Articles and countable and uncountable nouns with exercises

Articles and countable and uncountable nouns

            No article is used when generalising (with plural, abstract and uncountable nouns)

But the or a/an is used when talking about particular examples. The definite article the is used when it is clear which noun we mean, whereas the indefinite article a/an is used when a noun is referred to for the first time.

Singular countable nouns must always have an article (or possessive), except in the following cases: prepositions with home, school, college, university, church, work, class, hospital, prison, bed, sea, breakfast, lunch, supper, dinner.

Note also:

• At night, on foot, by car/bus/tube etc. (means of transport), to/in/from town (when referring to the town we live in, a local large town or the capital), go to sleep and go home

Notice the difference between She is in prison (she is a prisoner) and she is in the prison (she either works there or is visiting).

The article is also omitted in certain double expressions:

• From top to bottom, on land and sea, hand in hand, face to face

The indefinite article a/an is normally used to indicate someone's profession.

• He wants to train as a psychotherapist.

The is also used with:

A - a unique person or object: • the President • the North Pole

B- Musical instruments • He plays the guitar.

C - Some adjectives with plural meanings • the rich

D - nationality adjectives, ships, geographical areas, most mountain ranges, oceans, seas, rivers, deserts, hotels, cinemas, theatres, plural names of countries, island groups, regions

E - When talking about a whole species: • the African elephant

No article is used when talking about continents, most countries, towns, streets, etc. (except the High Street), lakes, and the main buildings of a particular town:

• Kingston Town Hall

The is not used with most except with the superlative:

• Most people • the most incredible sight

The indefinite article a/an cannot be used with uncountable nouns. Most nouns in English are either countable or uncountable, but the following may be used countably or uncountably:

• Cold, country, taste, wine, coffee, tea, cake, cheese, work, hair, life, death

Note especially these uncountable nouns:

• Furniture, luggage, news, information, progress, knowledge, research, advice

Many and (a) few are used with countables, much and (a) little with uncountables.

Exercise:

Complete the sentences by putting the, a/an or no article (-) into the spaces:

1 - You remember my sister Jane?  one who has always been afraid of____spiders?

2 – She’s been studying____architecture at _ university for___ last three years.

3 - At____moment she is researching into __ work of Le Corbusier,

· Don’t you know him? He’s___ well-known French architect.

4 - She’s pretty busy in _ daytime, but she finds she’s at____bit of ___loose end at night, so____last year she joined____film club.

5 - Club members can watch____films at____ very low prices, in disused warehouse on other side of. Town.

6 - So when she gets home from___ college, she usually goes straight over there by____bike, and has____ drink and____ sandwich before___film starts.

7 - One evening she was in such____ hurry to get there that she had___accident.

8 She was knocked down by_ car and had to spend two months in___hospital.

9 When I went to visit her, I was shocked to find her swathed in___bandages from___head to ____ toe.

10 - But luckily her injuries looked worse than they really were, and she managed to make____very speedy recovery.

By EFA07