
You know English well enough to read Dickens in the original.
to play the piano (the violin, the harp) — играть на рояле (скрипке, арфе)
She plays the piano very well.
at the end of the day — в конце концов
At the end of the day it doesn't matter.
at the beginning — вначале
He looked very self-conscious at the beginning.
on the whole — в целом
On the whole Tom is a pleasant fellow, but sometimes he has whims.
the other day (refers to the past) — на днях
I met him the other day.
on the one hand... on the other hand — с одной стороны... с другой стороны
On the one hand he certainly excites suspicion, but on the other hand we have not enough evidence against him. (Oppenheim)
to tell (to speak) the truth — говорить правду; to tell the truth — по правде говоря
He always speaks (tells) the truth. To tell the truth, I don't like the girl.
to be on the safe side — для верности
I am almost sure of the pronunciation of this name, but to be on the safe side let us consult the pronouncing dictionary.