article usage

Upload: witcher2

Post on 09-Oct-2015

22 views

Category:

Documents


0 download

DESCRIPTION

Article usage

TRANSCRIPT

  • ARTICLE USAGEARTICLE USAGE

    1/3/2009 Dr. Shadia Y. Banjar 1

    By: Dr. Shadia Y. Banjar http://www.kau.edu.sa/SBANJER

    http://wwwdrshadiabanjar.blogspot.com

  • There are only two types of articles in the English

    language:

    1. Definite article; the and

    2. Indefinite article; a/ an.

    Definite Article: the

    Indefinite Article: a

    / an

    Articles

    1/3/2009 2Dr. Shadia Y. Banjar

  • In a broad sense, an article is a type of adjective that

    gives information about a noun.

    Definite Article: the

    Indefinite Article: a / anWhen do

    I use

    them?

    Which

    article?

    1/3/2009 3Dr. Shadia Y. Banjar

    It depends on what kind

    of noun is being modified.

    article?

  • Nouns are generic, indefinite, or definite.

    Nouns are count or noncount.

    Nouns are singular or plural.

    Kinds of Nouns

    1/3/2009 Dr. Shadia Y. Banjar 4

    BranislavRectangle

    BranislavSticky Note-By generic she means common.-By indefinite and definite, she maybe means abstract and concrete.

  • 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.

    GENERIC NOUNS

    Examples of Generic Nouns:

    1/3/2009 Dr. Shadia Y. Banjar 5

    Examples of Generic Nouns:

    A bird has wings.

    A horse has four legs.

    An apple is red.

    BranislavText BoxCommon Nouns

  • USING A or : GENERIC NOUNS

    SINGULAR COUNT NOUN a) A banana is yellow.

    PLURAL COUNT NOUN b) Bananas are yellow.

    NONCOUNT NOUN c) Fruit is good for you.

    A speaker uses generic nouns to make generalizations.

    1/3/2009 Dr. Shadia Y. Banjar 6

    A speaker uses generic nouns to make generalizations.

    In a) & b): The speaker is talking about any banana, all bananas,

    bananas in general.

    In c): The speaker is talking about any and all fruit , fruit in

    general.

    Notice:No article is used to make generalizations

    with plural count nouns, as in b), and with

    noncount nouns, as in c).

    BranislavRectangle

    BranislavSticky Note-Are noncount nouns those that don't have plural? Or are they noncountbecause we want to say something in general?

  • INDEFINITE NOUNS

    Indefinite nouns are actual things (not symbols),

    but they are not specifically identified.

    Examples of Indefinite Nouns:

    There is a table in the room.

    I ate an apple.

    1/3/2009 Dr. Shadia Y. Banjar 7

    I ate an apple.

    The girl was wearing a hat.

  • Singular I ate a banana.

    Plural count noun

    (two, a few, several)

    I ate some bananas.

    Indefinite Nouns

    1/3/2009 Dr. Shadia Y. Banjar 8

    Noncount noun

    (a little, a lot of)

    I ate some fruit.

    BranislavRectangle

    BranislavRectangle

    BranislavSticky Note-Would it be incorrect to say "I ate bananas"?

  • USING A or SOME: INDEFINITE NOUNS

    In a):

    SINGULAR COUNT NOUN a) I ate a banana.

    PLURAL COUNT NOUN b) I ate some bananas.

    NONCOUNT NOUN c) I ate some Fruit.

    1/3/2009 Dr. Shadia Y. Banjar 9

    In a):

    the speaker is not referring to this banana or that

    banana or the banana you gave me.

    The speaker is simply saying that he ate one banana.

    The listener does not know nor need to know which

    specific banana was eaten.

    It was simply one banana out of that whole group of

    things in the world called bananas.

  • In b) and c):

    Some is often used with

    indefinite plural count nouns and

    indefinite noncount nouns.

    In addition to some, a speaker

    might use two, a few, several, a

    1/3/2009 Dr. Shadia Y. Banjar 10

    might use two, a few, several, a

    lot of, etc., with plural count

    nouns, or a little, a lot of, etc.,

    with noncount nouns.

    BranislavRectangle

    BranislavRectangle

  • DEFINITE NOUNS

    Examples of definite Nouns:

    A noun is definite when both the speaker and

    the listener are thinking about the same specific

    thing.

    1/3/2009 Dr. Shadia Y. Banjar 11

    Examples of definite Nouns:

    Thank you for the apple you gave me.

    I love to look at the moon.

    The food I ate last night made me sick.

    BranislavRectangle

  • The banana I ate this morning was delicious.

    I got the apples from the tree.

    Singular

    Plural

    Definite Nouns

    1/3/2009 Dr. Shadia Y. Banjar 12

    I got the apples from the tree.

    The fruit from that market is inexpensive.

    Plural

    Noncount

    BranislavRectangle

  • USING THE: DEFINITE NOUNS

    SINGULAR COUNT NOUN a) Thank you for the

    banana.

    PLURAL COUNT NOUN b) Thank you for the bananas.

    NONCOUNT NOUN c) Thank you for the Fruit.

    1/3/2009 Dr. Shadia Y. Banjar 13

    In a):

    The speaker uses the because the listener knows which

    specific banana the speaker is talking about, i.e., that particular

    banana which the listener gave to the speaker.

    NONCOUNT NOUN c) Thank you for the Fruit.

    Notice:the is used with both singular and plural count nouns

    and with noncount nouns.

    BranislavRectangle

  • Use a and an when the noun is indefinite and singular. The rule is:a + singular noun beginning with a consonant: a boyan + singular noun beginning with a vowel: an elephant

    a + singular noun beginning with a consonant sound: a user (sounds like 'yoo-zer,' i.e. begins with a consonant 'y' sound, so 'a' is used)

    1. Indefinite Articles: a and an

    1/3/2009 Dr. Shadia Y. Banjar 14

    'y' sound, so 'a' is used)some + plural noun: some girlsIf the noun has an adjective, follow the same rules, BUT use the first letter/sound of the adjective:a broken eggan unusual problem

    a European country (sounds like 'yer-o-pi-an,' i.e. begins with consonant 'y' sound).

    BranislavRectangle

    BranislavRectangle

  • 2. Definite Article: the

    The definite article is used before singular and plural nouns when the noun is specific.

    INDEFINITE vs. DEFINITE

    NounIndefinite

    (a or an)

    Definite

    (the)

    a dog the dog

    1/3/2009 Dr. Shadia Y. Banjar 15

    Singular

    a dog

    (any dog)

    an apple

    (any apple)

    the dog

    (that specific dog)

    the apple

    (that specific apple)

    Plural

    some dogs

    (any dogs)

    some apples

    (any apples)

    the dogs

    (those specific dogs)

    the apples

    (those specific apples)

    BranislavRectangle

  • is not used with noncountablenouns referring to something in a general (indefinite) sense: [no article] Coffee is a popular drink.

    [no article] Japanese was his native language.

    [no article] Intelligence is difficult to quantify.

    The is used with noncountable nouns

    1/3/2009 Dr. Shadia Y. Banjar 16

    The is used with noncountable nouns that are specific: The coffee in my cup is too hot to drink.

    The Japanese he speaks is often heard in the countryside.

    The intelligence of animals is variable but undeniable.

    BranislavRectangle

    BranislavSticky Note-These nouns are noncount because they don't have a plural -- there are no "coffees," "Japaneses languages," and "intelligences."

    BranislavRectangle

  • Do not use the before:names of countries

    names of cities, towns, or statesnames of streets names of lakes and bays

    names of continents names of islandsDo use the before:

    Saudi

    Arabia

    XXXX

    1/3/2009 Dr. Shadia Y. Banjar 17

    Do use the before:

    names of rivers, oceans and seaspoints on the globe

    geographical areasnames of deserts, forests, gulfs, and peninsulas

    Makkah

    BranislavRectangle

    BranislavRectangle

  • 1/3/2009 Dr. Shadia Y. Banjar 18

    ARTICLE USAGEKinds of NounsGENERIC (//collective) NOUNSUSING A or : GENERIC NOUNS

    INDEFINITE NOUNSUSING A or SOME: INDEFINITE NOUNS

    DEFINITE NOUNSUSING THE: DEFINITE NOUNS

    1. Indefinite Articles: a and an2. Definite Article: thewith what things "the" isn't used