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Please let me know should we use an article (a, the) before Business (noun). Please find the example sentences and let me know your valuable feedback.

Examples:

It goes into business as well.

He is running business.

Or these should be like this:

It goes into a business as well.

He is running a business.

Thanks in advance.

2 Answers 2

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Where "business" is being used in a similar context to "company" or "organisation", and as such is countable, you need to make sure you use an article.

It goes into the business as well. He is running a business.

Or:

He has been running the business since day one.

So both of your phrases above require an article.

However, the term "business" can also be used as a concept, describing trade (see its various definitions). In this case it is an uncountable (conceptual) noun, and so no article is needed.

Business is going well at Blah Blah Blah Inc's Headquarters.

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Business can be used as either a countable noun or an uncountable noun.

Your examples should be written,

It goes into business as well.
He is running a business.

As I said once in another answer of mine, most dictionaries give the definitions without saying anything about a noun being countable or uncountable. However, some dictionaries do. To check the countability of a noun online, I recommend Macmillan Dictionary and Collins Dictionaries.

You can consult, for example, Macmillan about the word business.

The business in "It goes into business as well." is defined in sense 1,

business
noun /ˈbɪznəs/
1 [uncountable] the work of buying or selling products or services for money
representatives from business and politics
do business with someone: I found them very easy to do business with.
go into business: It was a mistake to go into business with my brother.

The business in "He is running a business." is defined in sense 2,

2 [countable] an organization that buys or sells products or services for money. This word often refers to a small organization that is owned and run by one person or a few people, while company can also refer to large organizations
a small family business
Matthew's little shop has turned into a thriving business.
Many small businesses fold (=fail) in their first year.
run a business: Sheryl's parents run a small clothing business.
start your own business: After leaving school, Bob started his own computer business.

There are many other example sentences that could help you understand the different senses of words in both of the two dictionaries.

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  • To choose between definite and indefinite article when business is used as a countable noun, and to choose between definite article (the) and no article when business is uncountable is something too broad to discuss in one question. You could ask a specific case in a specific context, case by case, as separate questions, though. Commented Feb 2, 2014 at 13:04

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