Sunteți pe pagina 1din 5

N O U N S A N D ARTICLES

Alan
OVERVIEW We use a or an with singular countable nouns only.
A and an are indefinite articles. We use them to
talk about one of something when we assume that
1 COUNTABLE AND UNCOUNTABLE NOUNS
the listener 1 reader doesn't know which specific
We use uncountable nouns to talk about things we thing (but see Section 2.6):
think of as a mass, rather than countable individual A car drove past. (= we don't know exactly
things. We use them with singular verbs. which car)
It may not be immediately obvious whether nouns
are countable or uncountable (see Section 2), and The
some uncountable nouns in English are countable We use the with countable nouns (singular or plural)
in other languages. Logic and grammar seem to and uncountable nouns:
produce contradictions. Here are a few examples: A man is coming round tofix the television.
Uncountable Countable LetS sit on the grass over there.
rice lentils The is the definite article. We use it to talk about a
bread 1 macaroni four potatoes specific example of something we think is known
advice a few suggestions to both ourselves and the listener 1 reader:
knowledge ideas The cars were parked illegally in the city centre. (= we
news 1 information these facts know which cars and which city)
hair a wig
N o article
money a dollar
marketing an advertisement To talk about things generally, we use uncountable
luggage two suitcases or plural nouns without a l an or the:
f2u 1 cancer 1 measles a cold 1 a headache 1 Money doesn't necessanly bnng happiness. It S easy
a heart attack to blame minorities for al1 the problems of society.
strawberry jam a tra@ jam Paperclips were a bnlliant invention.
In these examples we are talking generally, and not
f Ic that really hair \ thinking of an individual item or example.
We never use a 1 an with nouns which are used
uncountably:
He shows an impressive understanding of the pnnciples
of marketing.

3 OTHER DETERMINERS
Other determiners such as my, your, his, etc., this,
that, these, those, have a similar function to the and
Many nouns can be countable or uncountable make the meaning specific:
depending on the context (see Section 2): Your happiness is of great concern to me.
Uncountable Countable (= happiness specific to you) Those holidays we
He's a danger to Bntain is a multi-racial had in the South of France were the best. (= specific
society. society. holidays) That money was meant for paying the
I never eat lunch. He's grown fat through eating phone bill. (= a specific sum)
so many business lunches.
Work is starting to Beethoven's later works are
take over my lije. startlingly ongrnal.
Singular countable nouns must always have a 1 an,
2 AIAN, THE OR N O ARTICLE? the or another determiner:
X X
A 1 an are determiners. Determiners are words we
J W h y don't you pul1 up a c)bair and sit down?
use before a noun to show whether the noun is
specific or general, singular or plural, etc. (For other
determiners, see Unit 9).
3 GENERAL OR SPEClFlC - ADDING THE
SECTION 1 We can use the with uncountable and countable
nouns, including the abstract nouns above, to refer
Using the or no artide to a specific example of something. To make clear
which specific example we are referring to, we may
1 THE WlTH NOUNS THAT ARE ALWAYS have to add a qualiSing clause with of (or another
SINGULAR preposition), a relative clause, or an adjective:
We nearly always use the with some singular nouns General Specific
because we consider there is only one in existence: 1 like all kinds of music. The music of Skalkottas is
the sun the moon the Earth the air virtually unknown
the ozone layer the past the future the countryside outside Greece.
the EU the UN the seaside the world 1s there life ajer death? It was afilm about the life
the Vietnam War the presidency the Government of a polar explorer.
This category also includes superlatives because We mustfight forfreedom. 1 was allowed thefreedom
there is usually only one thing or group that is of the house and garden.
superlative: Truth is the first victim We'll never know the truth
He's the best accountant in town. of war. about what really happened.
It's one of the noisiest bars in town. You learn from experience. The terrible experience was
something he never got over
She ought to be in jail- The society which they set
she S a danger to society. out to create was based on
Logic is not always a reliable guide. We talk about mutual trust.
the atmosphere and the environment. But we usually Sometimes the qualiSing clause is implied rather
think of nature in a general sense and so omit the. than stated explicitly. This is especially true of truth:
Although we talk about the universe, we consider 1 promise to tell the truth, the whole truth and
space as infinite and we use it without the: nothing but the truth. (= about what happened)
X X .

2 NOUNS WITHOUT ARTICLES


We use uncountable and plural nouns without
articles to refer to general ideas and categories:
Cars and buses are a major source of pollution in
cities.
We use many uncountable abstract nouns in this
way:
Intelligence is something you are born with, not
something you learn.
Laughter is goodfor you.
Here are more examples of abstract nouns we can
use like this: Tick ( d )the sentences which are correct.
advice anger beauty chaos courage education a What will music sound like in the future?
d t e m e n t fun hospitality happiness history b People's attitude to education reflect their attitude
information knowledge laughter luck music to children.
patience poetry progress violence c What exactly is the nature of your complaint?
d When it comes to depression, laughter is often the
best remedy.
e The life is too short to waste time being angry
with people.
USING THE OR N O ARTICLE

Pd

@ Fill each gap with one of the nouns. In three


sentences you will need to add the.
@ In the following sentences the is missing in one poetry chaos progress fortune strength dudgeon
or more cases. Write in the where necessary. beauty ffustration violence advice
a There are countless varieties of English in use in a ..... . is said to be skin-deep.
English-speakingworld. b If you ask, I'm sure your uncle will give you sound
b Concepts of language vary from country to ... . . .. .
country and from generation to genera'tion; c Marta's been known to dabble in lyrical ......... .
English you hear spoken nowadays is in no way d My next-door neighbour feels .. ....... of not having
recognisable as language used by last generation, worked for three years.
let alone in time of Shakespeare. e Domestic ...... . is a frightening concept.
c Government is now insisting that mathematics is f The protest meeting ended in total ....... .. .
taught with methods reminiscent of 1950s. g Carlos has proverbial .. . . . . . of a lion.
d Government is only possible if majority accept law h Steady ......... is being made.
of land. i At the concert Anka had good . . . . . . . . to be sitting
e When Julie walked into room, you could have cut close to the stage.
atmosphere with a knife. j The foreman stomped off in high ........ .
f Music of today deserves a different name from
music of Beethoven, Bach and other comparable
O Rewrite these headlines as normal written
sentences, adding the as appropriate, and making
geniuses.
any other suitable changes.
g People living inside Arctic Circle have a very
Example:
different view of year from those living in, say, N corrupts young says
Belgium. Minister of Education
h Many people in public sector of work are just
looking for sun, sand and relaxation when they go The Minister o j Education has said that television
on holiday, and why not? corrupts the young.
@ Correct the 8 errors in this extract from a
composition. Ll death of President leaves
u country in chaos
The war takes over when politics fails. It is always
frightening and unpleasant and the society does
everything it can to avoid clashes between countries,
but there often comes a point where avoidance is no
LbJ big business hit by inflation
longer an option. In the past, the mankind has fought
wars for many different reasons but the history shows
that one side always blames the other for starting it. United managerfaces sack after
Aggression starts because one side accuses the other of Zatest defeat
doing something aggressive. The other side denies it.
The argument gets louder and more heated until
COMPUTERS B M E D FOR RECORD
suddenly patience are at an end, the time for talk is
over, and military power replaces spoken argument.
NUMBER OF JOB LOSSES
Wars can be justified if they are fought for good
reasons, but who is to say what is a good reason?
water people drink not fit for animals say
History is written by the winners, and it is their version
environmentalists
of the truth that we tend to work from. Our knowledge
of the whole history of any war are likely to be limited
by the lack of complete informations but if we are to leve1 o f unemployment highest since
learn any lessons for future, we must try to understand mid nineteen nineties
what happened.
Uncountable Countable plural
SECTION 2 I was asked ifl'd had any He had many hilarious
previous experience. experiences to te11 us.
Sing~llar,plural, uncountable 1s there any truth i n That's one of the world's
wha t they 're saying? great truths.
1 NOUNS THAT ARE ALWAYS PLURAL Death by chocolate - The accident caused a number
Some nouns are always plural, ofien because they are what a great way to go! of deaths.
made up of two 'parts'. This is especially true of Life was hard a hundred Their lives were made a
some clothes and tools: years ago. misery by the disaster.
trousers underpants pyjamas tights scissors He has enormous strength. Patience is one of his great
shorts pliers tweezers tongs glasses (= spectacles) strengths.
Marriage is something Many marriages end in
To make them singular, we usually use a pair o$
to be taken seriously. divorce these days.
These scissors are broken. This pair of scissors is
He reported for duty. His duties included cleaning
broken.
and cooking.
Some nouns are always plural because they are
made up of many 'parts':
belongings goods people police 6 UNCOUNTABLE OR COUNTABLE SINGULAR?
We can use some nouns which are often
2 UNCOUNTABLE NOUNS ENDING I N -S uncountable with a 1 an. In this case, the nouns are
Some uncountable nouns that end with -S look like usually qualified by an adjective or phrase (such as a
plural countable nouns but are not. We use a singular prepositional phrase or relative clause):
verb: Life is short. (= uncountable)
- x He led a life of unimpeachable rectitude. (= countable
J What's the news today? + adjectival phrase)
Here are more examples. Note that many end Here are more examples:
in -ics: Ifelt really rotten at work the other day so I went into
news maths economics athletics genetics the stockroom for a nap - I thought I'dfeel better after
linguistics mechanics politics aerobics rabies a good sleep. Unfortunately my boss, who has a deep
distrust of most of his ernployees as well as a history
3 SINGULAR OR PLURAL?: COLLECTIVE NOUNS of suddenlyfiring his workers, decided there was some
work he needed me to do urgently. My colleagues told
Some nouns referring to groups can be either him I'd been called out - lying is sometimes a necessary
singular or plural. We use the with these collective evil - but he had a better knavledge of the situation
nouns: than they realised, and I was summoned to his ofice. I
The media is / are interested in this story. thought he would gtve me a hard time but he showed a
Here are more examples of collective nouns: tolerance that surprised me. Even so, it was an
army jury family band press school union experience 1 wouldn't want to repeat.
community audience sta$ committee cast (For common phrases with countable and
uncountable nouns, see Section 5.)
4 THERE IS / THERE ARE
Afier there is 1there are the first noun normally
determines whether the verb is singular or plural:
There's a chair and a table in the room.
There is a chair and two tables in the room. Correct any errors in these sentences.
There are two tables and a chair in the room. a Your reading glasses is by the bed.
b The jury are still considering their verdict.
5 UNCOUNTABLE OR COUNTABLE PLURAL? c There are one locking nut and four bolts for each
Some nouns that are ofien uncountable can also be wheel.
countable singular or plural: d 1 have a great deal of experiences in dealing with a
problem like this.
e That's a really good advice.
e Put a line through al1 the articles that are not
wanted in these sentences.
O Correct any mistakes in these sentences. a Thank a goodness that she has escaped without a
Tick ( J )sentences that are correct. harm to a life or a limb.
b In the times gone by, the marriage was often a
a Can you explain why my best trousers have a hole
matter of the luck.
in them?
c It was a love at the first sight that brought the
b The scissors in the sewing box needs sharpening.
couple together.
c This pair of binoculars have been in this drawer for
d A man has always struggled with the dichotomy of
as long as 1 can remember.
the security of the permanence and the quest for
d Half the audience were asleep by the interval.
the change.
e 1 can't say that economics are a subject I've ever
e Being on a duty for seventy hours certainly gives
been very interested in.
you a taste of what the life as a doctor is like.
f There're one potato and two onions in the recipe.
g Where has those kitchen scales gone that we used @ Fill each of the numbered blanks in the passage
to have? with one suitable word.
Tick ( J )the following sentences that are One of the problems posed by the debate on global
acceptable. Correct the others. warming is the lack of detailed weather data before
the second half of the 19th century. The main
a Did Mozart have an unhappy childhood?
argument .......... (1) the anti-pollution lobby is that
b After interesting travel to Los Angeles, he wanted
. . . . . . . . . (2) Earth's average temperature .......... (3) risen
to live in the USA.
by about half a degree since 1860 and the changes go
c An undiagnosed illness in his twenties has left him
arm in arm with the rise of greenhouse gases in the
with virtually no hairs.
atmosphere. The fossil-fuels lobby, on the other hand,
d We learn many things throughout the life.
say that .......... (4) importance of greenhouse gases has
e Her face shone with an unearthly beauty.
been overrated and that the .......... (5) was warming
@ In the following old person's recollections, up anyway.
articles are missing. Put in a / an and the as The question we have to answer, however, is what the
appropriate. Earth's climate would have been doing without
.......... (6) interference, and to answer that we need
a .......... (7) knowledge of what happened in the
1 remember in dim and distant past my children being
distant .......... (8). For the last thousand years, we have
obsessed by man called Bob Dylan. 1 have no idea if
.......... (9) evidence of recorded history. While we
he's still alive, but impact he had in sixties and seventies cannot rely on weather observations - there
was incredible. 1 remember one song called 'Blowing in .......... (10) great doubt over whether early
Wind'; my son - he's in his fifties now - sang it al1 day thermometers and other .......... (1 1) were correct -
and al1 night, month in month out, for severa1 years. there are plenty of other data that provide a picture
And it was so silly: 'How many times must man look up of a changing .......... (12). Tree rings, movement of
before he can see sky?' 1 mean, question like that can't glaciers, accounts of frozen .......... (13) and pollen
be taken seriously, can it? And 'How many times must distribution enable estimates to be made of average
white dove fly before it sleeps in sand?' And then temperatures during certain .......... (14).
answer to profound questions: 'Answer, my friend, is Some of the most reliable .......... (15) comes from the
blowing in wind'. Generation after mine didn't know ice-caps of Greenland and Antarctica. These are
formed from compacted .......... (16), each year's
what life was al1 about, did they? We did, of course.
deposit being squashed by the following one. By
'Very thought of you'. 'Just way you look tonight'.
drilling deep into . . . . . . . . (17) ice and analysing air
'Night they invented champagne'. They were real songs. bubbles trapped inside it, a picture may be obtained
But what came next? 'How many years can mountain of .......... (18) atmosphere ages ago. One core recently
exist before it is washed to sea?' And there was whole drilled in Antarctica reached .......... (19) depth of a
generation singing along to song. Funny world we live mile and a half, to reach ......... (20) that had fallen
some 200,000 years ago.

S-ar putea să vă placă și