Articles

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Articles
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Q What is an article?
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A There are only two articles in the English
language the and a/ an. Articles are
kinds of adjectives that give information about a
noun.
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Q When do I use which article?
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A It depends on what kind of noun is being
modified.
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Kinds of Nouns

• Nouns are singular or plural
• Nouns are count or noncount
• Nouns are generic, indefinite, or definite

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Q What is the difference between a count and a
noncount noun?
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A A count noun is a noun that can be counted.
A noncount noun is a noun that, grammatically,
cannot be counted.
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Some Examples

• Count Nouns
• Couch
• Machine
• Mountain
• Earring
• Medal

• Noncount Nouns
• Furniture
• Machinery
• Scenery
• Gold
• Confidence

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Some Common Noncount Nouns

1. Whole groups made up of similar items baggage,
   clothing, equipment, food.
2. Fluids, Solids, Gases, or Particles water,
   glass, oxygen, rice
3. Abstractions courage, information, time
4. Languages English, French, Cantonese
5. Fields of Study literature, history, math
6. Recreation baseball, poker, basketball
7. Activities (gerunds) studying, learning
8. Natural Phenomena weather, sunshine

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Q What are generic nouns?
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A A generic noun represents a whole class of
things it is not a specific, real, concrete
thing, but rather a symbol of a whole group.
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Examples of Generic Nouns

1. A horse has four legs.
2. An apple is red.
3. A bird lays eggs.

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Article Rules for Generic Nouns

1. Use a / an before a generic singular count
   noun An apple is red.
2. Do not use an article before a generic plural
   count noun Apples are red.
3. Do not use an article before a generic noncount
   noun Fruit comes in many different colours.

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Q What is an indefinite noun?
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A An indefinite noun is an actual thing (not a
symbol), but it is not specifically identified.
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Examples of Indefinite Nouns

1. I ate an apple.
2. The man on the subway took out a book.
3. The student was wearing a hat.

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Article Rules with Indefinite Nouns

• Use a / an with indefinite singular count
  nouns I ate an apple.
• Use nothing or some, two, a few, several,
  etc with indefinite plural count nouns. I ate
  some apples.
• Use nothing or some, a little, a lot of,
  etc with indefinite noncount nouns. I ate some
  fruit.

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Q What is a definite noun?
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A A noun is definite when both the speaker and
the listener are thinking about the same specific
thing.
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Examples of Definite Nouns

1. Thank you for the apple you gave me.
2. I want to pass the car that is going so slow
   ahead of us.
3. The monkey we saw at the zoo last Tuesday was
   really funny.

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Article Rules with Definite Nouns

1. Use the with definite singular count nouns
   Thank you for the apple you gave me.
2. Use the with definite plural count nouns
   Thank you for the apples you gave me.
3. Use the with definite noncount nouns Thank
   you for the fruit you gave me.

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General Guidelines for Article Usage
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1. Use the when you know or assume that your
listener is familiar with and thinking about the
same specific thing or person you are talking
about.
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Examples

1. Open the door!
2. The sun is awfully bright.
3. Tell the doctor what is wrong with you today.

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2. Use the for the second mention of an
indefinite noun.
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Examples

1. Yesterday I saw some dogs. The dogs were chasing
   a cat.
2. The cat was chasing a mouse. The mouse ran into
   a hole.
3. The hole was very small.

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3. Do not use the with a plural count noun or
a noncount noun when you are making a
generalization.
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Examples

1. Incorrect The horses are my favorite animals.
   (horsesplural count noun)
2. Incorrect The ice is a beautiful substance.
   (icenoncount noun)
3. Incorrect The courage is a virtue.
   (couragenoncount noun)

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4. A singular count noun is always preceded
bya) an article (a/an or the) ORb) this/that
ORc) a possessive adjective
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Examples

1. I ate an apple. / I ate the apple.
2. I ate that apple.
3. I ate my apple.