6.1 What Is an Article?

An Article is a word that comes before a noun or and adjective. An Article makes t he noun definite or indefinite. Pay attention to the following.

6.1.1 Basic Article Usage

Generic Nouns

A speaker uses Generic Nouns to make generalizations. 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.

Examples:

Singular Countable Noun:     A banana is yellow.

Plural Countable Noun:         Bananas are yellow.

In these two examples, the speaker is talking about any banana, all bananas, a nd bananas in general.

Examples:

Non Countable Noun:     Coffee contains caffeine.

The speaker is talking about all coffee, coffee in general.

Notice that no article is used to make generalizations with Plural Countable N ouns and Non Countable Nouns.

Indefinite Nouns

Indefinite Nouns are actual things (not symbols), but they are not specifically identified.

Examples:

Singular Countable Noun:    I ate a banana.

The speaker is not referring to "this banana" or "that banana" or "that banana y ou gave me"; the speaker is simply saying that he/she ate one banana. The listener doesn't know or need to know which banana was eaten; it was simply one/a banana out of the whole group of things called bananas.

Examples:

Plural Countable Noun:      I ate some bananas.

Non Countable Noun:        I drank some coffee.

In these two examples, we see that some is often used with Indefinite Plural Countable Nouns and Indefinite Non- countable Nouns. In addition to some, as peaker might use two, a few, several, a lot of, etc. with Non-countable Nouns.

Definite Nouns

A noun is definite when both, the speaker and the listener are thinking about t he same specific thing.

Examples:

Singular Countable Noun:      Thank you for the banana.

In this example, the speaker uses the because the listener knows which specific banana the speaker is talking about; the particular banana that the listener g ave to the speaker.

Examples:

Plural Countable Noun:      Thank you for the bananas.

Non Countable Noun:        Thank you for the coffee.

Notice that the is used with both Singular and Plural Countable Nouns and w ith Non-countable Nouns.

6.2 General Guidelines for Article Usage

6.2.1 The use of “The”

Use The when you know or assume that your listener is familiar with the noun a nd is thinking about the same specific thing or person you are talking about.

Examples:

The sun is bright today.
Please give this book to the teacher.
Please open the door.
Jack is in the kitchen.

Use The in the second mention of an Indefinite Noun.

Examples:

Yesterday, I saw some dogs. The dogs were chasing a cat. The cat was c hasing a mouse. The mouse ran into a hole. The hole was very small.

First Mention: some dogs, a cat, a mouse, a hole.
Second Mention: the dogs, the cat, the mouse, the hole.

The is not used for the second mention of a Generic Noun.

Examples:

Generic Noun:
        What color is a banana? A banana (Generic Noun) is yellow.

Indefinite Noun:
        Tom offered me a banana (Indefinite Noun) or an apple.

Definite Noun:
        I chose the banana (Definite Noun).

Do not use the with a Plural Countable Noun (for axample: apples) or a Non- countable Noun (for example: gold) when you are making a generalization.

Examples:

Correct: Apples are my favorite fruit.
Incorrect: The apples are my favorite fruit.

Correct: Gold is yellow.
Incorrect: The gold is yellow.

Do not use a Singular Countable Noun (for example: car) without; an article, a , an, the or this, that or a Possessive Pronoun.

Examples:

Incorrect: I drove car.
Correct: I drove a car.
               I drove the car.
               I drove that car.
               I drove her car.

6.2.2 A and An

Use A with nouns starting with a consonant (letters that are not vowels).

Use An with nouns starting with a vowel (a, e, i, o, u)

Exceptions:

        Exercise 1

In the following sentences, try to decide whether the speaker would probably use A, An or The.

1. Did you have fun at picnic yesterday?

2. You'd better have good reason for being late!

3. Did you think reason Jack gave for being late was believable?

4. Your blue shirt is on washing machine. You will have to wear different shirt.

5. I wish we had washing machine.

6. What happened to your bicycle? front wheel is bent.

7. I ran into parked car.

8. I wrote apology letter for Mary.

9. radiator has leak, and one of car's windshield wipers doesn't work.

10. Can you show me where leak is?

11. Beef is kind of meat.

        Exercise 2

Complete the story using the correct article.

Yesterday I went to friend's house. My friend loves animals so she has many pets. She even has snake.

We went to her room to see snake. She keeps snake in glass box. snake looked friendly so, she said that I could touch it. I grabbed snake by the head and pressed it gently. Suddenly dog started to bark. dog was protecting snake. snake probably thought that I was going to hurt it. I got very nervous and so did dog. It bit me!

My friend took me to hospital to get a check up. Fortunately hospital was not very far. There we explained what had happened to nurse. nurse was very nice. The only thing that I didn't like about hospital was that it wasn't very hygienic. walls looked dirty, floor hadn't been swept. I was grossed out!

Finally doctor arrived and saw the bite. doctor told me that it wasn't serious because snake was not poisonous. I was relieved and so was my friend. Of course that she knew that snake wasn't poisonous but you never know what infection one might get. funny thing about story is that t he snake died one week after it had bitten me!