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Indefinite and Definite Articles

The document discusses the uses of definite and indefinite articles. The definite article "the" is used to refer to specific or particular nouns, while the indefinite articles "a" and "an" refer to nonspecific or any members of a group. It also discusses the geographical uses of the article and exceptions, as well as cases when articles are omitted such as with names of languages, nationalities, and sports.

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Rahela Folt
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116 views11 pages

Indefinite and Definite Articles

The document discusses the uses of definite and indefinite articles. The definite article "the" is used to refer to specific or particular nouns, while the indefinite articles "a" and "an" refer to nonspecific or any members of a group. It also discusses the geographical uses of the article and exceptions, as well as cases when articles are omitted such as with names of languages, nationalities, and sports.

Uploaded by

Rahela Folt
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PPT, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Indefinite and Definite Articles

Articles
• the = definite article

• a/an = indefinite article

• "Let's read the book," I mean a specific book

• "Let's read a book," I mean any book rather than


a specific book.
Indefinite Articles: a and an
• A" and "an" signal that the noun modified is
indefinite, referring to any member of a group.
For example:
"My daughter really wants a dog for Christmas."
This refers to any dog. We don't know which dog
because we haven't found the dog yet.
"Somebody call a policeman!" This refers to any
policeman. We don't need a specific policeman;
we need any policeman who is available.
Definite Article: the
• The definite article is used before singular and
plural nouns when the noun is specific or
particular. The signals that the noun is definite,
that it refers to a particular member of a group.
"The dog that bit me ran away." Here, we're talking
about a specific dog, the dog that bit me.
"I was happy to see the policeman who saved my
cat!" Here, we're talking about a particular
policeman. Even if we don't know the
policeman's name, it's still a particular policeman
because it is the one who saved the cat.
Count and Noncount Nouns

• "I love to sail over the water" (some


specific body of water) or "I love to sail
over water" (any water).

• "He spilled the milk all over the floor"


(some specific milk, perhaps the milk you
bought earlier that day) or "He spilled milk
all over the floor" (any milk).
• "A/an" can be used only with count nouns.

"I need a bottle of water."


"I need a new glass of milk."

Most of the time, you can't say, "She wants


a water," unless you're implying, say, a
bottle of water.
Geographical use of the
• Do not use the before:

• names of most countries/territories: Italy, Mexico,


Bolivia; however, the Netherlands, the Dominican
Republic, the Philippines, the United States
• names of cities, towns, or states: Seoul,
Manitoba, Miami
• names of streets: Washington Blvd., Main St.
• names of lakes and bays: Lake Titicaca, Lake
Erie except with a group of lakes like the Great
Lakes
• names of mountains: Mount Everest,
Mount Fuji except with ranges of
mountains like the Andes or the Rockies
or unusual names like the Matterhorn
• names of continents (Asia, Europe)
• names of islands (Easter Island, Maui, Key
West) except with island chains like the
Aleutians, the Hebrides, or the Canary
Islands
• Do use the before:
• names of rivers, oceans and seas: the
Nile, the Pacific
• points on the globe: the Equator, the North
Pole
• geographical areas: the Middle East, the
West
• deserts, forests, gulfs, and peninsulas: the
Sahara, the Persian Gulf, the Black
Forest, the Iberian Peninsula
Omission of Articles
• Some common types of nouns that don't take an
article are:
• Names of languages and nationalities: Chinese,
English, Spanish, Russian (unless you are
referring to the population of the nation: "The
Spanish are known for their warm hospitality.")

• Names of sports: volleyball, hockey, baseball


• Names of academic subjects: mathematics,
biology, history, computer science
Mining the text
• Homero: pp 262-263
• Daniel G. and Rashid: pp 265-266
• Daniel F. and Abdulawart: pp. 271-272

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