help me with these articles rules and answers..a, the zero..

[EvilsEye]

I went to _1_ library yesterday in order to obtain _2_book you recommended in your lecture yesterday but I was told that I had to fill in _3_ reservation form . That is why I am writing to you now. My name is Nwoye and I am a Nigerian student, studying at Beijing university. I have _4_ library card from _5_ University of Nigeria. __ 6_ enclosed document shows my home university registration number. I understand that __7_ library card my home university provided cannot be used here, so I would be grateful if you could provide me with_8_ letter to obtain a university of Beijing card . You may contact Dr Gregory who will be happy to provide _9_ reference he usually writes for me. I look forward to hearing from you .

put a suitable article in each of the numbered spaces 1-9.and explain why u chose each one..
my answers are as follows..please help me if in case of wrong answer or wrong expression..




1.the...i think because the writer is referring to the library which is familiar two both..
2.the...because the book is already been specified in the lecture...

3.a... i dont know why but i feel that the writer does not know what type of reservation form is that...it is a kind of unknown to him..

4.a....i dont know why but i feel it is a..please help me know the reason for it..

5.the...because the university of nigeria is known to both...

6.the.... because the writer has specified the document ..

7.the...because library card is mentioned before...

8. a ... i think because the writer doesn't know what type of letter would enable him to get access to library..
9. the.....i think the writer always get the same reference from that person so it is known to him...



My problem is that i don't know how to differentiate different rules in this written text...i mean how can one decide exactly each one....for example if someone ask me about why i chose each i cant explain most of these but i feel that they are correct...i would be grateful if i can get the exact rule for each..

thanks...

[Damian]

Your answers look correct to me, and answers 3 and 4 are both that way because it's the first time they're mentioned.

Hope this helps.

[SusanP]

Yes, your answers are correct, and Damian gave you the correct information. For number 5 it's 'the' because the University of Nigeria is a specific place, and not necessarily that it is known to both of you. It would be possible to say, for instance, 'I have a library card from a university in Nigeria', but here you are not specifying which university. In number 9, too, it is 'the' because it is a specified reference. You could, in fact, strictly speaking, have had 'a' for number 1 (I went to a library) - that is grammatically correct. But here, the context more or less suggests that it is a student context, so probably the university library (ie a specific place) is meant.