What guideline should you follow when unsure about whether a noun needs a determiner?

When writing in English, a crucial guideline is to use 'the' for subsequent references to a noun that has already been mentioned. This helps maintain clarity and coherence in your writing. For instance, if you introduce a subject for the first time, you might say, "A nurse attended to the patient." If you mention the same patient again, using 'the' reinforces that you are still referring to that specific patient. This approach allows for smoother transitions in your writing, avoiding repetition and enhancing the flow of ideas.

Using a possessive pronoun, leaving the noun completely out, or opting for no determiner does not effectively establish continuity and might confuse the reader about which specific noun is being referenced, especially in professional contexts like healthcare, where clarity is paramount. Therefore, employing 'the' on subsequent references is the most effective strategy when you are uncertain about the use of determiners for nouns.