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Articals

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Mohammed V University of Rabat Grammar 1 (Groups: A & B)

The Faculty of Letters and Human Sciences Semester 1 - Fall: 2024-2022


Department of English Language and Literature Prof. ALAMI MERROUNI

Articles

What is an article?
o Articles ("a," "an," and "the") are used to specify if the noun is general or specific in its
reference. Often the article chosen depends on if the writer and the reader understand the
reference of the noun.
o The articles "a" and "an" are indefinite articles. They are used with a singular countable noun
when the noun referred to is nonspecific or generic.
o The article "the" is a definite article. It is used to show specific reference and can be used with
both singular and plural nouns and with both countable and uncountable nouns.

Countable Vs Uncountable:
• Countable noun: The noun has both a singular and plural form. The plural is usually formed by
adding an "–s" or an "–es" to the end of it.
o One horse, two horses
o One chair, two chairs
o One match, two matches

Countable nouns may also have irregular plural forms.


o One child, two children
o One mouse, two mice

• Uncountable noun: The noun refers to something that cannot be counted. It does not have a
plural form.
o Milk
o Information
o Grammar

• Proper noun: The name of a person, place, or organization and is spelled with capital letters.
o George Orwell
o McDonalds

Indefinite Articles: "A" or "An"

• When to Use "A" or "An"


"A" and "an" are used with singular countable nouns when the noun is nonspecific or generic.
Ex: I do not own a car.
In this sentence, "car" is a singular countable noun that is not specific. It could be any car.

Ex: She would like to go to a university that specializes in teaching.


"University" is a singular countable noun. Although it begins with a vowel, the first sound of the word is
/j/ or “y.” Thus, "a" instead of "an" is used).
Ex: I would like to eat an apple.
In this sentence, "apple" is a singular countable noun that is not specific. It could be any apple.

"A" is used when the noun that follows begins with a consonant sound.
a book
a pen
a uniform (Note that "uniform" starts with a vowel, but the first sound is /j/ or a “y”
sound. Therefore "a" instead of "an" is used here.)

"An" is used when the noun that follows begins with a vowel sound.
an elephant
an American
an MBA (Note that "MBA" starts with a consonant, but the first sound is a short “e”
sound. Therefore, "an" instead of "a" is used here.)

Sometimes "a" or "an" can be used for first mention (the first time the noun is mentioned). Then, in
subsequent sentences, the article "the" is used instead.

Ex: He would like to live in a large house. The house should have at least three bedrooms and two
bathrooms.
In the first sentence (first mention), "a" is used because it is referring to a nonspecified house. In the
second sentence, "the" is used because now the house has been specified.

Definite Article: "The"


When to Use "The"
"The" is used with both singular and plural nouns and with both countable and uncountable nouns when
the noun is specific.
Ex: The book that I read last night was great.
In this sentence, "book" is a singular, countable noun. It is also specific because of the phrase “that I
read last night.” The writer and reader (or speaker and listener) know which book is being referred to.
Ex: The books assigned for this class are very useful.
In this sentence, "books" is a plural, countable noun. It is also specific because of the phrase “for this
class.” The writer and reader (or speaker and listener) know which books are being referred to.
Ex: The advice you gave me was very helpful.
In this sentence, "advice" is an uncountable noun. However, it is specific because of the phrase “you
gave me.” It is clear which piece of advice was helpful.

Here are some more specific rules:


"The" is used in the following categories of proper nouns:
o Museums and art galleries: The Walker Art Center, The Minneapolis Institute of Art
o Buildings: The Empire State Building, The Willis Tower
o Seas and oceans: the Mediterranean Sea, the Atlantic Ocean
o Rivers: The Mississippi, The Nile
o Natural landscapes: The Amazon forest, The Sonora Desert
o Periods and events in history: The Golden Age, The Civil War
o Bridges: The London Bridge, The Mohammed VI Bridge
o Parts of a country: The South, The Northeast.
In general, use "the" with plural proper nouns.
The Great Lakes The French The Rockies (as in the Rocky Mountains)

"The" is often used with proper nouns that include an “of” phrase.
The United States of America The University of Minnesota The International Hall of Fame

Use "the" when the noun being referred to is unique because of our understanding of the world.
The Earth moves around the sun. Wolves howl at the moon.
Use "the" when a noun can be made specific from a previous mention in the text. This is also known as
second or subsequent mention.
o My son bought a cat. I am looking after the cat while he is on vacation.
o I read a good book. The book was about how to use articles correctly in English.

"The" is used with superlative adjectives, which are necessarily unique (the first, the second, the biggest,
the smallest, the next, the only, etc.).
o It was the first study to address the issue.
o She was the weakest participant.
o He was the only person to drop out of the study.

No Article (Generic Reference)


If the noun is singular, countable, and nonspecific or generic (e.g., book, author), the articles "a" and
"an" may be used. However, if the noun is countable and plural (e.g., "research studies") or uncountable
(e.g., "information") and it is being used in a nonspecific or generic way, no article is used.
Here are some more specifics:

• No article is used when a plural countable noun is generic or nonspecific.


o I bought new pens and pencils at the store. (general, not specific ones)
o Cats have big eyes that can see in the dark. (cats in general, all of them)
o Babies cry a lot. (babies in general, all of them)

• No article is used when a noncount noun is generic or nonspecific.


o I bought milk and rice at the store. (generic reference)
o We were assigned homework in this class. (generic reference)
o There has been previous research on the topic. (generic reference)

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