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
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